When Peter Laviolette saw the schedule, he smiled and exhaled.
The Rangers coach knew his team needed some rest after the grind of the regular season entering the playoffs and that’s exactly what the schedule allowed.
The Rangers practiced for the second consecutive day Friday after having some time off in preparation for Sunday’s playoff opener against the Capitals at the Garden.
“This has been good, almost different in a way, to be able take a couple of days to rest,” Laviolette said Friday. “When you’ve been playing every other day for 30 days, that can grind you down a little bit. So, for the guys to get a couple days off and still have three practices [they’ll practice again Saturday], before [the first playoff] game is different.
“It allows you to have a chance to go back and re-hit a lot of things we think we need to work on to make sure we’re on point with a lot of things that might come into play [in the series]. I like fact that we were able to rest a couple days and come in fresh. The guys have great energy out here.”
One of the mystery elements to these playoffs, and this Washington series in particular, is the status of Rangers center Filip Chytil.
He has been out with an upper-body injury since the 10th game of the season, in November, but has been medically cleared to play.
Chytil was on the ice for practice the past two days and on Friday looked particularly speedy and sharp.
Laviolette has been coy about whether Chytil will be activated for Sunday’s game, declining to provide info on particular players’ status.
Another player who was on the ice Friday was winger Blake Wheeler, who’s been out with a lower-body injury since mid-February.
“Blake did skate on his own today,” is all Laviolette would offer Friday on Wheeler.
One key element to watch for in the series is how well Washington excels in close games.
Despite the fact that, overall, they’ve allowed 37 more goals than they’ve scored, the Capitals have a remarkable 20-2-11 record in games decided by one goal.
“They’ve done a good job defensively,” Laviolette said Friday. “It’s a little tougher through the neutral zone [against them]. We’ve just got to try and play our game. It is about them and what they do, but it’s important for us to establish our game.’’
One day after Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau complimented the Rangers’ season, Laviolette returned the compliment Friday.
“It’s pretty cool seeing us both in the building,’’ Laviolette said of the teams’ shared practice facility in Tarrytown. “I have gotten to have a few conversations with [Thibodeau] because we’re both busy and not always in here at the same time. He’s just a terrific gentleman and he’s done an amazing job with the Knicks. ”It’s exciting for Knicks and Rangers fans, two teams that had great regular seasons.’
Laviolette couldn’t have been more complimentary of what do-everything forward Vincent Trocheck has meant to the team this season, during which he scored 25 goals and had 52 assists for 77 points.
“You’re talking about a player who touches every part of our game — faceoffs, offense, defense, power plays, penalty kill, six-on-five, five-on-six … he is one of the first players out the door,” the coach said. “He plays high minutes and he has been reliable. He’s part of one of the top lines in the league in regard to producing offense. He is somebody that we count on that I rely on.”