Artemi Panarin

News and Notes from New York Rangers Camp

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New York Rangers, Artemi Panarin

One week out from their exhibition game with the Islanders, the New York Rangers continue to work toward getting in game-ready shape for their playoff tilt against the Carolina Hurricanes. Recently, Ryan Lindgren told the media that “Coach Quinn talked about it today before the practice that we need to amp it up. This week’s going to be huge for us.” With that in mind here are some other bits of news that have surfaced recently concerning the Blueshirts.

Panarin named a finalist for Hart Trophy.

Artemi Panarin, along with Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon have been named finalists for the Hart Trophy.

The annual award is given “to the player judged most valuable to his team” and is voted on by Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Concerning the nomination, head coach David Quinn said that “He has injected us with an awful lot of passion and enthusiasm. There’s no more of a deserving player than him to be in that conversation.”

If he wins, Panarin will be the fifth Rangers player to win the Hart after Buddy O’Connor, Chuck Rayner, Andy Bathgate, and Mark Messier.

Panarin finished fourth in scoring with a career-high 95 points and finished 20 points ahead of his next-closest teammate. The Blueshirts posted a 24-16-4 record in the 54 games Panarin registered a point and a 3-12-1 record in the other 16 games that he did not. He led the NHL in even-strength points (71) and was second in the league in assists (63) and plus/minus (plus-36).

Lemieux suspended for two games

The NHL has handed Brendan Lemieux a two-game suspension in the aftermath of the winger’s elbow to the head of Colorado Joonas Donskoi at the 17:08 of the third period the Rangers’ 3-2 overtime defeat in Colorado in the club’s final game on March 11.

While many were not surprised, the pause in the action in March had many forgetting about this incident.

Lemieux was also fined $2,000 earlier in this season for an elbow to the head of Cody Glass in Las Vegas.

Buchnevich returns to practice

Ranger fans took a sigh of relief when winger Pavel Buchnevich returned to action after sitting out Sunday’s scrimmage.

The NHL teams are not very forthcoming on injury information and speculation led to the possibility of something that may have been related to COVID-19.

However, that was not the case as the Rangers have stated that having missed one day on the ice was due to an apparently minor physical issue.

 

 

 

 

 

A Letter Home from New York Rangers “Summer Camp”

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New York Rangers, Chris Kreider

Dear Mom and Dad:

As you know, New York Rangers head coach David Quinn does not want us to call this training camp. “This is not a training camp. We are picking up where we left off, and I want to be crystal clear about that. We’re trying to win a Stanley Cup.” coach Quinn said. Whatever you call it, things are going really well here in Tarrytown.

We had our first scrimmage on Wednesday. It was kind of sluggish as the boys are still trying to get in shape. It has been great to watch Artemi Panarin‘s and Mika Zibanejad‘s lines pushing each other. They have also been pushing each other’s buttons on the ice too!

Everyone here has been wondering who is going to be the starting goalie. All of the guys did really well but most people thought that Igor Shesterkin looked a little bit better than the others. Even Coach Quinn thought so. “I thought Igor had a great day today. I thought he was outstanding today,” Quinn said of Shesterkin, who entered this camp as the former No. 1. “I liked all of the [goalies]. I thought Hank had a good day and Georgie had a good day.”

It was good to see Chris Kreider. After he got hurt in March we did not know how well he would be skating. The good news is that he is telling everyone that he has fully recovered from his broken foot. Some people are more worried about him when we take our field trip to Toronto, as he might be the guy who escapes from the bubble. (oh, when you watch us in Toronto, you might want to keep the sound down. These guys use some colorful language)

One of the best players in camp has been the defenseman, Adam Fox. Many guys were upset when he did not get nominated to win the Calder Cup, which is given to the best first-year player. Foxyclean (that’s his nickname) didn’t even complain. “Having your name in a conversation like that is really special,” Fox said. “It’s not something I set out to do at the beginning of the year. But there are a lot of great players and I’m not really disappointed. … recognition is nice here and there, but it’s not really what I set out for.”

See what a great guy he is Mom and Dad!

