Artemi Panarin

New York Rangers: Pavel Buchnevich Should be a Key Player in the Playoffs

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Many times during a playoff run, one player who may be overlooked by an opponent. In the New York Rangers case, it would be wise if the Carolina Hurricanes did not overlook Pavel Buchnevich. Of course, the Hurricanes must focus on Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider. However, if they ignore Buchnevich they will pay the price.

One of the biggest criticisms of Buchnevich has been his lack of consistency. However, before the pause, Buchnevich finished strong, netting nine goals and 21 points over the New York Rangers’ final 21 regular-season games. While Buchnevich does benefit from usually being on the same line as Zibanejad, he actually played better without his stellar linemate, posting a superior expected goal rate away from his regular linemate.

This was evidenced back in February when head coach David Quinn demoted Buchnevich to the fourth line mid-game. But Buchnevich’s ability to bounce back quickly and make a positive impact became very apparent as in the next game against the Maple Leafs, he posted a goal and two assists.

Quinn likened Buchnevich’s game to being on a roller coaster at an amusement park. “Sometimes you get the high rides, and you’re having a hell of a time, and then you’re waiting in line and waiting to get on the ride, and you’re getting frustrated and aggravated,” Quinn said. “He’s a good player. He’s a real good player, and he’s had a good year for us. And sometimes guys just need a little jolt.” The Hurricanes should be concerned that his jolt is the fact the Rangers are in the playoffs against them.

Such is the case for Buchnevich. Much of his inconsistencies could be due to the fact that he has come from a different style of play. The native of Russia learned the European, possession-based style of play. Even after four years in the league, Buchnevich is still learning the intricacies that separate the European and North American styles.

Also, Buchnevich is also a guy who has his teammates back.

February was also an interesting month for Buchnevich. For example, he was involved in a car accident with teammate Igor Shesterkin. Buchnevich remained relatively unhurt during the accident, his teammate suffered a broken rib. In addition, during the trade deadline, there were many who suggested that Buchnevich should be traded to save cap space instead of teammate Chris Kreider.

One of the vocal opponents of trading him away was Sean Harnett of WFAN who said: “A future of 70-point seasons should be within his reach. The Rangers just need to keep the faith and not overreact when the ugly side of his game shows up.”

That future could start showing up during the Stanley Cup playoffs as the Hurricanes will be tasked with defending Zibanejad, Kreider, and Panarin, which could allow Buchnevich to have an impact in a supporting role.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Rangers: Artemi Panarin will carry team on his shoulders

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The New York Rangers signed Artemi Panarin last summer for his scoring skill and playmaking ability. When the NHL resumes games sometime in July, the organization is hoping he can do one more thing, carry the Blueshirts deep into the playoffs.

Panarin had an incredible first seaosn in New York. He led the team with 95 points finding the back of the net 32 times in 69 games. The 28-year-old has done everything the organization has asked as he had the best season in his five years in the NHL recording career-high in both goals and points.

This will be Panarin’s fifth trip to the postseason.  The high-scoring Russian scorer has struggled with putting the puck in the net in postseason games as he has played in 27 Stanley Cup Playoff games managing only nine goals.

What is more surprising, Panarin has only seen the second round once in his four previous playoff trips. In his final season with Columbus last season, the Blue Jackets upset the Tampa Bay Lightning in a four-game sweep before being eliminated by the Boston Bruins in six games.

This season the Rangers will be playing in their first postseason since 2017 with a team that had little aspirations of even talking about the postseason in October never mind getting their first opportunity to play in these important games now.

Defense

What so many fans fail to see is just how good Panarin is on defense. Head coach David Quinn broke down his game on the “Film Room” youtube video.

Panarin is a smart player on defense.  He is great at backchecking, putting pressure on the opposition as they enter the Ranger’s defensive zone.  “What makes him so good offensively is his commitment to defense”, said Quinn in the video. The coach appreciated his poise with the puck in his own end which more time than not turns into an offensive scoring chance. He dominates the “50/50 puck battles” which the head coach feels is crucial in puck possession.

Defense coverage is crucial in coach Quinns system, he has set plays in each of the zones on the ice, but he admits to giving Panarin a little more leeway because of his skillset and great on ice knowledge with what is going on around him.

Hard Part Is Yet To Come

Now is the time where Panarin will feel the most pressure. He was a rookie the first time he made the playoffs with Chicago and last season he knew would be his last with Columbus. This is New York, one of the biggest markets in the country, one where Panarin has never had to handle the media like he will when the game resumes.

