{"id":13276,"date":"2025-11-18T04:20:45","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T04:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/rangers-hc-mike-sullivan-proven-right-on-rookie-demotion-4\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T04:20:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T04:20:45","slug":"rangers-hc-mike-sullivan-proven-right-on-rookie-demotion-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/?p=13276","title":{"rendered":"Rangers HC Mike Sullivan proven right on rookie demotion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rangers<\/p>\n

The New York Rangers\u00a0defeated the\u00a0Tampa Bay Lightning,\u00a07-3,\u00a0on Wednesday.\u00a0During the game, Rangers head coach\u00a0Mike Sullivan\u00a0made an interesting move.<\/p>\n

He moved Gabe Perreault out of the top line, placing Will Cuylle next to Mika Zibanejad and J.T.\u00a0Miller.\u00a0Cuylle ended the game with two goals, proving that Sullivan made the right call.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper lined up Nikita Kucherov,\u00a0Jake\u00a0Guentzel and\u00a0Brayden\u00a0Point for that matchup.\u00a0Sullivan made the decision not to expose Perreault, a rookie with little experience, against an elite line and opted for a more physical and mature winger who could handle board battles, forecheck and backcheck.<\/p>\n

Sullivan confirmed that his decision was based on the feel of the game.\u00a0“Some of it was just based on the feel of the game, but some of it was just from a matchup strategy standpoint,” he said,\u00a0via New York Post’s Mollie Walker.<\/p>\n

Facing the line chosen by Tampa Bay required transition coverage and discipline without the puck. The coach of the Blueshirts interpreted that Cuylle fits better in that role.<\/p>\n

Perreault is a creative player, but he still does not have the defensive skills for that level. Cuylle offers better puck protection, wall play and defensive tracking.<\/p>\n

Sullivan protected Perreault’s confidence and prioritized, at the same time, the immediate performance of the team, maintaining the functional chemistry of Zibanejad and Miller in a tough context. The result was the two goals from Cuylle.<\/p>\n

Sullivan seems to have adopted a pragmatic development philosophy, giving his rookies favorable roles. He surely will gradually increase the difficulty as they progress.<\/p>\n

“We didn\u2019t play our best tonight, and it\u2019s frustrating. The injuries are piling up, but we can\u2019t let that be an excuse. We\u2019ve got to fight through it, especially when we have a chance to take control. We\u2019ll need to learn from this and be ready for the road trip.”<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/em> \u2014 Jeremy Swayman<\/strong>, on the Bruins’ frustrating loss to the Hurricanes.<\/p>\n

Boston Bruins<\/strong> fans were hoping for another strong performance on Monday night, but instead, their team fell flat in a <\/p>\n

The Bruins<\/strong> entered the game already dealing with several key injuries. Elias Lindholm<\/strong> remains sidelined, and both <\/p>\n

The turning point came in the <\/p>\n

Despite having four power-play opportunities<\/strong>, the Bruins<\/strong> failed to capitalize. They registered just five shots<\/strong> during those man-advantage situations, and <\/p>\n

The Bruins<\/strong> pushed hard in the <\/p>\n

After the game, Jeremy Swayman<\/strong> voiced his frustration: \u201cWe didn\u2019t play our best tonight, and it\u2019s frustrating. The injuries are piling up, but we can\u2019t let that be an excuse. We\u2019ve got to fight through it, especially when we have a chance to take control. We\u2019ll need to learn from this and be ready for the road trip.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

The Bruins<\/strong> will now embark on a four-game road trip<\/strong>, starting with a matchup against the Anaheim Ducks<\/strong> on Wednesday night<\/strong> in Southern California. With their injury list growing, <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The New York Rangers\u00a0defeated the\u00a0Tampa Bay Lightning,\u00a07-3,\u00a0on Wednesday.\u00a0During the game, Rangers head coach\u00a0Mike Sullivan\u00a0made an interesting move. He moved Gabe Perreault out of the top line, placing Will Cuylle next to Mika…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t