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There have been leaks in Pavel Buchnevich’s game the last half-dozen games, and enough to earn a bottom-of-the-ladder assignment in the fourth row alongside Friday’s 1-0 loss to the Bruins. , which meant two shifts with a value of 1:46 over the last 11 minutes.
The winger, who has skated most of the past two seasons and more to the right of Mika Zibanejad in the middle and Chris Kreider on the left flank, has scored one goal in the last 11 games leading up to Tuesday’s game against the Devils well rested. . It was an empty net against the Caps in the 4-2 win on February 4 which was the Blueshirts’ last victory.
The lack of production hardly distinguishes Buchnevich. Indeed, he would fit in perfectly with the crowd that entered Tuesday’s game after scoring twice in 181: 23 since the No.89 put the puck into the released cage. These are other elements of the game that David Quinn cited in his pre-game video conference as to why Buchnevich was dropped in order.
“I thought he was our best forward for seven or eight games and then there was a dip in his game,” said the coach. “The consistency of what he was doing earlier in the year where there was constant effort, a constant advantage in his game.”
The translation is, Quinn doesn’t see quite the same level of toughness on the puck, diligence away from the puck, and competing in battles as the Rangers try to make their way through this productive wilderness.
“It’s kind of dropped off and I think he was a little frustrated offensively, which can creep into other areas of popular games,” Quinn said. “We just need him to get back to where he was.
“We will see how it goes [against the Devils] and at some point we can reward people [who are] play better. “
Here’s the thing, though. Buchnevich’s average ice time of 20 hours per game, which ranks him 30th among forwards in the NHL, should probably be reduced regardless of his production or skill away from the puck. He’s been on the putative front row with Zibanejad and (mainly) Kreider, he’s been on the power play and he’s been on the first tandem with shots on goal.
His 8:00 p.m. par represents a jump of 18.1 pct. from 4:56 pm last season. It’s a notable addition to the workload for Buchnevich who, for the first time in his NHL career, has included work with the shorthanded unit. It’s something the 25-year-old Russian has been very good at, even during this fallow offensive period. Indeed, Buchnevich was only scored for three power play goals in 35:25 and was on the fewest shots against every 60 minutes of any Blueshirt forward.
Perhaps the winger’s decline in physical play coincides with the extra ice time. No offense (alternate meaning), but we’re not talking about a physical specimen here either. It should be noted, however, that Buchnevich was there, front and center, to challenge Brad Marchand when the Boston winger tried to take some liberties with Artemi Panarin after the No. 10 returned to the ice on February 10 after sitting for a long time with an unidentified lower body injury that has since ruled him out. It’s also worth noting that Buchnevich stepped in and traded punches with Boston defenseman Jeremy Lauzon two nights later.
The big picture, however, is this: Quinn is one of those trainers who loves to ride his horses, one of which this season he has identified as Buchnevich. Edmonton’s Dave Tippett overlaps Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the top eight forwards trio in the NHL for average ice time. Sheldon Keefe of the Maple Leafs straddles Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, respectively first and fourth. The Sabers’ Ralph Krueger rides Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Taylor Hall, the three between 10th and 18th up front.
Quinn and the Rangers? Panarin is 14th, Zibanejad is 16th and Buchnevich is 30th. That doesn’t sound like too much, certainly not for a team that are very heavy and lacking in depth, but it certainly can be when the guys at the brand are acting like little players. It wasn’t last year, when Panarin and Zibanejad took turns carrying the offense from start to finish.
The continued absence of Filip Chytil, sidelined since suffering an unidentified injury in Pittsburgh on Jan. 24 and still not skating, has highlighted the lack of depth. It was a double whammy for the team and the coach, whose dubbing on the best guys didn’t pay off. Prior to New Jersey, the Rangers had scored 19 five-on-five goals in their 13 games, or 1.46 per. Only the Sabers at 1.36% were worse.
So if Quinn is considering giving more ice to the players who are “playing better”, the time may not only be near, but it may have already come.
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