Panarin is going to be expected to be better than he was in the regular season. That’s a tough thing to ask considering he, along with the entire NHL, will be starting over due to the prolonged break that was a result of the pause in the regular season.

The team leader on the ice is going to have to put his foot now quickly and find his scoring touch. The qualifying rounds are the best- of -five so there will not be a “feeling out” period.

The native of Korkino, USSR is a pure goal scorer and incredible skater who can handle the full load of the team on his shoulder and find ways to win hockey games. He will have to because, at the end of the day, this is why he is getting paid all of that money.

Team Leader

Panarin is no longer the new kid on the block. He is the guy the kids all look up to and respect. His contagious smile, no-quit attitude has been passed on to everyone in the locker room and on the bench. The Breadman will lead the club, along with Mika Zibanejad, to give the Rangers a scary one-two pinch against any team that comes there way.

Ryan Strome has been a benefactor of playing alongside Panarin. Strome scored 18 goals this season ( one shy of his career-high) along with a career-high in points (59) with him appearing on all 70 regular-season games this year.

The Carolina Hurricanes will be the next team Panarin and the Rangers face whenever the NHL gets back to games. That is something that will not change no matter how much the ‘Canes complain about the 24-team format.

Panarin needs to find his scoring touch the moment the puck is dropped. The moment he steps back on to the ice in whatever city that may be. Whenever that time comes, Rangerstown will be living every faceoff, every period and every game played through the eyes of Panarin.

There is something magical whenever fans talk about Rangers playoff hockey. Panarin is going to get to feel that energy soon, and knowing how committed he is to win, the Blueshirts will get to experience the end of a different but quite special season.

New York Rangers face playoffs with young, inexperienced team

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New York Rangers

With the expectations of a resumed NHL season, the New York Rangers will see playoff hockey for the first time in three seasons with a young and inexperienced team.

The last time the New York Rangers skated on a sheet of ice with the words “Stanley Cup Playoff” was in 2017. The Blueshirts lost in the second round to the Ottawa Senators four games to two.  At the time it was a devastating series loss as the Rangers were favorite to win after they knocked off the Montreal Canadiens in the first round in six games.

Today, the Rangers only have seven players remaining for that season. Pavel Buchnevich, Jesper Fast, Chris Kreider, Henrik Lundqvist, Brendan Smith, Marc Staal, and Mika Zibanejad. They remain the heart and soul of the club, though some have different roles than they did three seasons ago.

The team that is headed to the best of five-game “play in” playoff when the NHL resumes sometime this summer consists of players who little or no Stanley Cup playoff experience.  More importantly, they have a second-year head coach who will get his first taste of playoff hockey and at the same time needs to prepare his team for something he has never done himself.

That is to win a playoff series without any kind of home ice, in the midst of a global pandemic.  Need some more drama? Ok, let us start with this. Who will Quinn start in goal for the first playoff game? The face of the franchise who has a 25-5 record against the Carolina Hurricanes since 2011 in Henrik Lundqvist or the rookie prodigy Igor Shesterkin, winner of his first 10 of 12 games he started this season.

We can get back to that tough question later on.

The Kids

Throughout this crazy season one thing has remained constant. This team is loaded with young players who play with no fear. They leave it all out on the ice every game. The history of this storied franchise isn’t on their back like Lundqvist or Kredier have. They haven’t suffered the devastating playoff losses that have haunted the club since 1994.

Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, Philip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, Brett Howden, Julien Gauthier, and Alexandar Georgiev will all be taking the ice for the first time in the playoffs.  That’s just the guys on the roster now. The league almost certainly will expand the rosters once the “mini-training camp” begins sometime in July.

David Quinn and his staff will be able to bring the kids along with the mixture of veterans on this team to jell into a formidable opponent for the Canes and any other team that comes their way.

The Breadman and Mika

True leadership will come from the team’s top players on the ice. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad have led the team all season. Panarin had 95 points (32 goals) which led the team. Zibanejad leads the team in goals with 41, but more importantly, he is the player the kids and veterans respect and relies on upon in the big moments.

A one-two punch in the gut to any team they face off against, this tandem has an opportunity no one believed would occur when the 2019-’20 season began back in October. A chance to make the playoffs. The announcement by the NHLPA on Friday night gave fans hope of seeing hockey gaon this year.

It gave Rangerstown hope of seeing that NHL Stankey Cup Playoff logo on the ice again.

Experience is sometimes referred to as invaluable.  For this group of players who bonded from individuals to a hockey team the missing experience from their resume will be replaced with a desire to win for their fans, and a passion to not give up no matter what deficit they face.

Hockey is closer to reality than it was just one month ago. The Rangers will be ready for whatever lies ahead of them, on or off the ice.

