Tag: filip chytil

Improved Filip Chytil up for key role for Rangers vs. Devils

One of the key players in the Rangers-Devils playoff series figures to be Filip Chytil, who centers the Rangers’ “Kid Line,’’ scoring 22 goals and dishing out 23 assists this season.

“He’s been very good this year and has scored some big goals,’’ said Kaapo Kakko, one of Chytil’s linemates. “He’s got good speed — especially in the D-zone. Me and ‘Laf’ [Alexis Lafreniere], we try to get the puck out and try to pass to him with his good speed in the middle we’re going to get some three-on-ones.’’

Rangers coach Gerard Gallant praised Chytil for getting “bigger and stronger’’ this year.

“You can say the same thing about his two linemates — they were young kids who got more experience, they’re playing more, they’re growing up,’’ Gallant said. “They’re not kids anymore. They’ve got more games under their belt. They’re playing games, meaningful games and it goes a long way.

“Fil’ got bigger and stronger and played a heavier game and everything else followed. He manages the puck real well. When Fil’s going his best, he’s driving that middle ice with the puck and he’s making things happen, he’s pushing back defensemen. They [that line] do a real good job down low. They manage the puck as good as anyone in the NHL in my opinion.’’


Filip Chytil has played a key role on the Rangers’ Kid Line this year.
Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

Patrick Kane, one of the Rangers’ key midseason acquisitions, hasn’t been a part of the Rangers-Devils rivalry, having spent his career playing in Chicago, but is looking forward to the intensity of the series.

Though the Rangers and Devils haven’t faced each other in the postseason since 2012, they have a spirited playoff history.

“Playing in the playoffs for so long in Chicago you kind of build those rivalries in the playoffs, like when we played Vancouver or St. Louis or Detroit,’’ Kane said. “You play against them so much it becomes a rivalry. Obviously, these two teams had playoff series in the past and there is a lot of history there with the teams being so close. So, I’m sure they will be pretty exciting games and the fans will into it.’’

Kane, who’s hoisted the Stanley Cup before, was asked what it takes to do so.

“It seems like 16 wins isn’t that many, but it’s a long journey,’’ he said. “The biggest thing I’ve found in the years that we won was that we always overcame some type of adversity. There was something along the way that caused some adversity for the team and if you were able to get through it you came out better at the other end and found ways to win the series.’’

Rangers captain Jacob Trouba left practice early on Monday to tend to a personal matter and is expected by the team to play in Game 1 on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center.

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Rangers dominant win validates Kids ‘belong on the ice’

This is what it often looks like when a Peewee AA team from Westchester somehow winds up in the same tournament bracket as a AAA team from Massachusetts.

Carnage on Ice.

So it was at the Garden on Sunday when Rangers-Predators immediately devolved into the kind of mismatch that might have given Barry Trotz pause about accepting the invitation to replace David Poile as Nashville’s general manager as he watched from a press box suite.

The Rangers took six shots between 2:37 and 13:36 of the first period. They all went in, starting netminder Kevin Lankinen allowing four goals before long-man Juuse Saros failed to stop the first two shots he faced.

In the newspaper business, “30” symbolizes the end of a story. In the hockey business on Broadway, “6” sufficed.

“It was not in our heads to get to double digits or anything like that,” Mika Zibanejad said after the 7-0 victory that extended the club’s shutout streak to 150:51 and its winning streak to four. “It’s a tough situation, I’m not sure anyone has a really good answer on how it feels to play a game like this, but I think the focus is to maintain good habits and not get lazy.


Filip Chytil of the Rangers moves the puck down ice during the third period against the Predators on Sunday.
Robert Sabo for NY Post

“You might try something a little bit different if you want to work on something, but you want to continue to play the right way so you can bring that into the next game.”

The Predators, on their way to a playoff miss, were decimated by injury. Ryan McDonagh and Roman Josi were sidelined on the back end. Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen were among the missing up front. At least Trotz was able to get an up-close-and-personal look at a number of kids in the system.

In addition to the victory, which gave the Rangers an 8-2-1 record in their last 11 games, there was actually tangible reward in this one. It was not just an exercise in running it out. Indeed, to hear Filip Chytil tell it, this one was a significant one for him and linemates Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko to reaffirm their value to this loaded lineup.

“Our top-six has top-top players, so our ice time as a line has gone down the last number of games,” No. 72 told The Post. “This game, with the score, we just rolled our lines so that gave us more time.

“That’s very huge for our confidence and our calmness with the puck.”

Chytil opened the goal-scoring parade by splitting the defense before flicking a forehand past Lankinen at 2:37, 15 seconds after the netminder would make his only save of the night against Braden Schneider. The goal not only ignited a deluge, but it was the first in 19 games for Chytil, who hadn’t scored since Feb. 8.

“I have been staying on and working after almost all the practices,” Chytil said. “This is a confidence boost.”

The Kids’ ice time has taken a hit with the addition of Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane to the top-six and the subsequent construction of the Jimmy Vesey-Barclay Goodrow-Tyler Motte fourth line that has a spot in head coach Gerard Gallant’s rotation.

But in this one, Chytil was on for 15:16, Lafreniere — who has not scored in his last six games — for 14:40 and Kakko — 0 for his last 11 — for 14:10. That included a power-play spin as a unit. The lads did not score again, but they made the most of their opportunity by impressing Gallant.


Rangers right wing Kaapo Kakko (24) skates with the puck against Nashville Predators on Sunday.
AP

“They deserved it tonight,” the head coach said. “I like to see them take it. It’s not about me giving it to them, it’s about them taking it.

