Tag: NHL

Rangers’ growing playoff predicament is impossible to ignore

There comes a time when you just have to take a break from hitting your head against a wall. Does anyone today seriously need another rundown of what is going so wrong for the Rangers over a first 23 games in which so little has gone right?

The Blueshirts left the ice following Monday’s 5-3 defeat to the Devils in fifth place (by point percentages) in both the Metropolitan Division and the wild card race in a league in which both the loser’s point and the paucity of head-to-head divisional matches conspire against clubs coming from behind in the standings.

Still, it can be done. In 2018-19, the Blues charged from last place overall on Jan. 2 with a 15-18-4 record to go on a 17-4-1 run that extended to 30-10-5, boosting them not only into the playoffs but to a Stanley Cup. In 2014-15, the Senators, 10 points out of a playoff spot on Jan. 17 with a 22-23-10 mark, went an astounding 21-3-3 the rest of the way to make the playoffs before losing in the first round.

Both of those teams’ revivals were sparked by goaltenders who essentially came out of nowhere — Jordan Binnington for St. Louis and Andrew (Hamburglar) Hammond for Ottawa. Following that model, the Rangers perhaps should dip down into Hartford and promote Dylan Garand, the 20-year-old who recorded his first pro shutout Saturday in, of course, a 1-0 shootout defeat to Hershey.

The Devils’ comeback Monday night at Madison Square Garden left the Rangers 14 points behind New Jersey and buried deep in the Metro standings.
Robert Sabo

Falling fast

A look at the standings is sobering. The Rangers have lost contact with the Devils. They’re out of sight by 14 points and thus should be put out of your minds. The role reversal between these two clubs might make more sense if put this way:

Last season, Jimmy Vesey played on the fourth line for a New Jersey team that missed the playoffs by 37 points. On Monday, Jimmy Vesey was on the first line for a Rangers team went into the season fancying itself a Stanley Cup contender.

This is not a knock on Vesey, who earned a spot on the varsity after coming to camp on a PTO and has been one of a tiny faction of Rangers — Vesey, Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, Filip Chytil, Julien Gauthier, Barclay Goodrow and maybe Braden Schneider — to meet expectations. (If you want to lobby for Ryan Carpenter in his role as fourth-line center, be my guest.) Early in camp, Vesey talked about having adopted a fourth-line mentality, how he modeled his game after Tyler Motte, so valuable in a fourth-line role for the Blueshirts last spring. And now No. 26 has played on the first line in eight of the club’s 23 games.

That hasn’t changed the situation Vesey and the Rangers find themselves in. Not only have the Blueshirts have lost contact with the Devils, but the Hurricanes are going to be long gone. The Rangers are going to have to be careful not to lose contact with the Islanders, whom they trail by six points while having only one game left against them.

New York Rangers Jimmy Vesey skates down ice in the third period. The New York Rangers defeated the New York Islanders 4-1 in New York.
After watching the Rangers reach the playoffs while playing with the Devils last season, Jimmy Vesey is now watching New Jersey steam toward a potential playoff spot while playing for the Rangers.
Jason Szenes

In order to qualify for the tournament, the Rangers will have to pass three teams they currently trail. Awarding spots to the Devils, ‘Canes, Bruins, Maple Leafs and Lightning, the teams to catch would be the Islanders, Penguins, Red Wings, Canadiens and Panthers.

Again, not one of them and not two of them. Three. Add to the equation that the Blueshirts will also have to stay in front of the Caps, who are three points back.

Strength of schedule

The schedule turns murderous next week, when the Blueshirts travel to Vegas and Colorado before home games against the Devils and Leafs. The Rangers — who have won four out of 12 (4-5-3) at the Garden — wouldn’t be expected to win any one of these.

But before the Rangers get from here to there, the schedule provides a silver lining. The next three games are against 29th-overall Ottawa and 31st-overall Chicago, teams that appear well on their way to Lotteryland. If there can be a soft spot for a team such as the Rangers, this is it. Of course, this is also the way the Senators and Blackhawks might look at it, preparing for a Blueshirts team that has won 10 of 23 overall (10-9-4) and is on a three-game regulation losing streak.

With an upcoming date against Jack Eichel and the Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights, the Rangers’ path to getting back in the playoff hunt isn’t getting any easier.
NHLI via Getty Images

After Wednesday’s match in Ottawa, there is a back-to-back at the Garden on Friday and Saturday, respectively, against the Senators and Blackhawks. Yes, get ready for Jaro Halak in one or the other.

