Arthur Kaliyev is finding his New York groove

Arthur Kaliyev is quickly proving he belongs with the New York Rangers. The Staten Island-raised winger scored his second goal in less than a week — and his first at Madison Square Garden as a Blueshirt — in a dominant 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Against the Flyers, he kept his momentum going with an asist in a 6-1 victory.

It's been a turbulent season for the Rangers, who endured a brutal 4-15 stretch to close out 2024 but are now surging with a ten game point streak. King Arthur's impact has been a welcome addition since being claimed off waivers by GM Chris Drury from the Kings on January 7. He debuted against the New Jersey Devils on January 9 and scored his first goal in last week's 5-3 road win over Utah, scoring his first goal in Broadway colors in the slot.

Kaliyev's goal came against the Ottawa Senators in the second period on Tuesday, doubling the Rangers' lead to 2-0. Positioned perfectly on the right wing, he buried a wrist shot off the post after a deflection landed right on his stick.

"I saw the puck before me, and I was like, 'why not take a chance from there?' I thought it was a good idea," Kaliyev said.

He nearly added another goal later in the game, but it was waved off due to an offside review.

Against Philadelphia, he recorded an assist by winning a 25-75 board battle, and setup blueliner Braden Scneider who took care of the rest. It set the tone for a memorable night as twelve different Blueshirts had points, including all six defenseman, Will Borgen, Ryan Lindgren, Adam Fox, and K'Andre Miller.

The apple also made him the fourth waiver pickup to have three points in his first eight games.

Kaliyev's journey to the Rangers is a homecoming. Born in Uzbekistan, he spent much of his childhood in Staten Island before his family moved to Michigan. His time with the Los Angeles Kings was a mix of highs — like a promising 14-goal, 27-point rookie season in 2022 — and lows, including limited ice time and injuries.

"It's finally exciting to be back playing," Kaliyev said. "It was a bit tough, but it's starting to feel better, and I'm way happier now."

The kid's notorious shoot-first mentality was displayed against Ottawa, earning him third-star honors. Pairing him with Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil seems to be unlocking his potential.

"They are great players," Kaliyev said. "I watched them before when I played in LA. They're awesome players, great guys. They're helping me a lot, and we played pretty well last game."