New York Rangers: The most critical players to recent winning streak
The New York Rangers’ recent six-game winning streak was fun while it lasted. There were many players that stepped up so the Rangers could climb out of their early season hole. With that said, which player was the most crucial to the team’s recent success? Our team at Blue Line Station weighed in on the question.
After looking like a shell of their former selves for the first 11 games of the season, the New York Rangers were able to find a rhythm that led to a six-game winning streak. The organization was on the brink of firing their head coach Alain Vigneault on Halloween and since the wins have kept coming (aside from Wednesday’s loss to Chicago) the hot seat has cooled down a bit.
While there still are some players that need to get their games going, there’s been a fair amount of players who have looked dominant in the early going.
Our crew here at Blue Line Station got together to discuss who the catalyst for the winning streak was.
John Williams- Rick Nash
I have a feeling that Pavel Buchnevich and Kevin Shattenkirk are going to be talked about a lot in this roundtable so I am going to go a different route. I think Rick Nash has been more important than any other Ranger during their six-game winning streak.
This is a pretty obvious statement but the Rangers are so much better when Rick Nash is producing offensively. He was playing really well through the first 10 games of the season and was just not getting rewarded for it. He was as snakebitten as they come.
During the winning streak, Nash tallied six points, including four goals. He was a catalyst offensively and was able to score at key times. I don’t think the Rangers will end up re-signing him when the season ends, but if he keeps finding ways to produce like he is right now, he may force genera manager Jeff Gorton’s hands.
Alexandra Russo-MIka Zibanejad
The best player for the New York Rangers during their winning streak was Mika Zibanejad. This season started out with a lot of question marks surrounding him. There was a lot of doubt that he could handle the number one center role for this team.
His 19 points (9 goals and 10 assists) are helping to prove his case that he can not only handle this position but dominate in it. He started out the season flying and even when the Rangers weren’t doing well at all, he came up big for them. He remained steady and strong, and a large part of the reason this team was able to turn things around was because of him. During the streak, Zibanejad scored one goal and seven assists.
Despite the winning streak having been snapped, he also managed to score in the loss to Chicago. Zibanejad simply refuses to lower his compete level and that goes a long way for the rest of the team. He’s proving that he can also be a leader on this roster and the Rangers will benefit highly from that.
Without him, they would not be back in the race, which they now are. If Zibanejad continues to remain hot, this team will be able to survive in the intense Metropolitan Division, the most challenging division in the NHL.
Sam Prevot- Kevin Shattenkirk
Kevin Shattenkirk signed with the Rangers in the offseason with the expectation of being not only defensively consistent but also offensively consistent. Shattenkirk has 17 points in 19 games and eight points throughout the Rangers latest win streak.
Shattenkirk’s success has not been only at even strength play but on the power play too. He is currently the quarterback of the Rangers power play and the power play is much better than in years past. Overall this season, the Rangers power play is at 24.64%, but during this win streak, it has been over 40%.
Shattenkirk’s Corsi for is not as high as past seasons, but it is above 50 percent and with an average ice time of 21 minutes per game during the streak, he has been one of the most important pieces in the Rangers defense.
Although many Rangers players contributed to the winning streak, Shattenkirk’s power play abilities and his defensive play are what made him most crucial. The Rangers are struggling defensively but Shattenkirk has been one of the best defensemen out of the top two pairings.
George Ruggiero- Pavel Buchnevich
The New York Rangers just had their winning streak, the longest in the NHL this season, snapped. Many players have been integral to the Rangers’ winning streak. However, none have been as important as Pavel Buchnevich.
The 22-year-old Russian has upped his game to a height the Rangers have never seen from him before. Primarily playing on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, Buchnevich has scored eight goals and eight assists for 16 points. Over the six-game win streak, Buchnevich potted four goals and three assists for seven points.
Buchnevich’s biggest contributions have come on the power play, which scored at a click of 42 percent over the win streak. He showed off his brilliant shot and slick passing over the past seven games. However, oddly enough, he has been incredible in both the neutral zone and defensive end.
For a sophomore player who is renowned for his skill, Buchnevich’s defensive abilities have been coming along nicely. In the defensive end, Buchnevich has been strong up and down the boards. In the neutral zone, Buchnevich’s passing and skill in holding off opposing players has shone through.
Paige Cornicelli- Mika Zibanejad
Mika Zibanejad is leading the New York Rangers in goals and points and has taken the second most shots on the team. Ever since the Rangers acquired Zibanejad in a trade with the Ottawa Senators (losing Brassard in the process,) he has played rather well.
Over their six-game win streak, Zibanejad earned one point in all but two games. In the October 31st game versus the Las Vegas Golden Knights, he had one goal and two assists. On November 2nd versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, he assisted on Chris Kreider’s first period goal. November 6th versus the Columbus Blue Jackets, Zibanejad had three assists. Finally, he provided a helper on Jimmy Vesey’s first goal against the Bruins on November 8th.
The only two games he didn’t manage to notch a point in were against Florida on November 4th and November 11th vs. the Oilers.
With the effort that Zibanejad gives in each game, there is no reason he shouldn’t be a leader on the team The amazing effort he put in during that six-game winning streak just proves how good he truly is.
Karly Redpath-Kevin Shattenkirk
Since picking up Kevin Shattenkirk this offseason, he has been a great source of offense for the Rangers. He has been solid defensively since joining Brady Skjei on the second pair and has also managed to generate opportunities out of the Rangers’ own end.
Shattenkirk plays a patient game on both ends and has looked confident in his play along the blue line. You could see this, especially during their six-game win streak.
Shattenkirk has five goals and 12 assists for 17 points on the season. In those six wins, Shattenkirk registered a total six points (three goals, three assists). Even better was his success on the power play.
One of the biggest proponents of the Rangers’ success during their win streak was converting on power play opportunities. Before their loss to Chicago on Wednesday, the team had a power play percentage of 42.1%, the highest recorded in that span of any team in the league.
The Rangers picked up Kevin Shattenkirk in order to add to their numbers on the man advantage, an area they had struggled with in past seasons. Shattenkirk has proven to make an impact.
Shattenkirk has four points on the powerplay this season. One of Shattenkirk’s two power play goals came during the six-game winning streak (versus Columbus). In addition, he recorded three of his seven power play assists this season in this span (all seven of his power play assists have been primary assists).
With all of this said, Shattenkirk has been impactful in some of the Rangers’ best games this season. There is no question this he will be key to future success.
Michael Delasandro-Pavel Buchenvich
By far one of the most instrumental players to the Rangers recent success this season has been young Pavel Buchnevich. The Russian playmaker has nearly reached his point totals from last season in about half as many games.
It is no coincidence that when the Rangers were losing many games, Buchnevich was often slated in at the bottom of the lineup. To no surprise, when Buchnevich was bumped up to the top-six good things happened.
Talented on both the power play and at even strength, Buchnevich has eight points on the man advantage and eight points at even strength. Buchnevich is a threat to score and produce goals in any situation.
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If Buchnevich is given the opportunity to play consistent hockey on the first line, he could produce very good numbers and help propel the Rangers offensively. He has had a positive Corsi for percentage this season at 52 percent. Buchnevich has all the stats to back up the notion that he was the most important player for the Rangers during the winning streak.