Oh, I almost forgot.  Henrik or Igor?  It doesn’t really matter. Whoever gets the call will give the Hurricanes everything they have. What more could you ask?

New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin nominated for ‘NHL Fan Choice Award’

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New York Rangers, Artemi Panarin

The National Hockey League announced it’s nominees for the “Fan Choice Awards” and New York Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin was nominated for Best Celly.

Artemi Panarin had to expect to hear his name mentioned for some NHL hardware after he signed with the New York Rangers last summer. I am not sure the Best Celly Fan Award was what he had in mind but it is something to talk about during hockey’s downtime.

The NHL has created 20 different categories for fans to choose from. There is a large range of different topics, from best team dog, the goal of the year, best dressed, funniest player, save of the year, and my favorite best pregame ritual.

Fans can head over to www.nhl.com/fans/nhl-fan-choice-awards and pick who they would like to see win with voting ending on June 1.

Panarin has some good company in his category. Buffalo Sabers jack Eichel, the Carolina Hurricanes, and Panarin’s former team the Columbus Blue Jackets.

These are all good choices but none are as comparable as the Breadman’s leg kick which has been measured as high as 5.9 feet.

Panarin has been in the Hart Trophy conversation recently. The trophy is awarded to the league’s most valuable player, an accolade that he deserves based on what he has accomplished this season for the Blueshirts. This season Rangers fans have seen plenty of cellies with the Breadman finding the back of the net 32 times along with 95 points.

New York Rangers could be one of the scariest teams to face in NHL playoffs

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New York Rangers

With many questions dominating the return of the NHL one thing is very clear, the New York Rangers would be one of the scariest teams to play against come playoff time.

The Rangers have come a long way since their opening night win against the Winnipeg Jets in October. This team started the year with a bunch of rookies, strong veteran leadership, and a second-year head coach in David Quinn who seemed more comfortable behind the bench.

With a powerful offense led by potential MVP candidates in Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, the Blueshirts quickly provided a scoring punch they had been missing since the days of Jaromir Jagr. They both made the rest of the club better in all areas of the ice. What was even more surprising was the emergence of the team’s top duo on the blueline.

Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren became the top defensive pair for the team. The two rookies proved they belonged in the NHL early on and thanks to a switch in the pairings midway through November, they two have become a dominant force playing against the opposition’s top players.

The goaltending tandem of Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev kept the Rangers above water early on until the team’s decision to recall their top. goalie prospect in the AHL Igor Shesterkin.

Shesterkin played his first game the day after his recall defeating the Colorado Avalanche and winning 10 out of his first 12 games in the NHL before the NHL paused. its schedule.

The team went on a tear beginning the start of the new year in January winning 18 of their final 29 games played to bring the team within two points of a wildcard spot.

Their hard nose never gives up style of play makes them a dangerous opponent against any team. They should be an exciting club to watch when the league resumes play this summer.

New York Rangers: Top 5 Moments of the 2019-’20 season

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New York Rangers, Artemi Panarin

Before the global pandemic overtook the world and stopped hockey in a Thanos snap, the New York Rangers were having their best season in the last three years.

There were some great moments to look back on during this season, there was also some bad hockey, but like all rides, in the end, the good normally outweigh the bad.

Let’s look back at the top five moments of the 2019-’20 season.

5-Artemi Panarin’s MSG Debut Oct. 3, 2019, vs. Winnipeg

The Rangers signed the biggest free agent available in July, and now all eyes were on the team’s home opener against the Winnipeg Jets. Panarin didn’t disappoint Rangerstown, scoring a power-play goal 27 seconds into the second period helping the Blueshirts get their first win of the season defeating the Jets. Panarin also added an assist giving him his first two-point game of the year.

4- Rangers storm back from 4 goal deficit, defeat Montreal 6-5

The Rangers found themselves in a 4-0 hole three minutes into the second period on the road in Montreal. The Blueshirts had a decision to make. They could tank the rest of the game or picked themselves up and battle back. The team did the latter, scoring the next six of the next seven goals, including a short-handed goal by Brendan Lemieux (his second of the game), giving the Rangers a 6-5 win over their original six rivals.

3- Artemi Panarin records five points in a 6-2 victory of the New York Islanders

Artemi Panarin tied a season-high scoring two goals and three assists. The Rangers gave up the first goal against, then scored six unanswered goals dominating the game in all areas. Jesper Fast scored a goal with two assists to give the Rangers the first of back-to-back wins over the Isles that week.

2- Anthony DeAngelo scores a hat trick, Igor Shesterkin makes 46 saves in a win over the Devils.

