There have been leaks in Pavel Buchnevich’s game in the last half-dozen games and that’s about it, and enough to have deserved a fourth-line distribution down Friday’s 1-0 defeat to the Bruins, which meant two changes. worth 1:46 during the last 11 minutes.
The winger, who has skated most of the last two seasons to the right of Mika Zibanejad in the middle and Chris Kreider on the left flank, has scored a goal in the last 11 games that entered Tuesday’s game at the Garden against the well-rested Devils. It was a goalless draw against the Caps in the 4-2 victory on February 4, which represents the last victory of the Blueshirts.
The lack of production makes Buchnevich stand out. Indeed, it would fit even with the crowd that entered Tuesday’s match, scoring twice in 181:23, since the number 89 introduced the puck into the free cage. These are other elements of the game that David Quinn quoted in his pre-game video conference to explain why Buchnevich was abandoned in order.
“We thought he was our best striker for seven or eight games and then it was a dive into his game,” the coach said. “The consistency of what he was doing at the beginning of the year, where there was a constant effort, a constant advantage in his game.”
The translation is that Quinn doesn’t see the same level of toughness in puck, diligence away from puck and competition in fights, while Rangers tries to make their way through this desert of production.
“He fell a little and I think he was a little frustrated from an offensive perspective, which can creep into other areas of people’s games,” Quinn said. “We just need him to get back to where he was.
“It simply came to our notice then [against the Devils] and at some point we can reward people [who are] playing better ”.
But here’s the thing. Buchnevici’s average ice time of 20:00 per game, which ranks him 30th among NHL strikers, should probably be reduced, regardless of his production or skill, away from the puck. He was on the alleged first line with Zibanejad and (mostly) Kreider, participated in the power play and was on the first tandem of punishment.
20:00 represents a jump of 18.1%. from 16:56 last season. This is a remarkable addition to Buchnevich’s workload, which, for the first time in his NHL career, included shorthanded unit work. At this, the 25-year-old Russian was very good, even through this period of offense. Indeed, Buchnevich participated in just three power goals in 35:25 and was on the fewest shots 60 minutes from any Blueshirt striker.
Maybe the decrease in wings in the physical game coincides with the extra ice time. No crime (alternative meaning), but here we are not even talking about a physical specimen. However, it should be noted that Buchnevich was there, in front and in the center, to challenge Brad Marchand when the Boston winger tried to take some liberties with Artemi Panarin after the number 10 returned to the ice on February 10 after stayed for a long time with an unidentified injury to his lower body that set him aside ever since. It should also be noted that Buchnevich sat and exchanged fists with Boston defender Jeremy Lauzon two nights later.
However, the big picture is this: Quinn is one of those coaches who likes to ride horses, one of whom this season identified her as Buchnevich. Dave Tippett of Edmonton rides Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a trio among the top eight NHL strikers for average ice time. Sheldon Keefe of Maple Leafs leads Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, first and fourth, respectively. Sabers’ Ralph Krueger leads Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Taylor Hall, the three between 10 and 18 ahead.
Quinn and the Rangers? Panarin is 14th, Zibanejad is 16th and Buchnevich is 30th. This doesn’t seem excessive, certainly not for a team that is extremely heavy and lacking in depth, but it can certainly happen when brand guys behave like players. This was not the case last year, when Panarin and Zibanejad took it in turn, carrying the crime quite a bit from start to finish.
The continued absence of Filip Chytil, who has been sidelined since suffering an unidentified injury in Pittsburgh on January 24 and not yet skating, has highlighted the lack of depth. That was a double misfortune for the team and the coach, whose doubling among the top boys did not bear fruit. Before New Jersey, the Rangers scored 19 goals in five to five in their 13 games, worth 1.46 per game. Only the Sabers at 1.36 per were worse.
So, if Quinn plans to offer more ice to players who “play better,” it may not be time, but it may have already come.