Quick hits

• Is it a coincidence that K’Andre Miller and Alexis Lafreniere have regressed in what is a contract year coming off entry-level deals for both?

• There are 37 defense pairs that have been on the ice for at least 200 minutes at five-on-five. Miller and Jacob Trouba, the tandem that went into this season as the club’s presumptive shutdown pair, ranks 37th and last in goals for/against percentage at 28.57 (8 for/20 against). How’s that?

The Lindgren-Fox duo is 26th at 52.17 percent (12 for/11 against).

K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba have struggled to be the defensive stoppers they were expected to be when the season began.
NHLI via Getty Images

• There are 187 forwards who have played at least 250 minutes at five-on-five. (Thanks, Natural Stat Trick.) Vincent Trocheck is tied for 163rd with 0.37 goals per 60:00.

Do you want to know with whom he is tied?

That would be Patrick Kane.

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Rangers know playing just ‘OK’ won’t be good enough

LOS ANGELES — Entering their 20th game of the season on Tuesday against the Kings, the Rangers have already faced their fair share of mental battles. 

Not only did they start the season under the spotlight of their Eastern Conference final finish last season, but they’ve had to work through the frustrations that have come with not getting the results they feel they deserve. That goes for wins that should’ve been losses and losses that should’ve been wins. 

“I think a number of nights, I’ve come in after the game and said, ‘I thought we played OK, not great, but OK,’ ” Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said after practice Monday. “You look at the numbers and you say, ‘Well, we probably should’ve won that game.’ We had a chance to win, we were better than the other team, we had more chances and it didn’t happen. 

“Last year was the complete opposite. We got dominated a lot of nights and we had a good record. I like the wins, but again, I think our team played OK for the most part of the season. We’ve had two or three really good games that I’ve liked. If we can be more consistent, play that 60-minute game, we’ve got a good chance to win every night. I loved our last game in San Jose.” 

Gerard Gallant wants the Rangers to find consistency.
AP

The Rangers are coming up in the middle-to-top part of the pack when measuring up to the other 31 teams in the NHL. Before Monday night’s slate of games, the Rangers’ 22 points were tied with the Islanders and Red Wings, which ranks toward the top of the NHL. Their 56 total goals were tied for 13th with the Sharks and Senators, while their 51 goals against were good for the eighth least in the league along with the Maple Leafs. 

Judging by the Rangers’ lines and defensive pairs at practice on Monday, Ryan Reaves, Vitali Kravtsov and Libor Hajek will likely be scratched against the Kings on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. The lines were the same as they were in the Rangers’ 2-1 win over the Sharks on Saturday, which Gallant referred to as “the best game” since their season opener against the Lightning. 

The Rangers have their fifth back-to-back set of the season on Tuesday against the Kings and Wednesday against the Ducks. In the first game of a back-to-back schedule, the Rangers are currently 2-1-1.

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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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Islanders have done ‘little things’ during win streak

A week ago, when the Islanders lost two straight games in Florida and talked positively about how they played, it was easy to be dismissive.

Now? Those losses look to have been building blocks. And if the three games that followed — successive victories over the Rangers, Carolina and Colorado — are any indication, the finished product could be pretty impressive.

“I think the more you do the little things over and over again, maybe some of the little concepts, they become a little more second nature for sure,” Islanders coach Lane Lambert said following a 5-4 comeback win over the Avalanche on Saturday night. “That’s the key is to play without speaking, so to speak, or without hesitation.”

Lambert, a first-year head coach, has implemented new concepts since taking over, mainly centering around being more aggressive. Those paid dividends on Saturday, when the Islanders kept up with the fastest team in the league, the Avalanche, never looking overwhelmed even when they were down by three goals.

That is something that could never have been said about the Islanders last season, when their lack of speed was a death knell. This season, they seem to have figured out how to counter it.

Anthony Beauvillier is hugged by teammates after scoring the game-winning goal in the Islanders’ 5-4 comeback win over the Avalanche.
Robert Sabo

“We’ve done a better job of that, no question,” Lambert said. “We’ve made a couple little adjustments and I think it’s helped our game and helped with handling speed, so to speak.”

