Apr 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) awaits a face-off against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
NHL: Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers
(New York, NY) – As the Rangers look to turn around the Eastern Conference Final, Adam Fox made it clear he planned to play in Game 1. Asked about his health, Fox deadpanned he was “Good. Ready to go.” Except he clearly wasn’t 100%, and seemed to struggle through 24:56 of ice time without making much of an impact.
The Game 1 3-0 loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers also marked Fox’s fifth straight game without a point – his longest such pointless streak since the final six contests of the 2020-2021 regular season.
That said, it’s unclear how much Fox is being affected by the knee-on-knee collision he suffered with the Carolina Hurricanes Nick Jensen during the playoff’s opening round. Meeting with reporters Thursday, Fox said “I think we want to produce, obviously. Some more than others, myself included, are expected to produce a bit more offense.
“I think our main goal as a D corps is to defend first, especially against high-octane teams and not really force that offense. Getting up on the rush, joining late and delivering pucks from the blue line, maybe getting bounces like that. I think definitely, we want to jump when the opportunity presents itself.”
Meanwhile, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette wasn’t willing to divulge much regarding injuries. “We don’t have anything to report at this point,” he said. As for his focus behind the bench entering Game 2: “Would I like a bit more physicality? Sure,” Laviolette admitted. “As far as what we do, we gotta focus on the game and play the game.”
