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New York Rangers’ Mats Zuccarello Must Shine in the Playoffs

By Connor Orchard

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Mats Zuccarello is a key player for the New York Rangers. The forward has had a great season this year, but he must continue to shine in the playoffs.

Mats Zuccarello is a name that any New York Rangers fan loves to hear, especially when he’s producing goals for the team. You can almost guarantee that no matter how he contributes to the team, whether it’s with a goal or an assist, you will definitely hear the classic “ZUUUUCCC” chant ring around the arena. This then makes the fans more excited, which in turn makes them more louder, and considering the Rangers have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, the players will definitely want the fans to be loud from the start.

New York Rangers
New York Rangers /

New York Rangers

There is no doubt that the specialty of Zuccarello is his tremendous passing. He has shown many times that he can pick out a pass that leads to goal scoring situations. One of his best this season being the outstanding pass in the 4 – 1 win against the Nashville Predators, from the right boards where he quickly looked up and saw Chris Kreider coming fresh off the bench, who made the score 2 – 0.

Last season, Zuccarello played 77 games. In those 77 games he managed to score 19 goals and rack up 40 assists with a +/- of 11. This season on the other hand, Zuccarello has played 78 games, and scored 15 goals, and gathered 34 assists, with a +/- of 17.

And even though Zuccarello didn’t manage to beat last years numbers, he is still a player that contributes even when he isn’t gaining points; He isn’t afraid to block shots, and even though he is one of the smallest players in the NHL, he definitely gives as good as he gets. There is no doubt that if Zuccarello is on the ice when the fists are flying, he will be one of the first people there to stick up for his teammates.

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And fortunately, even though Zuccarello didn’t beat last years numbers, the Rangers still managed to have a tremendous season this year, finishing the regular season at the top of the table with 113 points.

In the playoffs last season, Zuccarello went with the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals, and managed to get 5 goals and 8 assists with a +/- of 7. So hopefully in the playoffs this year, Mats Zuccarello can have a big impact on the team and contribute to as many goals as possible. And as the Rangers are almost 100% fit and healthy heading into playoffs, they will definitely want to come out flying.

Next: The Rangers' Top Four Stories from the 2014-15 Season

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