NY Rangers projected lineup: K'Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba forming lockdown pair

NEW YORK - While Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox makes one dazzling play after another, the Rangers' second-defensive pair is focused on a simpler task.

"The biggest thing is keeping the pucks out of our net and limiting the other team's chances when we're on the ice," second-year defenseman K'Andre Miller said Sunday at the MSG Training Center.

Miller and partner Jacob Trouba have done a solid job of that heading into Monday's 7 p.m. home game against the Calgary Flames.

They've allowed just 0.71 goals per 60 minutes, according to Evolving Hockey, which is the best total of any Rangers' duo through six games. They've also limited opponents to 23.83 shots per 60, looking like a worthy complement to the top pair of Fox and Ryan Lindgren.

"I would say we like the goals against that we've given up," Trouba said. "It's not a huge number. Do you give up chances? Yeah, but that's why you have a goalie. They’ve been able to save us and help us when they’ve had to, and that’s a huge piece of winning."

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The Rangers like the 6-foot-5 Miller and 6-foot-3 Trouba together because they close off gaps and take up space.

Trouba was a 50-point scorer during his time in Winnipeg, but he's noted "that's not my role" in New York. Here, he's charged with being a lockdown defensive presence, which has rubbed off on Miller.

At 21 years old, Miller is still learning and will occasionally get caught out of position. But his ability to recover quickly and get back into the play is unique.

"He makes mistakes, but that's part of growing up," coach Gerard Gallant said. "Defense isn’t easy to play in this league when you're a young kid, but I’ve liked his progress. I liked the way he skates and moves the puck, and when he does make a mistake, most of the time he gets back because he's so talented. He's such a fast guy and he’s got that big reach."

Miller called Gallant's system "a little bit cleaner" than last year under David Quinn, with defensemen asked to clear traffic around the goal and keep it simple.

"It’s man-on-man, so you’ve just got to stick yourself in between the net and your guy and you should be good," he said.

Gallant has also asked his players to be more physical, which is right in Trouba's wheelhouse.

"When I'm playing my best, I think it's definitely part of my game," he said. "For me, it means my legs are moving, my feet are moving and I'm getting hits. That's a good sign for me."

Trouba leads all Rangers' defensemen with 17 hits, while Miller ranks second with nine. The latter said he "went away from it a little bit" last season, but is determined to be a "physical presence" moving forward.

The final piece to incorporate is offense. While the Rangers have limited opponents' chances with Miller and Trouba on the ice together, they've only generated 1.52 goals and 20.97 shots for per 60.

Miller has the skill, mobility and booming shot to contribute, but his primary focus to begin his NHL career has been defending.

Over time, Trouba's stay-at-home presence should enable Miller to push forward more often. He has one assist so far this season, with Gallant cautioning against asking him to do too much too soon.

"It's a fine line," the coach said. "Sometimes, we want our defensemen to join the rush, but we don't want our defensemen to join the rush when it’s a 4-2 lead for us and there’s no reason to go. Foxy is one of the premier players in the league, obviously, and he knows when to join the rush and how to lead the rush. That's a big part of our game, but we don't want all our defensemen doing what Foxy does."

If they all could do what Fox does, "Then we couldn’t afford them all," Gallant quipped.

NY Rangers projected lineup: Game 7 vs. Flames

When: Monday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.

Where: Madison Square Garden

TV/Radio: MSG Network/98.7 FM

Forwards

First line → Alexis Lafrenière (LW) • Mika Zibanejad (C) • Chris Kreider (RW)

Second line → Artemi Panarin (LW) • Ryan Strome (C) • Barclay Goodrow (RW)

Third line → Sammy Blais (LW) • Filip Chytil (C) • Julien Gauthier (RW)

Fourth line → Dryden Hunt (LW) • Kevin Rooney (C) • Ryan Reaves (RW)

Defense

Top pair → Ryan Lindgren (L) • Adam Fox (R)

Second pair → K'Andre Miller (L) • Jacob Trouba (R)

Third pair → Patrik Nemeth (L) • Nils Lundkvist (R)

Goalies

Starter → Igor Shesterkin

Backup → Alexandar Georgiev

Healthy scratches: Greg McKegg (F), Libor Hájek (D) and Jarred Tinordi (D)

Unavailable: Kaapo Kakko (upper body)

NOTE: This lineup is subject to change

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.