Keys Behind The Rangers 3rd and 4th Line Production
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The NY Rangers offense this season has been quicker than ever. With recent off-season pickups like Michael Grabner, the Rangers have gotten much quicker. In the first 12 games of this season, the Rangers have scored an eye dropping 50+ goals.
Most of the goals this season have been on plays that were started by quick players who create space and then a scoring opportunity. A good amount of the 50 goals scored this season have been scored by or assisted by a 3rd or 4th line player.
The Rangers 3rd line has consisted of J.T Miller, Kevin Hayes, and Michael Grabner. Miller is currently the Rangers leader in points with 12. Right behind him are his two linemates Michael Grabner and Kevin Hayes, Hayes has 11 points and Grabner got 10. In my opinion, this is the hottest line for the Rangers right now. This line consists of many different traits, including Millers passing ability, Grabner’s incredible speed, and Hayes hockey IQ.
Hayes, Miller, and Grabner have combined for 33 points in 11 games, if this electric line continues to be hot, we can see tons of point production out of these three players in the long run.
The Rangers 4th line is a special one. It contains three fast, and entertaining players. The 4th line has Pavel Buchnevich, Brandon Pirri, and Jesper Fast. This line has shocked many of us Rangers fans. Brandon Pirri lit up the Garden in the pre-season with four goals, and now in the regular season has four in the first 12 games. Pavel Buchnevich the exciting 21-year-old, was quiet to begin the season but has made some good plays that haven’t really been noticed. Buchnevich sniped his first career goal past Bruins star Tuukka Rask in their win on Saturday night. Jesper Fast another player who makes great plays but they don’t go on notice. He has been great on defense when it’s needed and makes some good hustle plays on the offensive end.
With the Rangers getting success from their bottom two lines, just think how good they are when all four lines go to work. We should expect a lot more from the 3rd and 4th lines in the upcoming weeks.
Editor’s Note: This post was written prior to the Jets game
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