Coach Quinn was a little upset but he did not let on to everyone. “I might be a little biased, but this guy has done an awful lot for us. I keep focusing on the defensive side of it because I think the offensive side speaks for itself. He’s a guy that – obviously we’re fortunate to have Tony DeAngelo here, so his power-play opportunity probably hasn’t been what Quinn Hughes’ has been or Cale Makar’s has been. I’m not taking anything away from the seasons that they’ve had. They’ve had spectacular seasons too. It’s not an easy thing to do when you’ve got this extremely talented group of rookies.”

Now its time to clean up, get checked out, and head to my solo cabin. Write to you soon!

Your Loving Son,

Peter Puck Jr.

 

 

New York Ranger’s Artemi Panarin to League GMs: “Thanks For Not Drafting Me”

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New York Rangers, Artemi Panarin

It seems that the New York Ranger‘s forward Artemi Panarin had held on to this for about ten years. Panarin put up eight points in 20 games while playing in the KHL during his draft year (2010). The dynamic forward was then passed over by every team, perhaps due to a fear that he would remain in the KHL.

“I would like to thank all the (general managers) for not choosing me in the draft,” the Rangers star said Tuesday, according to Lohud’s Vincent Z. Mercogliano. “It allowed me to choose the team where I wanted to play, that played my style of hockey, and allowed me to be successful, to begin with.”

Apparently the motivation started right away as Panarin became a star in Russia. Panarin totaled 26 goals and 62 points in 56 games and added 20 points in 20 playoff games in 2014-15, the season before he joined the Chicago Blackhawks.

After joining the Blackhawks, Panarin notched 30 goals and 47 assists while playing alongside Patrick Kane in Chicago in the 2015-16 season. This obviously became a stepping stone in playing with such outstanding forwards as Kane and Patrick Toews, and he is not looked back since.

After the Blackhawks had to deal him in order to save cap space, Panarin spent a couple of years in Columbus before his success gave him another chance to make a decision, this time where to go in free agency. After rejecting such teams as the Islanders, he signed a massive $81.5-million deal with the Rangers.

He did not disappoint his teammates, the fans, or himself.

The 28-year-old turned in an MVP-caliber performance during his first season with the Blueshirts. He tallied 32 goals and 95 points in 69 games and was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award on Tuesday.

Recently, teammate Chris Kreider said of Panarin: “He competes like a dog on the puck in games. He wants to win. He’s highly, highly competitive.”

 

 

When he started in New York, Panarin had some goals. “Obviously, when I came, I felt a little bit of pressure,” Panarin said. “That’s normal. But with both the surrounding people that I met in New York and also the decision to read less press and look at less social media, allowed me to focus on my craft and drop that level of pressure and stress I might have felt.”

Now his next goal is to help the Rangers advance as far as possible in the resumed Stanley Cup Playoffs.

 

 

New York Rangers News and Notes from Return-to-Play; Panarin nominated for an award

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New York Rangers head coach David Quinn has made it absolutely clear what he wants the resumption of play to be called. “This isn’t training camp,” Rangers coach David Quinn said. “We are picking up where we left off and I want that to be crystal clear to everybody here. This is not a training camp. We’re trying to win a Stanley Cup. We really liked our team when this whole thing ended and we want to give people time to find their way.”

“I don’t think our mindset is any different than what it was when we ended the season,” Quinn said. “I think our guys really believed we were going to make the playoffs. I think guys believed in each other, they believed in themselves, they believed in the way we were playing. There was a lot of togetherness.”

NHL sets times for New York Rangers playoff games

While the NHL recently set the dates for the games, the league has now announced what time the games will take place.

Saturday, August 1, 12:00 PM

Monday, August 2. 12:00 PM

Tuesday, August 3, 8:00 PM

The times for the other two games, if needed, will be announced at a later time.

The New York Rangers will play the New York Islanders in an Exhibition game

Exhibition games will be played from July 28-30, with the Stanley Cup Qualifiers beginning on Aug. 1. There are several notable regional matchups on the schedule, including an exhibition game between the Rangers and the Islanders for Wednesday, July 29 at 8 p.m. This game, like the qualifiers that will be played later, will take play in Toronto.

Artemi Panarin nominated for an award

Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers has been voted as one three finalists for the 2019-20 Ted Lindsay Award. The other two nominees are  Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche.

