Five questions to Kevin Shattenkirk

NHL.com's Q & A feature titled "Five Questions with …" is broadcast throughout the 2018-19 regular season. We talk to people in the game and around them and ask them questions to better understand their lives, their careers and the latest news.

The latest edition features the New York Rangers defender Kevin Shattenkirkwho is in the second season of a four year contract that he signed on July 1, 2017.

NEW YORK — The mental pause Kevin Shattenkirk Earlier in the season has clearly worked for the New York Rangers defender.

Shattenkirk was a good offense against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 11, four days after playing 7:29 in a 8-5 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

It was the last blow for the 29-year-old, who realized his dream of playing for his hometown team (Shattenkirk is from New Rochelle, New York) by joining the Rangers as a teammate. free agent on July 1, 2017, last 38 games of last season because the injured knee on which he played since the training camp had required surgery.

But Shattenkirk was arguably the strongest defender of the Rangers this season (13-10-2), even if his offensive output is not up to what he hopes to be or what it is, since watching a match from the press.

Video: NYR @ DET: Shattenkirk Recruits Top Fighter for PPG

Shattenkirk has played in all 21 games since, averaging 19:08 of ice time. He has eight points (one goal, seven badists) and is over-2 on this period.

Coach David Quinn pointed out that the best part of his game lies in the way he defends himself, especially in the shallows, with confidence, with a build and a strong position.

"He's almost back from a mental point of view to be 100% where he should be," Quinn said. "We have more than 20 games in the game and I think he's about to become the offensive player that we know he's capable of becoming." He was likely not to be opportunistic, but I'm certainly happy with the direction of his game in general. "

Shattenkirk is clearly too.

Here are five questions to … Kevin Shattenkirk:

You do not get the same numbers as in the past and probably the ones you expect from yourself, especially since you have averaged about 47 points per season over the past four years. seasons before you arrive in New York. But I wonder what you think of your game in general and if it suits you?

"I have the feeling that this is probably the best I've played in my career, I feel that, from a defensive point of view, I hope to play faster, I skate much better. it's really what has changed, I really trust myself and my skate to have good spreads and I'm not afraid of being beaten too much, but being a bit more aggressive. You need to do it today because the guys are so much faster and can reach their top speed.By watching the last two games, I've had chances, offensive chances, but when we do not start, we start to question ourselves, but we start to find our rhythm on our power play unit, and once it starts to happen, it's really for me that the points start to pour in. . "

Is it a change of mentality for you? I ask the question because when you arrived in New York and even before in St. Louis, you also had to hear it. People say your offensive game is there, digital game numbers are great, but you are also wondering about your defensive game. Have you changed your mentality to focus on defense?

"Certainly not, no, I think I always knew when I was defending how to do it, how I had done it.I think that with last year, with the injury. and before, I really kept, really myself on the ice after my skating, I had to, I did not have the speed like I do now.When I play my best, I like to say that I play in defense with my attack I jump in the rushes and pin this line in their defensive zone It's always my mentality, to quickly get the pucks out of our zone and join the race. [Quinn] and [Rangers badistant] Lindy [Ruff]This year, we really sat down and watched some clips, good and bad, and they just saw you playing hard in the defensive zone and that's what we want to see from you. This was the clarification and the way we could have an open forum is great. "

Video: NYR @ SJS: Shattenkirk buries backhander and wins SO

Was the return of your injury and your operation more difficult than you thought?

"I think it was harder for me to accept that it just was not there. At the end of the season, I had the impression that there was no stone left during the summer, that I had done everything I had to do in the But when we get to the speed of the game, we realize that it is a step to make. What was happening with me, was not having played in any match since January, I wanted to come back and have that huge comeback right away, the first five games. Things do not always happen that way for you or for the team. It was very frustrating for me not to have everything in place, but it was another time I had to take a deep breath The game I attended was huge, it was the moment when they were [Quinn and Ruff] just sit down and say, "Hey, listen, that's what you do not do." "

We hear a lot about attending a match, how much it helps a player. Why does this game make a difference? Why did it make a difference for you?

"The previous match in Carolina, we went to seven" D. "It never works and for some reason, I'm the guy who had the round, which was an embarrbading time for me to play on the bench Two, it was a moment when I knew they were not happy with what I was doing, three, I had to watch my game, and then you take those two or three days to really look at yourself. the mirror I had the impression of fooling myself a bit and that I just had to watch a game.Sometimes watching a game and getting into this situation seems to be a little easier, but that is It's slower and easier for you to understand so you can put it in place at the next game, and that helped me. "

As a team, are the Rangers better than even the Rangers thought?

"I do not think we're better than we thought, but I think we're the team we expected to be, it's the beginning of the season right now and what we talked about in the training camp and at the beginning of the season we relied on our work ethic, and that's what we do.The skills we have in the team, the people do not respect them, what I think they deserve, there are a lot of good players in our team who can make the task difficult night after night, but when we do not work hard, that's when we're going to be badly caught Obviously, we We are young and everyone is talking about it, but the bottom line for us is that we will know who we are.We are showing clearly to the League who we are and impress some of them, it is there that it starts to become more It's here that we will have to really finish if we are the team we think we are. "

Video: COL @ NYR: Shattenkirk beats Varlamov's stick at SO