“Just trying to gap up a little bit more,” Scott Mayfield said. “It starts with our forwards trying to get the pressure on them. We know they’re coming back so they have our back. You see the pinches here and there that probably shouldn’t have gone, but that’s learning.”

The learning curve was evident during their three-game losing streak that ran from Oct. 20 through last Sunday, and maybe that is a product of a new coach. It’s obvious from their victories over three of the better teams in the league, however, that the Islanders have taken a major step forward.

“I think we’re gelling together a little bit more,” Mayfield said. “You can see it in the last three games. The [New] Jersey effort wasn’t there. Then we get to Florida, I think we played a little bit more together, a little bit more battle, but didn’t get the result there so it’s nice to get these three results. That’s what we’ve been focusing on.

“There was a little bit of growing pain, but I think it’s coming together pretty well.”
The Islanders honored Josh Bailey with a pregame ceremony marking his 1,000th game, a milestone he reached Friday at Carolina.

The Avalanche were without forward Valeri Nichushkin (lower body) for the second straight game.

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Alexis Lafreniere’s struggles aren’t worrying Rangers teammates

Amid a four-game losing streak, the Rangers are preaching calm, and that extends to the performance, or lack thereof, of individual players. Case in point: Alexis Lafreniere.

The former top-overall pick hasn’t scored a point since the Rangers last won. They need production from him on the right side of the second line with Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin. That trio, in 89:16 together per Natural Stat Trick, has a 60.10 percent Corsi rate, a 50.72 expected goals percentage and is dead even on scoring chances. The only major category in which it is underwater is the most important: goals for, which is as good a stand-in as any for the Rangers right now.

“Good sign if you’re getting good chances,” Lafreniere said before the Rangers jetted off to Dallas for a match Saturday afternoon against the Stars. “They don’t mean much if you don’t score. You just gotta keep going, and I think eventually, we’ll find our way as a team.”

Lafreniere — and for that matter, Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil, his linemates last season on the Kid Line — came into this season with more on their shoulders than ever. Lafreniere was thrust into a top-six role after Vitali Kravtsov flunked his training camp audition, but a successful playoff run would have bred expectations regardless of where in the lineup he ended up.

Moreover, with the Rangers in a cap crunch and having lost a number of forwards who had been integral to their run last season, they needed more from Lafreniere and the rest of the Kids, regardless of expectations.

New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafrenière hasn’t scored a single point since the Blue Jackets last won.
Corey Sipkin

The current second line, which came out with a bang when Lafreniere was first promoted there against the Wild in the second game of this season, has slowed down as all three participants figure out the jigsaw puzzle of how their respective games fit together.

“Just learning to play with different guys, that’s the toughest part,” Lafreniere said. “I think that they’re two really good players. Just trying to know a little bit where their favorite spots on the ice, in the [offensive] zone to get pucks and stuff like that. I think trying to work on getting a good forecheck in.”

That is a matter of patience, which Rangers coach Gerard Gallant is currently practicing.

With the Rangers sitting at 3-3-2 going into  weekend games at the Stars and Coyotes, the panic meter in the room is at zero.

“Individual players, you’re not gonna get 82 great games from them it’s gonna happen,” Gallant said. “I liked our game the last five periods. We keep doing that, we’ll win hockey games; there’s no doubt. Sometimes, the results aren’t there. Keep sticking with it, and you’ll win games. That’s how it works.”

Gallant said he thought the Rangers played well in their 3-0 loss to the Islanders on Wednesday. They outshot the Islanders, 41-29, but couldn’t get the puck by goaltender Ilya Sorokin.

As for Lafreniere?

“It’s like the rest of the team,” Gallant said. “He’s getting his chances. He’d like to finish more, he’d like to put the puck in the back of the net, but again, I’m not gonna point out Laffy over anybody else. He’s played fine.”

Being himself, Trocheck added, is the best way Lafreniere can contribute.

“I don’t want him to change his game,” Trocheck said. “There’s a reason that he’s here. He obviously is a really good hockey player. The way he competes, the way he works, is something that we need on our line. We just want him to go out there and play his game.”

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Islanders sound off about ‘flawed’ analytics in NHL

TAMPA, Fla. — The Islanders don’t want to hear about your math equations.

Though they have acknowledged that analytics has a role in hockey, they still value the eye test and gut feelings over numbers.