The award goes “to the most outstanding player in the NHL,” as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA. Draisaitl, MacKinnon, and Panarin are all looking to capture their first Ted Lindsay Award.

Panarin led all NHLers in even-strength points (71), tied for second in assists (63), tied for third in points (95 points) and placed third in points per game (1.38).

Lindsay and Doug Harvey of the Montreal Canadiens led a small group in an effort to organize the first National Hockey League Players’ Association. In secret, all of the players at the time were contacted and asked for their support to form an “association”, not a “union”, which was considered going too far.

For his role in establishing the original Players’ Association, the Lester B. Pearson Award was later renamed to the Ted Lindsay Award in his honor.

New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin: One fabulous year on Broadway

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Artemi Panarin and the New York Rangers have been a perfect match. Today is the one year anniversary of the Blueshirts signing last summers best free agent. The breadman has proven to be worth every cent of the seven-year, $81.5 million contract that brought him to the city that never sleeps.

President John Davidson knew Panarin wanted to be in New York with the Rangers. He was very familiar with the superstar Russian when they were both with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“We know he definitely wants to be here in New York, specifically with the Rangers, It’s a perfect fit.” J.D. went on to say to Greg Wyshynski of ESPN following the signing, “There’s something special about Panarin and the way he plays the game, the way he looks at the game, and the way he thinks about the game, I’m ecstatic about getting Panarin here to join this group.”

The Breadman Did Not Disappoint

Panarin wasted no time doing what he does best. He scored in his first game as a Ranger during the teams 6-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets on opening night. His power-play goal 27 seconds into the second period gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead at the time and gave the fans a look at what he brings to the ice every night.

His infectious smile and hard work make every player around him a better hockey player.  Linemate Ryan Strome has taken full advantage of playing alongside the 28-year-old. Strome recorded 18 goals with 59 points this season. The 59 points were the most Strome recorded in his eight years in the NHL.

Teams leading scorer

Panarin led the team in scoring this season netting 32 goals with 63 assists for 95 points. His 32 goals were second on the team behind Mika Zibanejad (41). The 63 assists were tops for the team which included 17 helpers with the man advantage. If not for the shortened season due to the global pandemic he would have surpassed the 100 point mark this year.

Signing the biggest free agent last summer was not a sure thing. The Florida Panthers and the New York Islanders were in contention up till the last minute. Florida signed Panarin’s best friend and former teammate with Columbus, Sergei Bobrovsky.  The two had hoped to sign together as both were unrestricted free agents, but that opportunity never developed luckily for the Rangers.

The signing of Panarin signaled the conclusion of the club’s rebuilding plans. The newly signed high scorer along with the team’s selection of Kaapo Kakko the month before at the NHL Draft gave the team a spark the club was missing since the days of Jaromir Jagr.

The Dynamic Duo

The hope when the team signed Panarin was he and center Mika Zibaenjad would form a deadly one-two punch that would put fear throughout the league. At the start of the New Year in January the two players were on fire. Though they were not on the same lines, they were often on the same power-play unit and often found themselves together during many overtime periods.

A great example of the connection the two have was during Zibanejad’s five-goal game against the Islanders. In overtime, Panarin skated down the ice into the Islander’s offensive zone drawing two players to him. Panarin was able to chip the puck to the top of the circle where a streaking Zibanejad one-timed the puck past the Isle’s goalie for the OT winner.

Hart Trophy Talk

With the Rangers success this season and subsequent advancement to the NHL Qualifying Round of the Stankey Cup Playoffs, Panarin has had his name mentioned as a Hart Trophy candidate. He is worthy of the league’s Most Valuable Player award playing on a team with little chance of a playoff bid when the season began back in October.

The Rangers now will rely on a well-rested Panarin to continue his scoring touch with the club heading into the playoffs for the first time since 2017. The pressure to move deep into the playoffs will be unlike anything he has experiences in his short NHL career.

It will be interesting to see if he can find the magic he displayed throughout the year in what many consider to be the hardest playoffs to win the Stanley Cup.

Rangers’ Artemi Panarin, other NHL players, raise questions of health with Phase 3 approaching

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New York Ranger’s leading scorer Artemi Panarin raised the question of safety and health when he made a statement about the league’s Return to Play guidelines last week. He is not the only NHL player to talk about the risk of players returning to the ice with COVID-19 cases spiking across the United States.

