Rangers’ Kreider, Zibanejad have never had linemate like Vatrano

The Adam Fox dilemma Rangers coach Gerard Gallant must manage

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Regarding the Rangers, who own the East’s best record against the conference’s playoff-bound clubs at 13-5, with Florida just behind at 11-4-3:

1. Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad have played with multiple partners on their right side since joining forces in 2016-17. But not one — not Pavel Buchnevich, Mats Zuccarello nor Jesper Fast and not Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere nor Barclay Goodrow — brings the attributes to the unit that Frank Vatrano offers.

Buchnevich was a playmaking corner guy who developed grit; Fast did the dirty work; Kakko worked the walls and slowed it down; Zuccarello was the master of east-west creativity. But Vatrano, acquired from the Panthers for a fourth-rounder five days ahead of the deadline, brings the elements of straight-line speed, a game that goes north, and a shooter’s mentality that changes the line’s dynamic.    

It has only been four games, so there is no need to start sifting around for nicknames. What was the last good nickname around these parts for a forward line, anyway, The FLY Line of the early aughts consisting of Theo Fleury, Eric Lindros and Mike York? The Czechmates featuring Petr Nedved, Radek Dvorak and Jan Hlavac were contemporaries.

The line has amassed a 70.27 shot share in its four games intact, on for four goals scored and one against with a 66.01 xGF in 45:31 of five-on-five work. Of course this represents a small sample size, including two games against the Penguins and one each against the Sabres and Red Wings.

Rangers
Rangers wing Frank Vatrano has excelled on the top line so far.
Getty Images

And let’s be honest, the 28-year-old is playing above his pay grade as a career middle-to-bottom sixer working up top. But you know what? Sometimes it works. Sometimes you find Bobby Sheehan, stick him between Pat Hickey and Ron Duguay, and sit back and watch a magic ride through the playoffs.

Friday at the Garden against the Islanders, who make it their collective lives’ work to smother the Rangers’ talent guys, should be instructive. Adding Vatrano, who has five goals and one assist in eight games wearing the Blueshirt, has brought additional pace and an alternative threat to the Kreider-Zibanejad union.

It should be noted though that this new No. 77 only got two shifts over the final 10:40 of regulation and did not get on in overtime in Wednesday’s 5-4 victory in Detroit. But head coach Gerard Gallant just about always cuts down his bench in crunch time. Dryden Hunt, Ryan Reaves and Greg McKegg all also lost ice time over the final 10-to-13 minutes of the match.

Rangers
Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad have to be happy about the way Frank Vatrano has played on their line.
Robert Sabo

2. These kinds of personnel issues seem to organically work themselves out, but if Vatrano remains effective with Zibanejad and Kreider, then where does Kakko go when the Finn is finally able to return from the wrist injury that has sidelined him for 10 weeks and counting? There is, by the way, no ETA.

It is possible that Kakko, who filled out the Kreider-Zibanejad connection for 24 straight games before leaving the lineup following Jan. 21, could be reinstated into that role if Gallant believes he is more reliable away from the puck and in the defensive zone. It will also be asking a lot of Kakko to ramp up so quickly.

Andrew Copp is not going to be knocked out of the top six. Kakko could theoretically skate on the right side of the third line with Lafreniere on the left and Filip Chytil in the middle in a reprise of last year’s Kid Line, but that would knock Goodrow to the fourth line. That would also knock Goodrow out of the third-line faceoff circle.

Rangers
Where will Kaapo Kakko slot in when he returns to the Rangers?
NHLI via Getty Images

3. This has been a trend since the club returned from its extended All-Star break on Feb. 15, but while going 14-6-1 in the 21 games since then, the Rangers have been awarded only 42 manpower advantages, getting two or fewer opportunities 16 times.

We know that referees become more reluctant to call penalties at this time of year and in the playoffs, but the Rangers are going to have to give these officials more reason to call infractions.

Part of this represents the proficiency of a power play No. 2 in the league at 27.1 percent behind Toronto’s 29.3, the but the Rangers have spent the least amount of time in the league on the PP per game at 4:10 per (per Natural Stat Trick), with the time decreasing to 3:10 per game since Feb. 15.

Meanwhile, the Rangers have been shorthanded 14 more times than they’ve been on the power play since Feb. 15 and are only plus-one on specialty teams over the last 21 matches. Not the best way to go for a club that hasn’t been able to flex five-on-five.

The penalty kill has been wobbling for a while, the Blueshirts having surrendered at least one PPGA in nine of the last 10 games, allowing 10 PPGA in 28 times short over that span (64.3 percent) to slide to 13th overall at 80.5 percent. This must be fixed.

4. The eight-team playoff division standings: 1. Rangers, 13-5; 2. Florida, 11-4-3; 3. Toronto, 8-5-1; 4. Carolina, 10-6-5; 5. Pittsburgh, 9-7-3; 6. Washington, 7-8-2; 7. Boston, 5-7-2; 8. Tampa Bay, 6-9-3.

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