During last night’s broadcast, with the absence of Adam Fox, Kenny and Dave gave Vlad Gavrikov the moniker “Vlad Park” after Rangers legend Brad Park. While the entire Rangers team has brought us back from the brink over the last few games, Gavrikov in particular is showing just why the Rangers were so keen on signing him in free agency. Between last night in Ottawa and Monday’s against Dallas, Gavrikov has essentially carried the team into looking this good. With last night’s win, the Rangers have won five of their last six games and despite everything, sit one point out of a playoff spot and four points out of first in the Metro Division.
We really can’t stop talking about Gavrikov. His offensive production is a delightful bonus this season, on top of his elite defensive ability that has been even more than we expected. The only other defenseman I can honestly think of who erases opportunities with the stick like Gavrikov is Jaccob Slavin in Carolina. With the injury to Adam Fox, there was a lot of worry of how the Rangers would get the puck out of their own zone. Gavrikov, Braden Schneider, Carson Soucy, and Will Borgen have stepped up big time.
Artemi Panarin seems to have found his game, as his clutch empty netter gave him his 900th NHL point and 580th as a Ranger. After an abysmal start to his season, Panarin finally looks like his old self with the points following suit. Though he is paid to produce offensively, I will give him his flowers in this game as he also played a great defensive game. His play away from the puck was actually noticeable and created disturbances with his stick at the right times to create takeaways and start rushes down the other end of the ice.
Contract talks aside, Panarin is still an important member of this Rangers team and the only game breaker on the roster. We can revisit the debates later down the road, but for now the Rangers just need Panarin to play this way for the rest of the season.
It wasn’t just Panarin’s line that created offense, as Mika Zibanejad his line were flying pretty much all night long. It’s safe to say Zibanejad has shaken off whatever the issues were last season, both on and off the ice, and looks rejuvenated. He is skating well, winning puck battles, he’s more assertive with his shot, and most importantly he looks like he’s having fun.
We know Zibanejad is a more introspective personality, so his confidence sometimes looked like it played a massive factor into the ebbs and flows of his previous seasons. This year Zibanejad is all business. His 200 foot game is noticeably better and the scoring touch has returned. Without knowledge of what goes on in the room and the interactions with Mike Sullivan and the coaching staff, Mika appears to have bought in.
With wins in five of their last six, including big wins over Carolina, Dallas, and Ottawa, the Rangers look to be back.
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