Panarin’s statement covered a few topics that woke up the hockey world just 11 days away from the start of Phase 3 – Training Camp.

“I have concerns about the health of players and their families,” was how the Breadman brought to light his feeling about returning to play games during these unprecedented times. He was not alone in his concerns about health and well being of NHL players.

NHL Players share concerns of RTP

Montreal Canadiens’ Carey Price added to the sentiment with the goaltender self-isolating along with his family in the state of Washington. Price recognized first hand just how serious the virus can be when his friend’s mother died recently after catching the virus.

Price said he has some questions that would need to be answered before he would agree to go back on the ice and compete in the playoffs.

“Health and safety is the biggest. Being able to come to a situation where you don’t have to worry about contracting COVID-19 is huge,” Price said in speaking to Douglas Gelevan of CBC.ca.

The NHL and NHLPA have agreed to the RTP guidelines, but there are plenty of things to be worked out before training camp can begin on July 10. What hub cities will be used, testing, travel to hotel arrangements have yet to be determined. For Price and others time away from their families is a key focal point to reaching an agreement.

“I have about an equal amount of optimism and pessimism,” he said. “It’s a very unusual situation. I want the opportunity to play for a Stanley Cup, but I want to be able [to] continue living life normally.”

Price believes it’s a 50-50 chance that an agreement can be made in order for training camp to begin.

Washington Capitals Defenseman Would Prefer To Cancel Season

Washington Capitals defenseman Radko Gudas made it clear in mid-May that he would rather not continue the season since there are no known medical treatments or vaccines against the virus.  He told Jimmy Murphy of BostonHockeynow.com,

“If one guy is infected, basically the whole league has it in a week, given how they are planning to have everyone play against everyone. One stupid stumble and you can cancel it all again.”

Underlying Factors

Players who have underlying factors also have great concerns about returning to play. New York Rangers rookie Kaapo Kakko, who is a diabetic, will be playing with the team when the playoffs begin. The team, as well as Kakko, listened to the science and the medical people and determined that he would not have a greater chance of getting the virus, but might have a tougher time beating it if he should get it.

Players will have to evaluate their own situations and decide if it’s more important to try and win the elusive Stanley Cup or pass on the opportunity to help in preventing themselves and possibly their families from contracting a virus that hs proven to be fatal in so many across the world.

With the number of confirmed cases rising so quickly over the last seven days, the NHL will have to sit with the NHLPA and determine if they can both move forward without jeopardizing the health of players and league officials.

NHL Statement

On Monday afternoon the NHL Public Relations department Issued a statement via their Twitter account which updated the current status of players who have been tested during Phase 2. The voluntary workouts at team facilities began on June 8 though there is no “bubble” for players to self-isolate in.

The statement advised that a  total of 250 players reported to team training facilities to partake in Phase 2 as of Monday. There have been in excess of 1,450 COVID-19 tests conducted to this group with 15 players testing positive for the virus.  That is almost 5% of all layers tested u to this point.

This number doesn’t include the 11 additional players who tested positive outside of the Phase 2 protocol.  All players have been self-isolating and are following CDC and Canada procedures.

Rangers’ Artemi Panarin suggests players don’t attend training camp with escrow in question

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New York Rangers, Artemi Panarin

Throughout the pause in the NHL schedule, New York Rangers players have been keeping pretty quiet.  That silence turned into a ferocious roar with the team’s best player suggesting that NHLPA players refrain from attending training camp.

“It’s time to fix the escrow,” was a surprising quote in his statement.”

Artemi Panarin, who lead the Rangers with 95 points in the shortened season, put out a statement voicing his concerns about the leagues Return to Play process which is about to enter Phase 3 on July 10 and the player’s escrow arrangement.

 

The 28-year-old stated that he also has “concerns not only about the health of players and their families but also about the long term prosperity of the NHL.”

Escrow is a feature built into the CBA to ensure players and teams reach a 50-50 hockey-related revenue split by withholding a percentage of players’ salaries each year. With the season on hold, the NHL took a big hit, as did all businesses. The league has no idea when arenas can have fans attend games leading to a probable reconfiguration of the escrow conversation.

