Motte’s understated role
Artemi Panarin was the hero of Game Seven and there were a handful of other players who deserve their stripes after this one, but someone who flew under the radar somewhat was Tyler Motte.
Back in the lineup for Game Six after suffering what the team described as a “significant” upper-body injury on April 7, the bottom-six spark plug gave the Rangers a different dimension in the latter stages of this series.
Used on the top-line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider at times in Game Seven in order to match up against Pittsburgh’s top lines, Motte was physical and kept it simple which is probably the best policy in the postseason.
He logged 15:35 of total ice time, including 2:36 on the penalty kill where he thrives, and he was just a dominant wrecking ball throughout, registering five hits while recording two shots on goal and one blocked shot.
You need substance perhaps more than style in the playoffs and Motte gave this lineup plenty of that in Game Seven, getting to the hard areas, playing a simple yet effective game and providing a spark of energy.
It proved crucial in the series-decider and it will be key in Round Two, and you need players like Motte if you want to win rings, as the Tampa Bay Lightning proved with Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman during their back-to-back championships.