“There’s will and structure to our game,” coach Lane Lambert said Thursday. “Those don’t really get analyzed by analytics. We analyze it.”

There has been recent growth in the use of numbers in hockey — every team, the Islanders included, has staffers with analytics as part of their portfolio — but compared to the other three major sports, the NHL is still far behind. That’s in part due to the nature of the game. Hockey is continuous, random and hard to break down into the sort of individual events that are easy to analyze mathematically, such as a pitch in baseball, a snap in football or a possession in basketball.

Most of the publicly available numbers in hockey (individual teams track their own data) use shots as stand-ins for possessions, a reasonable but rudimentary method of estimation. Expected-goals models, which are widely cited, can be useful, but because there is no public puck-tracking data, they fail to account for factors such as whether a shot was preceded by a pass; such shots are harder for a goaltender to stop.

Islanders forward Matt Martin (17) celebrates a goal against the Lightning on Oct. 22, 2022.
NHLI via Getty Images

“It’s everywhere nowadays so I guess you certainly see it,” Matt Martin said. “I think it can definitely be flawed as well. I think sometimes you might have a really good game defensively against someone’s top line where you lose the Corsi battle or whatever it is, but you keep them off the board and don’t give up a ton of high-danger chances. And analytically, sometimes that shows up as a very poor game where you’ll get a tap on the back from your coaching staff about how good of a job you guys did.”

The Islanders’ fourth line, which Martin is a part of, is a good test case. Because they spend a lot of ice time in the defensive zone or on the forecheck, their analytics reflect negatively on their play. But the goal of the fourth line is not necessarily to generate offense, but to leave a physical impact on the game, wear down opponents and keep them off the board.

“I think you can walk around a dressing room, someone can tell you whether they had a bad game or a good game,” Martin said. “We know as professionals. … You get matched up against Connor McDavid, you’re probably gonna lose the Corsi battle. But if you limit the amount of high-danger chances he has and keep him off the board, we take that every single night.”

Martin said there isn’t much interaction between the Islanders’ analytics staff and the players. Taran Singleton, a longtime video coach with the Devils when current Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello was in New Jersey, is one of five staffers devoted to analytics.

“I’m not a big analytics guy,” Zach Parise said. “I just think there’s too many factors in this game that don’t get accounted for. I’ll go as far as shots on goal, cause you give yourself a chance to score. Anything past that, it’s a little difficult to measure.”

Like Martin, Parise cited factors such as the opponent as a reason analytics fall short.

Islanders forward Zach Parise shoots on Lightning goalie Brian Elliott on Oct. 22, 2022.
AP

“Are you playing against [Patrice] Bergeron and some Selke [Trophy] winners? Or are you playing against a fourth line all night?” Parise said. “Where are you starting on a faceoff? Are you starting every shift on a controlled breakout? Do you lose the draw? If you lose the draw, you might not touch the puck the entire shift.

“You don’t reset all the time and start over like a pitch [in baseball], you know what I mean? That’s just my theory. I could be wrong. I’m sure there’s value in it, but I don’t stress much about it.”

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How Islanders’ new forecheck has gotten them up to speed

Three games into Lane Lambert’s tenure as coach, the difference in how the Islanders play has not only been obvious, but has had strong positive effects.

After a training camp in which “aggressive” was the word du jour, we are seeing it in action, in every phase of the game. Yes, that means defensemen getting up on the rush — it is no coincidence that six of the team’s 13 goals have come from their blueliners. But that is not the half of it.

The biggest difference between the Islanders and the top-tier teams in the league last season was the speed at which they played. Much was made about the average age of the Islanders because they played like an old team. They broke the puck out slowly. They eschewed the rush. Watching them and then watching the Avalanche, Lightning, Flames or Oilers was like watching two different sports.

Again, it is just three games, two of them against competition the Islanders should be beating, but at least they look to be playing the same game as the contenders. That comes down to a difference in, yes, aggression. Not just on the rush, but in every phase of the game.

Where it’s been most noticeable so far is on the forecheck.

The Islanders were always a strong forechecking team under Barry Trotz, but they depended on their forwards to do much of the work. The defensemen stayed back, meaning that if the opposition got above the hash marks, more often than not they could get all the way through the neutral zone with some degree of ease.