The CBA is set to expire following the 2021-2022 season, but the NHLPA and NHL have been negotiating more aspects of the RTP with the escrow arrangement obviously an issue the players would like to resolve earlier than later.

Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported on Thursday that the NHLPA was set to vote on a comprehensive Return to Play proposal that would include a collective bargaining agreement extension as well as coronavirus-related protocols for training camp (Phase 3) and the projected summer Stanley Cup tournament (Phase 4) once ongoing negotiations between the league and the union conclude.

Panarin’s statement comes at a time where the players union has the only opportunity to improve their side of the escrow agreement before Phase 3 can begin.

“We as players cannot report to camp to resume play without already having an agreement in place.”

Looks like Panarin and his fellow players have drawn an unexpected line in the sand.  For the past four months, the NHL and NHLPA have worked together effortlessly to get the season concluded. Up to this point, all things seemed as if there would be a smooth transaction from voluntary workouts through resuming the season in late July.

The next few days will be telling time in nit only the current standings between the two factions, but the negotiations of a new CBA just two seasons away.

New York Rangers, NHL, can handle players testing positive for COVID-19 when games resume

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New York Rangers

When the New York Rangers open their training camp with the rest of the NHL on July 10, players who should test positive for COVID-19 will not result in a massive shut down of the NHL per a statement by Commissioner Gary Bettman.

The Commissioner was a guest on an ESPN special airing Monday night.  In the interview hosted by Mike Greenberg,  reported by Andrew Gross of Newsday, Bettman along with other sports league leaders talked about how their sports are planning on returning to play following the suspension of games issued in early March.

Bettman told Greenberg, “If there’s one positive test, – again, this will be under the strict guidance of the medical people- that person will be isolated and we will be monitoring anybody, through contact tracing, that was in close proximity. Obviously for any sport, if you have a major outbreak it’s going to change everything. But we’re being told that an isolated case or a couple of isolated cases shouldn’t interfere with the plans and we should be able to move forward.”

The Rangers have begun voluntary workouts at their team facility in Tarrytown, NY. when the league began Phase 2 of their Return to Play plans on June 8. Chris Kreider, Adam Fox, Marc Staal, Brendan Lemieux, and Artemi Panarin have been on the ice in different sessions with more to follow as players find their way back to New York.

Once the league begins the playoffs, testing will be of the utmost importance, with the NHL commissioner stating that the league will test all players and members of the 24 teams participating daily. That is approximately 25,000-30,000 administered tests.

The Rangers won’t know where they will be playing their games until sometime in July with the NHL and NHLPA still discussing different venues. Las Vegas has been a popular mention for a hub city. The NHL still would like to have a hub city come out of Canada, but that may be a difficult trick to pull off if the Canadian government insists on a 14-day quarantine once players head to their country.

“If players would have to quarantine for 14 days between training camp and going to the hub, that wouldn’t work,” Bettman told Greenberg.

There are so many issues yet to be decided before the league is able to begin the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they have time on their side. The NHL is willing to extend this current season well into October or November if need be. The NHL realizes fans won’t be able to attend games in such places as Madison Square Garden or any other NHL arenas for a long period of time.

The league is willing to sacrifice the start of the 2020-2021 season until December or even January 2021 if they feel they can have fans attend games next season.

In the meantime, The Blueshirts will continue to hold voluntary workouts and begin to recall all of their players across the United States and overseas to retune home in the next weeks or so. Some like Henrik Lundqvist and Mika Zibanejad will have to sit in a 14-day quarantine when they arrive from their home countries per CDC and state guidelines.

Igor Shesterkin and his teammates are scheduled to face the Carolina Hurricanes in their Qualifying Round when the season returns to play.

Watching Rangers hockey and their chance to make a run at the Stankey Cup is a great thought, but there can be several issues that could derail their journey. The team will have to follow the guidelines and hope that the emergence of the pandemic doesn’t return.

New York Rangers Can Begin Training Camp on July 10

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New York Rangers, Artemi Panarin

In a recent press release, the New York Rangers and other NHL teams will be allowed to begin training camps on July 10.

