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After the win Coach Quinn talks the #NYR win, Lindgren's debut and the play of Buch and Zucc. pic.twitter.com/W6aTyaIstD
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 16, 2019
Ranger power-play lethal, to say nothing of a pair of goals from the third pair.
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) January 16, 2019
All game charts: https://t.co/taTT9LdeiY pic.twitter.com/e2SFQCJb3H
Mika Zibanejad (2-2—4) propelled the @NYRangers to their 16th consecutive home win against the Hurricanes dating to Jan. 5, 2011 (CAR: 0-12-3), extending their longest such win streak versus one opponent in franchise history. #NHLStats #CARvsNYR pic.twitter.com/ZGCHouYZzl
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 16, 2019
The Rangers were successful on all of their special teams opportunities in tonight’s game (3-for-3 on the PP and 3-for-3 on the PK); first time #NYR accomplished the feat (min. three power play opportunities and three times shorthanded) since 2/15/07 at CAR.
— NYR Stats & Info (@NYRStatsInfo) January 16, 2019
Zibanejad is the first Ranger to post three different four-point games in the same season since Marian Gaborik in 2010-11. #NYR https://t.co/wrnPJZm6bb
— NYR Stats & Info (@NYRStatsInfo) January 16, 2019
David Quinn hinted that Pavel Buchnevich could get more ice time, i.e. moved up the lineup, when the Rangers play the Blackhawks on Thursday. Nothing definitive. He said he needs to see a more well-rounded game from Buchnevich. He liked him on the PP tonight, scored twice.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) January 16, 2019
I know. Patience is the byword. And I believe in it. I believe it is going to take time for the young guns — not one of them a top-five pick — to develop, and I believe in not placing undue expectations and pressure on even the best and the brightest in the pipeline. But once in a while, or maybe even just once, wouldn’t you like to see one of the yoots burst onto the big stage and unexpectedly claim it?
The B&D Program (Build & Develop; what else?) is well underway on Broadway, and that is unambiguously good news. But devising and even carrying through the strategy were always going to be the easy parts of this necessary reboot following a half-dozen years in which the future was sacrificed in order to try to put a consistently very good team over the top. The tough parts are, a) Choosing the correct young players; b) Developing them correctly; and, c) Did I mention, choosing the correct young players?
The accountability — hard practices punctuated by whistles and loud, sharp commands (or rebukes); in-game benchings of marquee guys, most recently of Chris Kreider in Brooklyn on Saturday following a bonehead offensive-zone penalty; and targeted healthy scratches — ushered in by David Quinn have been welcomed and hailed. But while the first-year NHL head coach has presided over a significant culture change whereby the Rangers no longer reflexively turn the other cheek, Quinn has not been able to transform finesse players into grinders. Scorpions being scorpions, and all that.
And again, neither has the coach been able to coax more out of Buchnevich than did his predecessor behind the bench. No. 89’s pair of goals against Carolina equaled his production in the 15 games he had played since returning on Dec. 14 after missing five weeks with a broken thumb. Maybe this was a start for the talented winger with uncommon skill, but there have been teases before. So we’ll wait before rushing to judgment.
The Blueshirts still drool over the 23-year-old’s talent. They aren’t rushing to conclusions, either. But they are nearing a need-to-know moment on Buchnevich, who is a pending restricted free agent and will certainly draw interest as the Feb. 25 trade deadline approaches. They need to know there is more to Buchnevich than the chance to be 10 years older a decade from now.