Seven Rangers players were at the Garden on Tuesday, taking in the scene as the Knicks received rings and raised a banner for their championship, and for his group, head coach Mike Sullivan said, an event like that can be inspiring.
Vladislav Gavrikov, Sean Durzi, Alexis Lafrenière, Will Cuylle, Noah Laba, Gabe Perreault and Eeli Tolvanen were all in attendance and appeared on the video board at one point, with some wearing or holding commemorative shirts given to fans in attendance.
And, just as the Knicks’ run to their first title since 1973 showcased in the spring, the ceremony served as another reminder of how a team can captivate New York City’s attention — and how the Blueshirts could produce a similar scene should they eventually snap a championship drought of their own that dates back to 1994.
“It’s inspiring when the group has achieved the ultimate success in their respective sport,” Sullivan said Wednesday after the Blueshirts practiced ahead of their game Thursday in Toronto, “and I think when it’s close to you — these guys, we have lunch with the Knicks a lot, so there’s some familiarity.”
The Rangers and Knicks both use the cafeteria at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown, meaning that if their schedules overlap when both are home, they could see each other. Gavrikov told The Post that he got goosebumps watching highlights at the Garden — of the Game 4 comeback, of the Knicks clinching the series in Game 5 — and said the parade that followed was “probably one of the best experiences for them.”
Knicks players, executives and coaches were all presented with 22-carat rings that featured miniature replicas of the Garden exterior and the court itself while they lifted the banner for the title and had Jalen Brunson address the crowd before falling to the 76ers.
Gavrikov said seeing everything makes him want to experience that too. Perreault said he went to a playoff game during the Knicks’ run and said it’d be “super cool” if the Rangers could likewise win one day.
The Knicks’ title snapped a drought that lasted more than five decades while the Blueshirts haven’t won since Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Mike Richter and others powered them past the Canucks in 1994.
“Probably here is one of the best places to win the Stanley Cup — if it’s not the best,” Gavrikov said. “So you definitely want to try to achieve that … that’s for sure.”
The Rangers kept their power-play lines intact and continued to work on igniting a unit that entered play Wednesday ranked 18th in the NHL (20.6 percent). They scored once with the man advantage Monday, but they’ve gone just 2-for-15 over their past four games.
“We’ve talked a lot five-on-five about creating off the shot,” Sullivan said. “I would argue that the same applies to the power play. Nothing breaks coverage down better than a shot on goal because it forces decision-making, and usually, when there’s decision-making, there’s either hesitation, players aren’t sure, or duplication, two guys doing the same job — an opportunity presents itself.
“That’s the benefit of shooting the puck, and so we’re trying to encourage them to shoot the puck a little bit more.”
Durzi didn’t practice Wednesday due to maintenance reasons. … Luke Glendening, who signed a PTO with the Rangers earlier in the week, practiced and rotated with Justin Dowling as the fourth-line center, continuing a 10-day window before the Blueshirts have to make a final call on his status.
