Ranking the Top Three Players for the Rangers so far this Postseason
After securing a second-round series win over the Carolina Hurricanes, the New York Rangers are now onto the Eastern Conference Finals and halfway through the playoffs. The Rangers are 8-2 so far in the postseason and have seen great production from numerous players. That said, let's look at the top three candidates for the team’s MVP through the first two rounds.
3. Mika Zibanejad
Zibanejad has been on an offensive tear this postseason with three goals and a team-leading 11 assists, two goals and five assists coming on the power play. The good thing about his game in the postseason is it has been consistent. The former 6th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft has tallied a point in nine of the 10 games so far.
There may not be another player on this team I trust more with the puck. It always seems like he knows what to do with the biscuit whether it is to rip the one-timer, find somebody open, or look to the crease for a Chris Kreider tip-in. The offense seems to flow beautifully when Mika is involved.
He has also been solid on the defensive end of the ice as he is second on the team in plus/minus with a +2, only defenseman K’Andre Miller is ahead of him. His defensive performance will be important in the ECF against a team that skates up and down the ice quickly like the Florida Panthers.
2. Vincent Trocheck
Trocheck has been a man on a mission this postseason. Through 10 games the center has 14 points, six goals and eight assists. He has been one of the most efficient offensive weapons for the Rangers and has not been afraid to rifle the pick (30 shots on goal). Trocheck has also tallied six multi-point games, the most recent one coming in the series-clinching game against the Canes.
What has been the most impressive thing about his performance to me is his production on the power play. The Blueshirts rank third in the playoffs on the man advantage converting at a 31.4% rate and Trocheck has been a huge reason, racking up four goals and four assists. His most important power play goal came in double overtime in Game 2 against Carolina.
It is amazing to see the progression in Trocheck’s playoff performance from just a season ago. Last year he netted one goal and had zero assists in seven games but he has completely flipped the switch this year and has become a guy the team can rely on.
1. Igor Shesterkin
Anytime you talk about the best player on the Rangers Shesterkin will always be in the conversation. He may not have been a Vezina Trophy finalist this year, but he has been the best goalie on the planet this postseason.
Through 10 games Shesty has posted an 8-2 record with a 2.40 goals against average, a .923 save percentage, and 299 total saves. He wasn’t tested that much in the first series with the Washington Capitals but the Hurricanes bombarded him with shots in the second series and he held it down in net.
His best performance came in the double overtime thriller vs Carolina in which he faced 57 total shots, saving 54 of them. This is a game where I think the Rangers stole and the series should have been tied at one which would have changed the entire complexity of the series. The Rangers were outshot by 16, but thanks to Shesterkin the team was able to pull away with the victory.
Having a goalie you can trust like this night in and night out is extremely important, especially when the Stanley Cup is on the line. Watching the Rangers play I never feel like they are out of it knowing they have a brick wall as their last line of defense. We saw it in Game 6 against Carolina when they were down 3-1 and came back to take a 4-3 lead and Igor closed it out with countless clutch saves such as a point-blank chance from Andrei Svechnikov.
Hopefully, he can keep playing like this as he will have another tough test in the ECF against an explosive offense in the Panthers.
Honorable Mentions
Chris Kreider: Team-leading seven goals, three assists, 10 points, and 29 shots on goal. Natural hat trick in Game 6 vs Carolina.
Alexis Lafrenière: Four goals, six assists, 10 points, and 26 shots on goal. Three power-play assists and three multi-point games.