The news was released jointly by the league and the players union and stated: The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) announced today that formal training camps (Phase 3) for the 24 teams resuming play will open on Friday, July 10, provided that medical and safety conditions allow and the parties have reached an overall agreement on resuming play.

It was also added that the length of training camp and, therefore, the start date for the formal resumption of play (Phase 4) will be determined at a future date.

The New York Rangers are currently in Phase 2

The guidelines in Phase 2 are designed to ensure that players remain in the same groups of six or fewer in order to limit potential exposure to contracting the coronavirus. Players must be tested for COVID-19 at least 48 hours before entering the facility and twice-weekly, according to the NHL’s 22-page memo released at the end of May. Phase 2 is voluntary for the players.

Brendan Smith, Brendan Lemieux, Chris Kreider, Marc Staal, Adam Fox, and Phillip Di Giuseppe were among the players who showed up at the team facility on Tuesday. These players will only be allowed to train on and off the ice in this group, as dictated in the NHL return-to-play procedures.

Artemi Panarin was expected to skate for the first time on Wednesday at the MSG Training Center, provided his COVID-19 test comes back negative. All players have to pass a test before they can enter the facility. Panarin will also not be allowed to train or skate with the above-mentioned players and will have to stay in a group of whichever players decide to come back before camp opens in July.

The third phase of the league’s four-step plan to resume play will mark the official opening of formal training camps, with the 24 teams set to compete in the 2019-20 playoffs all hitting the ice.

 

 

 

 

New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes: Behind the Numbers

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New York Rangers, Artemi Panarin

It has been a while since the New York Rangers have played a meaningful hockey game. With that in mind, we will break down the important stats from “this” season as the Blueshirts prepare to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the play-in round of the NHL Playoffs. With help from our friends at Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey, and the NHL.com, we will take a shallow dive into the matchup.

The New York Rangers opponents are also healthy

While the time off has allowed Chris Krieder and others to regain full health, the same could be said for the Hurricanes. This is especially true, especially of their defensive group. Thanks to the time off, Carolina has an injured Dougie Hamilton returning after fracturing his left fibula. This would have been an injury that would’ve ordinarily sidelined him for throughout the playoffs. Hamilton and Jaccob Slavin may be one of the best defensive tandems in the NHL this year. This pairing should get at least 50 percent of the ice time against Artemi Panarin‘s line.

Regardless, it still will not be an easy task for Carolina. Panarin has been outstanding this season, scoring 32 goals and adding 63 assists for a total of 95 points. With Panarin on the ice, the Rangers were +2.1 better than their opponents for every 60 minutes played, which is the highest number in the league. The biggest issue for the Rangers is going to be the disparity between the top six and the bottom six, which is displayed in the only analytical graph we will make you endure:

full image

 

Does Carolina have an advantage on Special Teams?

Carolina is one of three teams to finish top five in both rate scoring on the power play and rate scoring defense on the penalty kill. The other two were Edmonton and Boston. Much improved for their sub-par performances in these areas during the 2018-19 season.

The Rangers have been up and down on their special teams this year, especially the power play. Many times the Blueshirts power play looks like a two-minute passing drill that they put on during the game. Many times they will not even get a shot off, and a lot of time is spent skating down the other end of the ice and getting the puck that has just been cleared by the opposing team.

The Rangers will also need to improve their penalty kill, as it ranks 23rd, tied with the Los Angeles Kings at 77.4 percent. Part of their Carolina’s top five scoring rate on the power play is due to the fact that they have had six players score on the power play this season.

It is not like the Rangers have been poor all year, just inconsistent. They will need efforts like the game on Dec 27, 2019, in which the special teams sparked the Rangers to a victory over the Hurricanes.

Goaltending

The Rangers have outstanding depth at goaltender. Head coach David Quinn will have the task of determining which goalie has returned from the pause ready to head into the playoffs.

Carolina may have an easier task to pick their goalie, as James Reimer put up the better numbers of the season, stopping 91.4 percent of shots in 25 games played. His counterpart, Peter Mrazek, only stopped 90.5 percent of shots in 40 games played. Carolina also has the haunting memory of Mrazek’s performance last year against the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference First Round, when he posted a .899 save percentage.

Despite the Rangers dominance in the regular season, this matchup has the potential to be one of the more closely contested matchups of the play-in round.