There were leaks in Pavel Buchnevich’s game in the last half-dozen games or something, and enough to have earned a lower ranking for the fourth row in the stretch of Friday’s 1-0 defeat by the Bruins, which meant two turns that are worth 1:46 of time during the final 11 minutes.
The winger, who has skated most of the past 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 entering Tuesday’s Garden clash against the well-rested Devils. That was a nothing win against the Caps in the 4-2 win on February 4, which represents the Blueshirts’ last win.
The lack of production hardly makes Buchnevich stand out. In fact, he would fit perfectly with the crowd that entered Tuesday’s game, having scored twice in 181: 23 since No. 89 placed the disc in the empty cage. These are other elements of the game that David Quinn cited in his pre-game videoconference to explain why Buchnevich was withdrawn from the order.
“I thought he was our best striker in seven or eight games and then there was a drop in his game,” said the coach. “The consistency of what he was doing at the beginning of the year, where there was a consistent effort, a consistent advantage for his game.”
The translation is that Quinn doesn’t see exactly the same level of hardness on the disc, diligence away from the disc and competition in the battles as the Rangers try to work their way through this production wasteland.
“It fell a little bit and I think he is a little frustrated from an offensive perspective, which can seep into other areas of people’s game,” said Quinn. “We just need him to go back to where he was.
“We’ll see how it goes [against the Devils] and at some point we can reward people [who are] playing better. “
Here’s the thing, though. Buchnevich’s average ice time of 20:00 per game, which ranks him 30th among NHL attackers, is likely to be reduced, regardless of his production or competence away from the puck. He was on the supposed front row with Zibanejad and (mainly) Kreider, was in the power game and was in the first penalty shootout.
Its 20:00 per represents a jump of 18.1 pct. from 16:56 of last season. This is a notable addition to Buchnevich’s workload, which, for the first time in his NHL career, included work with the shorthanded unit. This is something that the 25-year-old Russian has been very good at, even during this period of idle offensive. In fact, Buchnevich scored just three power play goals at 35:25 and suffered the fewest shots every 60 minutes from any Blueshirt striker.
Perhaps the winger’s fall in the physical game coincides with the extra time on the ice. No offense (alternative meaning), but we are also not talking about a physical specimen here. It should, however, be noted that Buchnevich was there, in the front and in the center, to challenge Brad Marchand when the Boston winger tried to take some liberties with Artemi Panarin after No. 10 hit the ice on February 10 after sit for a long time with an unidentified lower body injury that has left you out ever since. It should also be noted that Buchnevich intervened and exchanged punches with Boston defender Jeremy Lauzon two nights later.
The big picture, however, is this: Quinn is one of those trainers who likes to ride his horses, one of whom he identified this season as Buchnevich. Dave Tippett of Edmonton mounts Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the trio among the top eight NHL strikers in average time on the ice. Sheldon Keefe of the Maple Leafs assembles Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, first and fourth, respectively. Ralph Krueger of Sabers rides Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Taylor Hall, the three between the 10th and the 18th on the front.
Quinn and the Rangers? Panarin is 14th, Zibanejad 16th and Buchnevich 30th. This does not seem excessive, certainly not for a team that is heavy and lacks depth, but it can certainly be when the marquee guys act like little players. That was not last year, when Panarin and Zibanejad took turns in the attack, practically from start to finish.
Filip Chytil’s continued absence, removed from the pitch since he suffered an unidentified injury in Pittsburgh on January 24 and still without skating, highlighted the lack of depth. This was a double blow for the team and the coach, whose doubling over the guys in front was not worth it. Before New Jersey, Rangers scored 19 goals in five against five in their 13 games, totaling 1.46 per. Only the Sabers at 1.36 per were worse.
So, if Quinn is considering giving more ice to players who are “playing better”, the time may not only be near, but it may have already arrived.