Lambert has changed that, and now there is a significant degree of pressure at the blue line as opponents exit the zone. That might make the Islanders susceptible to more odd-man rushes if their lines can be broken — everything is a tradeoff — but it has allowed them to keep the pressure on the offensive zone in a way they simply did not a season ago.

via ESPN+

Watch Adam Pelech’s positioning here on the far wall. When the puck is played around the boards, he’s all the way at the hashes to force the Ducks’ Troy Terry to play it back behind the net. The forwards do a good job as well, but that is where the real difference is compared to last season.

The added pressure also helps once the Islanders possess the puck. With Pelech and Ryan Pulock already stationed at the blue line, Pulock becomes an easy outlet for Brock Nelson after he wins a puck battle behind the net. Consequently, the Islanders can quickly get set up in the zone and not have to worry about an entry.

“If you forecheck with three guys, if you beat the three forwards, there’s that gap between the D and forwards. The D start to back off and you’re more or less giving the other team a free exit,” Matt Martin told The Post. “Now I think we’re a little more up and together. When we forecheck hard and a puck gets rimmed around the boards, our D are coming to keep that puck in and keep it alive. And then we come back hard to cover up for them.

“You’re gonna see a lot more of that, I think, around the blue lines. A lot more [of] those 50/50 pucks that we’re trying to come up with as opposed to backing off and allowing them to exit [with] no pressure.”

Even in the neutral zone, the pressure has been much more relentless. The little things — particularly forwards getting sticks on pucks — have shown out. Here, Kyle Palmieri does just that, and it leads to a zone entry.

via ESPN+

Earlier in the game against Anaheim, it was Anthony Beauvillier who made a heads-up play with his stick coming over the boards, leading to Scott Mayfield’s goal off the rush.

via ESPN+

The aggressiveness even has shown up on the penalty kill, where Islanders forwards have been emboldened to push up the ice when the situation has called for it. That approach nearly resulted in a shorthanded goal for Casey Cizikas against the Panthers when he chased a loose puck up the ice.

via ESPN+

The Islanders needed to find a way to generate more offense with the same group of players. So far, this is the way that works. The fourth line, in particular, has looked rejuvenated after struggling through last season.

“We love it, honestly,” fourth-liner Martin said of the forechecking mentality. “It allows you to hunt and make that first guy get rid of the puck, and you know that our guys are coming to try and keep it in. It definitely, I think, leads to more opportunities, more pucks going towards the net. You don’t want to give anyone anything for free.

“So if a player’s gonna make a play off the wall, which is always a tough play, and they don’t get it out, then we got an opportunity to turn it into offense.”

Added defenseman Noah Dobson: “It’s not fun when guys are chasing pucks as a D-man. You know they’re coming hard and they’re coming at you. That’s a good part of our game. When we’re forechecking well, we get lots of chances off it.”

A bigger test is coming soon with five straight games against playoff-level competition following Thursday night’s matchup with the Devils. Right now, though, we can only judge what we’ve seen. And what we’ve seen is the Islanders adopting a new approach and running with it.

“I think it’s just aggressive everywhere at all times is what [Lambert] wants,” Martin said. “Basically you’re never giving anyone a free play, you’re never letting anyone off the hook. You wanna keep the pressure on them. You wanna make them execute.”

Problem solved

Sebastian Aho’s move to the IR has eased a roster crunch facing the Islanders, for now.
Corey Sipkin

The solution to having too many forwards coming out of training camp, it turns out, was not to send down one of the forwards, but to put a defenseman on injured reserve. By sending Sebastian Aho to IR with an upper-body injury retroactive to Oct. 8, the Islanders effectively ensured Oliver Wahlstrom, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston and Nikita Soshnikov can stay on the roster without any worries.

Aho, who likely would have been a healthy scratch for games, still is practicing with the team as he works his way back from the injury. He has not spoken to reporters since going on IR, and Lambert has only spoken in generalities regarding Aho’s timeframe for returning. (The day Aho was placed on IR, he skated with the extras for 45 minutes after the rest of the team came off the ice. Make of that what you will.)

He’s already passed the minimum time to stay on injured reserve, so the Islanders can activate him if need be as long as he is healthy, a scenario that might only end up coming to pass if someone else goes on IR. If he is able to come back at the first moment the Islanders require him, though, it would be a good way of having navigated what seemed to be a real roster conundrum.