Defensemen Anthony DeAngelo took charge in 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils in the Jan. 9, 2020 game at the Garden. He scored his first goal of the contest in the first period, which gave the Blueshirts a 2-1 lead. He followed that with two goals in the second period to complete the hat trick.  This was his first hat trick in his young NHL career. For the game, Tony D. recorded four points assisting Chris Kreider’s goal in the first period. Rookie goalie Igor Shesterkin was the winner in his second game with the Rangers.

1- Mika Zibanejad scores 5 goals, including the overtime winner against the Washington Capitals

No surprise here. The top moment of this season belongs to Mika Zibanejad with his five-goal outburst against the Washington Capitals on Mar. 6. The game was a shootout between the two teams, which had plenty of highlight-reel goals between them. Zibby scored a power-play goal in the first period, one goal in the second period, two more goals in the third, including another man-advantage tally. He saved the biggest goal if the night for overtime after Capitals Alex Ovechkin had tied the game with 43 seconds remaining in the game.

In Overtime, Artemi Panarin streaked down the right side of the ice, drawing two Capital players to him. Panarin managed to chip the puck to the top of the face-off circle where the puck found the stick of Zibanejad, who then blasted the game-winner passed the Washington goalie.

The season might have been cut short, but the excitement of Rangers hockey was something fans won’t soon forget.

New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin Loves the Atmosphere in the Big Apple

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New York Rangers, Artemi Panarin

The New York Rangers continue to reach out to fans via twitter and the lastest player to answer questions from fans was Artemi Panarin. The “breadman” fielded a variety of questions but has certainly been impressed by the atmosphere that New York City provides and was very impressed with the atmosphere on opening night at MSG. Panarin described that night as very emotional when he scored his first goal and helped the Rangers win. What may seem like a really long time ago, Panarin signed a seven-year, $81.5 million contract with the Rangers in July of 2019.

The New York Rangers leading scorer this year reveals his goaltending nemesis

Even big-time goal scorers have goalies that they just can’t seem to figure out. In a question posed by yours truly, Panarin revealed that the goalie that gives him the most difficulty is former teammate Sergei Bobrovsky. The two played the last two years together for the Columbus Blue Jackets, so Panarin faced him many times in practice, and in the previous two years when Panrin was with the Blackhawks and Bobrovsky was with the Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky currently plays for the Florida Panthers. Panarin revealed in a New York Post interview that he and his girlfriend had hosted Bobrovsky and his wife when social distancing measures were less restrictive in Florida.

Artemi Panarin reveals some of his favorite New York things

Panarin has warmed up to the many dining opportunities that New York City has to offer, and mentioned Ruby’s on Mulberry street as his favorite. According to its website, Ruby’s prides itself on using fresh local product balanced with Australian culinary influences to provide the local and international community with some of the best food, espresso coffee, and drinks in New York City. He has also endeared himself to the NYC community when he donated 1,500 N95 masks to the Hospital of Special Surgery in Manhattan. While he did not specifically mention the famous Rockettes, he did reveal that he discovered the high kick during a party last summer and it stuck with him. He also remembered the time he scored a goal against Detroit back in January and almost took out an official with his high kick.

The New York Rangers and their fans are hoping that they can see some more high kicks in the coming months, and of course for many years to come.

 

New York Rangers’ Centers Were Better Than Expected in 2019-20

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New York Rangers

When people looked at the New York Rangers’ roster at the beginning of the season, the one big question most had was how would the guys who man the center of the ice perform this season? It was especially an important question given that the Rangers acquired Artemi Panirin in the off-season. While the jury is still out on the bottom two centers, the top centers met and even exceeded all expectations.

Mika Zibanejad was a nice fit with Chris Kreider

Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider and have turned in a massive offensive performance that has helped form one of the league’s best top-line duos this season. Zibanejad recorded 41 goals and 75 points in 57 games before the NHL paused and pandemic put this season on hold and put an end to the questions of whether the Rangers had a legitimate elite first-line center capable of going up and down the ice with the league’s best. Unfortunately, Zibanejad was on a roll, scoring 11 goals in the final six games, getting at least one in all of them. He’d scored 17 goals in the final 13 games and netted 23 goals in 22 games following the bye/All-Star break. Even though it seems like a really long time ago, it was just on March 5 when Zibanejad scored five goals against the Washington Capitals. Whenever the Rangers step on the ice next, the Zibanejad/Kreider duo should be reunited and should continue to be a force.

