Rangers power play finally looking up after latest line shuffle

The Rangers’ power play has shown early signs of improvement since coach Mike Sullivan reshuffled the units six games ago, adding Adam Fox to both groups when possible. The progress is modest, but matters because the team’s man advantage had been struggling and remains a work in progress.

Oliver Bjorkstrand scored in Friday’s 5-1 win over Vancouver, giving New York a power-play goal in four of its past five games: four goals from 15 chances. That lifted the season conversion rate to 20.6 per cent, 18th in the league. The Rangers’ penalty kill is much stronger, ranking second at 89.1 per cent after a perfect game against the Canucks. Former Ranger Chris Kreider will miss his planned return to Madison Square Garden while recovering from an injury expected to keep him out for six to eight weeks.