Dobson and Romanov taking steps forward

The Sharks may not have been the toughest test, but Alexander Romanov and Noah Dobson still aced their time together on the ice in a 5-2 Islanders win this week.
Getty Images (2)

As a follow-up to last week’s newsletter, when this space explored the awkward start between Dobson and Alexander Romanov as partners, it’s noteworthy that Tuesday’s 5-2 win over the Sharks was the best showing we’ve seen from the pair. In 14:40 together, per Natural Stat Trick, the Islanders outscored San Jose 3-1, had a 53.02 expected goals percentage and out-chanced their opposition, 17-6.

Lambert did not exclusively go at certain matchups with his defensive pairs, but most of Dobson’s and Romanov’s work Tuesday came against either the Sharks’ second line, led by Tomas Hertl, or their third line, led by Nick Bonino. (If you’re wondering about Logan Couture’s top line, its largest share of minutes came against Pelech and Pulock.)

The Sharks, who head to Madison Square Garden at a well-deserved 0-5, are a hapless group, so take that with a grain of salt. But it is most definitely a positive sign.

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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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Dryden Hunt replacing injured Vitali Kravtsov in Rangers’ lineup

Dryden Hunt, who appeared to be veering toward endangered species status approaching cutdown day, will replace the ailing Vitali Kravtsov in the lineup for Thursday’s match in Minnesota.

Hunt, who played up and down last year’s lineup and worked on Artemi Panarin’s right side for 29 games, skated on the fourth line with Ryan Carpenter and Ryan Reaves at Wednesday’s practice after having been scratched from Tuesday’s opener.

Kravtsov, who left the 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay at the 7:01 mark of the first period with an upper-body injury following a hit from Victor Hedman, is not on this two-game trip that includes a match in Winnipeg on Friday.

The Rangers believe Kravtsov is a possibility next week, when the club is home to Anaheim on Monday and San Jose on Thursday, but there is no definitive timeline for the winger’s return.

Though Hunt will make his season debut, Sammy Blais has not yet been cleared for duty after incurring an upper-body injury on a hit from Alexander Romanov in Saturday’s final exhibition game on the Island.

Dryden Hunt will replace the ailing Vitali Kravtsov (inset) in the Rangers’ lineup for their upcoming match against the Wild.
Getty Images (2)

Blais did skate at practice, albeit wearing a gold non-contact jersey, and has accompanied the club on the trip. Theoretically, the winger could be cleared by Friday.

The Rangers thus will maintain a 23-man roster for the immediate future.

Alexis Lafreniere remained on the right with Panarin and Vincent Trocheck while Jimmy Vesey skated on the left with Filip Chytil and Barclay Goodrow.

“I’d been thinking about putting Laffy up there for quite a bit of training camp, so I don’t think this affects anything,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “There’s no concern. When I put Vesey and Goodrow up there with Fil, I thought they played great.”

“I think everybody adjusted real well to losing Kravtsov. I’m not concerned about moving guys around a lot. We did it a lot last year so it doesn’t bother me one bit and I don’t think it bothers the players because I do it a lot.”

Braden Schneider, who made the switch from No. 45 to No. 4 prior to the opener, knows some Rangers history, He knew the number had once belonged to Ron Greschner, knew that it had been worn by Michael Del Zotto, and, “Kevin Lowe wore it, too …”

“I always liked having a low number and 4 was the lowest available,” Schneider said of the switch, with No. 2 having been retired in honor of Brian Leetch and No. 3 retired in the name of Harry Howell. “I wore 4 as a youth hockey player, but I think of NHL defensemen and low numbers.”

(No one mention this to No. 26. Dave Maloney.)

Zac Jones, who has been given the all-clear to move out of a hotel and into a permanent residence, is searching for a spot in Westchester.

“Not the city, not this year,” Jones, who will turn 22 next Tuesday, said while laughing.

Upcoming back-to-back means Jaroslav Halak will get his first start as a Ranger either in Minnesota or Winnipeg.

The Rangers had 39 shots against Tampa Bay — 21 at even-strength; 14 on the power play, that went 1-for-4; and four shorthanded in killing five of six and allowing only a five-on-three against.

The power play applied such sustained pressure that the first unit was on for 5:41 of the club’s 6:12 with the man-advantage.

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Jimmy Vesey is a different player in his Rangers comeback

The long and winding road has brought Jimmy Vesey back to where his NHL journey started. Only this time without all — or any — of the hoopla. Only this time without the guarantee of not only a roster spot, but of a contract. 