Ryan Strome was having a career year for the New York Rangers

Ryan Strome has played his best hockey since joining the New York Rangers in the middle of the 2018-19 season. Strome has recorded 92 points (36 goals, 56 assists) in 133 games with the Blueshirts while emerging this season as Artemi Panarin’s linemate. After the trade, he slumped offensively but broke out of it late in the season. He had 12 goals and 10 assists in the last 28 games of the season and even started getting playing time on the power play. Overall, he scored 18 goals and had 15 assists, while averaging 15:54 in time on ice per game in 63 games after being traded to the Rangers. This season, paired with Panarin, who has a knack for making everyone around him better, which has certainly been the case with Strome. Their line immediately formed chemistry and the all-around play of Strome and Fast has allowed Panarin to be aggressive offensively. Strome has developed into an important player for the Rangers and has had success on the power play and penalty kill, in addition to his strong play at even strength.

Good News and Bad News for the New York Rangers and Their Fans

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New York Rangers

Some recent news stories came out that could have an impact on the New York Rangers on whether or not they will continue playing in 2020 and whether or not they will play in front of fans. Within the last few days, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, gave interviews that shed some light on what could possibly lay ahead for teams like the New York Rangers.

NHL commissioner gives some promising news for the New York Rangers

Bettman appeared on the Fox Business show “Mornings with Maria” and told Maria Bartiromo and said the league is capable of playing into the summer months but is focused on putting healthy safety first. Almost as important, Bettman stated that the league has taken into account the players’ competitiveness in regards to how the season is going to be restructured when play begins again. Several teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences, including the New York Rangers, were in the hunt for a wild-card playoff spot. This speaks to the suggestion that if the NHL would jump right into the playoffs, that the number of teams could be increased to 20 or even 24 teams to accommodate those who would be denied a shot at a playoff if the regular season could not be finished. This was a sentiment expressed by many including the Ranger’s Artemi Panarin who was quoted in a New York Post article as saying that “if we play, it would be unfair if the Rangers don’t have the chance to be in the playoffs. If [the NHL] goes straight to the playoffs, the Rangers deserve to be there.”

Dr. Fauci feels that pro sports could resume this summer, but without fans

Dr. Fauci appeared on the Snapchat show “Good Luck America” and told the hosts that it was possible to see sports return in the summer months. Fauci then explained how he would like to see it happen. ”Nobody comes to the stadiums. Put the athletes in big hotels, wherever you want to play. Keep them very well-surveilled, but have them tested like every week and make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their families and just let them play the season out.” This would also lend credence to the rumored plan that the NHL was considering neutral sites, such as North Dakota to finish the season. When asked how he thinks Americans would react to not being able to go to games, Fauci replied: “I think you’ll probably get enough buy-in from people who are dying to see a (baseball) game.”

Looking Back at the Pre-Season Predictions for the New York Rangers

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New York Rangers

This was supposed to be the week that the New York Rangers played their final set of regular-season games for the 2019-2020 season, with the hope of many that it would be a springboard to the playoffs. But of course, we all know that the NHL as are most sports around the world are in a holding pattern. So with the normal regular season all but done, let’s take a look back to see what some experts predicted what the season would look like for the Rangers.

Some Experts had the New York Rangers doing well

A bit understandable, even as most realized that the Rangers were in a rebuilding mode. In the Sporting News, very few experts had the Rangers making the playoffs. One pundit who did was Jackie Speigel of the sportingnews.ca, who predicted the Blueshirts would capture the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. She even selected Kaapo Kakko as the winner for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the league’s top rookie. Many might remember Jackie for her wonderful work at SNY, so it could be a bit of regional bias but at least the Rangers were knocking at the door when the season shut down. Jace Mallory took it a step further and predicted that the Rangers would secure the third spot in the Metropolitan Division.  Brooklyn native Sammi Silber of NBC Sports even had the Blueshirts winning the Metro. Dave McCarthy of NHL.com and SiriusXM-NHL picked the Rangers second in the Metro.  Overall, less than half of the experts polled had the Rangers making the playoffs.

In looking at some articles that had more in-depth features, Adam Gretz stated in his article for NBCsports.com that: “They should be significantly better. How could they not be after adding Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, Adam Fox, and two potential rookie of the year contenders at forward in Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov? That is a ton of talent to enter the organization in one summer and it should be enough to have the team at least in contention for a playoff spot.”

The SI.com staff predicted that the Rangers would finish seventh in the Metropolitan Division and wrote that “It’s easy to imagine the Rangers playing above their station, and it’s also easy to see them hit growing pains.”

They also wrote that “Each season always brings its own surprises”. I don’t think they had our current predicament in mind when they wrote that!