NEW YORK — Rangers coach Gerard Gallant stayed with the same lineup against the Washington Capitals in the Blueshirts’ return to action from the Christmas break Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. That meant defenseman Ben Harpur was in the lineup for a sixth consecutive game, which was something that was unexpected for the 6-6, 231-pounder, whom the Rangers called up from AHL Hartford on Dec. 3.
“When I first got called up, I thought it was more of an opportunity to get a younger guy (Zac Jones) to play some games down in Hartford instead of, you know, sitting in the press box here,’’ Harpur said after the Rangers’ morning skate Tuesday. “And me being a bit older now, I’d come up and be the 7th ‘D,' and that's what my impression was.’’
That was what Gallant said the plan was at the time. Jones was sent to Hartford, and Libor Hajek was going to get a run. But after the Dec. 12 win over the Devils, Gallant decided to put Harpur in the next game, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He hasn’t come out of the lineup since.
“Steady, steady, steady,’’ Gallant said when asked what he’d seen from Harpur to keep him in the lineup. “He's a big-body guy with a good stick, and he's played really well. I didn't know much about him. He's played a, little bit in Ottawa and Nashville in the past that we've seen, but I think what he's done with us he's just been steady, and he’s playing solid defensive hockey and I like what he's bringing so far obviously.’’
Harpur, who signed with the Rangers as a free agent Oct. 27 and played 17 games at Hartford, entered Tuesday with one assist in his five games, a plus/minus rating of even, and two penalty minutes.
Notes & quotes: Hajek and LW Sammy Blais were the Rangers’ scratches … The Rangers wore their Reverse Retro Liberty jerseys for the sixth time this season. They had gone 1-4 in the previous five games … Filip Chytil, a Czech native, said he watched the first two periods of Czechia’s 5-2 upset win over Canada on Monday on the opening day of the World Junior Championships. Asked if he gloated over his Rangers teammates who are Canadian, he said no. “A win over Canada is a casual thing,’’ he joked.