“They really played [well]. It was their best game in a while.”Gallant’s words should be music to Chytil’s ears. For the 23-year-old center had said just about the same thing from a player’s perspective just a few minutes earlier. The Kids aren’t looking for a handout.

“You have to understand, of course, the kind of players we brought in. They are here to help us win the Cup,” said Chytil, who had scored 11 goals in the 13 games immediately preceding the extended drought. “But we want to show that we belong on the ice. We want to prove that we can contribute to the team.

“We want to keep working as hard as we did before when we had a little more time. We want to help the team win. We want to show we deserve to be on the ice.

“That gives us motivation to earn ice time.”

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Filip Chytil hoping to return to Rangers’ lineup vs. Red Wings

One injury problem looks to be solved for the Rangers.

After he missed nearly two weeks with a suspected concussion, Filip Chytil said following practice Saturday that he feels ready to play on Sunday against the Red Wings.

“We would all like to make sure I’m ready and did what I could today,” Chytil said. “Can’t wait for tomorrow’s game.”

Chytil, who missed six straight games, participated in practice ahead of the loss to the Bruins on Thursday, but continued to sit. He seemed to be on his way back last week when he participated in practice, but he left the ice early after suffering a setback.

Rangers coach Gerard Gallant was not as committal as Chytil with regard to playing tomorrow. The coach sounded optimistic, however, saying Chytil looked good in practice.

Filip Chytil
Getty Images

“He’s a huge part of our team,” Gallant said. “Fil’s a big part of our group, and we really miss him when he’s out, so obviously it makes a big difference in your top nine for sure.”

After breaking out during the Rangers’ playoff run last season, Chytil started the season well with two goals and an assist in his first six games. That further cemented him as the team’s third center, a spot he earned beyond doubt in the spring.

On Saturday, Chytil skated between Jimmy Vesey and Barclay Goodrow on the third line, a departure from what the Rangers had gone with prior to his injury, when he played with Goodrow and Sammy Blais.

“I can improve, because we’re not perfect,” Chytil said. “Of course I have to work on almost everything right now, but how I started, I was happy about it. I got a little pause right now for a couple weeks, but yeah, can’t wait for tomorrow. Can’t wait to get back.”

Jacob Trouba (maintenance) missed practice. Vitali Kravtsov (upper body) practiced, but wore a yellow non-contact jersey. Ryan Lindgren (upper body) didn’t practice and is doubtful for Sunday.

With Trouba and Lindgren missing, Ryan Reaves played the role of emergency defenseman. It looked as though Reaves would be the odd-man out on the fourth line, which also consisted of Blais, Ryan Carpenter and Julien Gauthier.

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Rangers’ Filip Chytil looking to build off strong playoffs

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — After five seasons with the Rangers, something clicked for Filip Chytil during the run to the Eastern Conference final in 2021-22.

That’s how the Rangers center put it when thinking back on the seven goals and two assists he contributed in the 20 playoff games. Those were not the statistics that Chytil is most proud of, but his overall impact game in and game out made him feel he was finally an integral part of the team that drafted him 21st overall in 2017.

“Finally” was the word that Chytil breathed out as if a weight had been lifted off his chest, which has allowed him to skate lighter and freer than he ever has before.

“I always believed in myself, always believed what I could do, and that’s exactly what showed up in the playoffs, finally,” Chytil told The Post before playing 14:20 in the Rangers’ 4-1 loss to the Jets. “That was great. Hopefully, now I can build on and everybody as a team can build on the playoffs.”

Filip Chytil
NHLI via Getty Images

The timing couldn’t be more perfect for Chytil to take the confidence he gained in the playoffs and let it play out on the ice in the 2022-23 season. At the end of this season, Chytil will become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. A $2.6 million qualifying offer will be required of the Rangers to retain the RFA rights to Chytil, who turned 23 in September and is already six years into his NHL career.

Chytil seemingly hit a plateau in terms of production over the last four seasons, considering the fact that he finished with 22 or 23 points each year. But the Chytil that showed up in the 2021-22 playoffs — and the first few games of this season — should be capable of much more.

In forming the Kid Line last season with Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko, Chytil was formidable on the forecheck and below the hash marks. He wasn’t getting knocked off the puck as much as he once did. That came through once again Thursday night in a 7-3 victory at Minnesota, when Chytil battled for position in front of the net and cleaned up a rebound on an Adam Fox shot for the 4-1 score in the second period.

“All the people can talk with you about how the playoffs are different than the regular season, or how hard it is,” he said. “But if you experience it as something where you can feel your experience, where you can get better as a player — because you play against the best teams in the league and you play the hardest games [that] you can play in our sport — it helps a lot.”

Entering the matchup Friday night at Winnipeg, Chytil is 9-for-15 from the dots for a 60 faceoff win percentage. He owns a career 40.7 faceoff win percentage and has never finished above 43.41 percent, which was just last season. It may be early, but Chytil is on the right track to helping the Rangers in an area they have been deficient in for a while.

The Rangers have been waiting to find out what they have in Chytil for quite some time, and there is no time like the present. Between his impending restricted free agency and the Rangers’ championship window, the time is now.

“I know I helped the team, not just with the goals, because everybody sees the stats, everybody sees the goals and assists and points, it’s everywhere,” Chytil said. “But I think even the small stuff that people don’t see or people see, but it’s not that important for them. For me, personally, for the coaches, for the team, mainly for the team, what I brought in the playoffs and even before the playoffs when we had a run [for] a good spot [in the] playoffs, I felt great about it.

“That’s what makes me feel good and makes me feel that I’m part of the team.”

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