Six years after the winger signed with the Rangers as a celebrated free agent out of Harvard in 2016 after spurning offers from both Nashville, which had drafted him 66th overall in 2012, and from Buffalo, which had subsequently traded for his rights, Vesey is attending the Blueshirts’ camp on a professional tryout, hoping to earn a job as a fourth-line, penalty-killing specialist. 

At least two-thirds of NHL clubs had been in on the free-agent derby. It was kind of a public circus. Nashville GM David Poile charged that he had been misled. Vesey reported to the Rangers and played for much of his rookie season under a spotlight. 

Now, crickets. 

“To be candid with you, that hype never came from me,” Vesey told The Post before an impressive performance that included a power-play goal and strong penalty-kill work in Monday’s 4-1 exhibition opening victory over the Islanders at the Garden. “I always envisioned myself as a 20-goal guy and when I left here after three years, I thought I pretty much had figured it out. 

“Then I had a tough year in Buffalo and spiraled after that.” 

Vesey is not rewriting history here. He shied away from attention as much as possible. He was soft-spoken then, as now, prone to elongated scoring slumps through which he was eaten alive by bouts of self-doubt. 

Jimmy Vesey was expected to be a top-six dynamo, but struggled to crack the 20-goal mark.
Jason Szenes for the New York Post

“You know the big thing for me has always been confidence,” said the 29-year-old, who added that he had worked with a few mental-skills specialists in the past, “but didn’t hit it off with any of them. 

“I’m still open to the possibility.” 

Vesey recorded 16, 17 and 17 goals, respectively, as a top-six/top-nine in his first Broadway tour and was one of the team’s best players in the 2017 first-round upset victory over Montreal. Sent to the Sabres following 2018-19 for a third-round draft pick, the winger recorded only 20 points (9-11). Then came a lost year split between Toronto and Vancouver. 

“I was up in Canada during the [2020-21] COVID year, locked down, by myself,” said Vesey, who put up a combined 10 points (5-5) in 50 contests. “I didn’t play well. It was very hard on me. 

“It was a miserable experience.” 

But Vesey recreated himself in a different image following that season. He signed as a free agent with New Jersey and became a very effective support player and penalty-killer, joining Michael McLeod on the first PK unit while chipping in 15 points (8-7) altogether. 

“After the year in Canada, I took ownership of the fact that I had to re-invent myself as a fourth-line guy who could kill penalties,” he said. “I’m not one for pumping my own tires, but I think I did a pretty good job of that.” 

Indeed, Vesey was effective enough in that role that it was surprising that he was not dealt as a rental to a playoff-bound team at the deadline. 

Jimmy Vesey returns to the Rangers looking to snag a penalty-killing specialist role.
Robert Sabo

“Well, it almost … it was close,” he said, without divulging juicy details. 

So now it is back to the future after 422 NHL career games for Vesey, who seems to be competing with Dryden Hunt and Ryan Carpenter — a PK guy who played two years for head coach Gerard Gallant in Vegas — for a roster spot on a team that will likely keep only one spare forward. It would appear that there will only be room for two of that group, assuming that Ryan Reaves’ job is not in jeopardy. 

Vesey said that he had offers from other clubs to attend camp on a tryout, presumably from somewhere there’d be an easier path to a contract, but he chose to return to a place he likens to home. 

“I’m the type of person … I’m shy, I kind of like the feeling of home,” he said. “And Chris [Drury] was the assistant GM when I was here. He knows what I’m made of and am capable of contributing. Comfortability is important for me. Plus, I’m at a point in my career where I want to play for a team that can win the Cup. The Rangers are a legitimate contender.” 

As Vesey tells it, he is essentially auditioning for the role held by Tyler Motte following his acquisition at the deadline. Motte departed as a free agent after the cap-stressed Blueshirts could not accommodate his requested price. 

“I know management really valued the role Motte played here. I think I’m of that same mold and can fill that spot,” Vesey said. “I can skate, can kill penalties and I can still score if I shoot the puck.” 

Six years after the hype, three years after leaving, Jimmy Vesey is taking another crack at Broadway. 

“If I look at my career, I’m fine with where I’m at,” said the once-and-again No. 26. “I know what my assets are and what I have to do. 

“It’s good to be back.”

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