The New York Rangers faced adversity this season when their second-line center Filip Chytil suffered an upper-body injury against the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 2 which ended his regular season. He has yet to play this postseason but is back with the team. In addition to that injury, top center Mika Zibanejad played well but it was a down regular season as he finished with his fewest points per game since 2017-18. Fourth-line center Barclay Goodrow also had a down season and finished with just four goals and eight assists in 80 games.
Despite some regular season woes, the Rangers’ centers have stepped up and are leading the way this postseason. The team has won its first five games and their centers have been excellent both offensively and defensively.
Mika Zibanejad
Two postseasons ago, Zibanejad led the Rangers on an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Final and he finished with 10 goals and 14 assists in 20 playoff games. Last postseason, he had just one goal and three assists in seven games as New York lost to the rival New Jersey Devils in the first round.
Zibanejad’s performance thus far this postseason resembles his play in 2021-22. He is looking to shoot the puck on the power play and has also made some beautiful cross-ice passes. He already has two goals and four assists on the man advantage. He has also come up big on the penalty kill against the Washington Capitals and in Game 1 against the Hurricanes. He has even generated some scoring chances and set up a Chris Kreider shorthanded goal with a nice stretch pass.
Related: Zibanejad Shines in Rangers’ 4-3 Game 1 Win vs. Hurricanes
One of the big knocks on Zibanejad’s play this season was that he struggled to generate offense at even strength, but his line with Kreider and Jack Roslovic has created chances while also giving the team strong defensive play, especially late in close games. They have also played well while matched up against the top players on the Capitals and Hurricanes.
Zibanejad is off to an excellent start on the power play, penalty kill, and at even strength and he already has three goals and seven assists in five games.
Vincent Trocheck
When Chytil got hurt, Vincent Trocheck moved up to become the Rangers’ second-line center and he had an excellent regular season. He finished with 25 goals, and a career-high 77 points while winning 58.7 percent of his faceoffs and playing in all 82 games. Trocheck has picked up where he left off in the regular season, and like Zibanejad, he is playing well at even strength, and on special teams.
After many seasons without a dominant center on faceoffs, Trocheck has become someone the Rangers can rely on in that role. His ability to win faceoffs has been an important part of the team’s success both on the power play and the penalty kill this postseason. He has also won some key faceoffs in the defensive zone late in close games.
Trocheck looks confident as well as decisive and he already has four goals and four assists while winning 67.7 percent of faceoffs in five playoff games. He has three goals and two assists on the power play and assisted on Goodrow’s shorthanded goal in Game 3 against the Capitals. He is getting to the front of the net and creating havoc offensively while also making some key plays on the backcheck.
Barclay Goodrow and Alexander Wennberg
Despite a long stretch of disappointing play this regular season, Goodrow played well down the stretch and has carried that strong play into the playoffs. He is playing with physicality, blocking shots, and is doing a nice job while matched up against the skilled players on the Capitals and Hurricanes.
Goodrow’s line with Jimmy Vesey and Matt Rempe has spent more time in the offensive zone than the defensive zone and has even chipped in with a few goals. Goodrow has one goal and two assists in five playoff games. He has played a big role in the team’s success on the penalty kill in these first five games as he has won some key faceoffs and come up with timely blocked shots.
The Rangers acquired Alexander Wennberg at the trade deadline to give them more depth at center and he has played on the third line with Kaapo Kakko and Will Cuylle. He is the only one of the four centers without a point yet, but he has generally played well defensively, except for a disappointing Game 4 against the Capitals. Like the other three centers, he has done a good job on the penalty kill.
For the Rangers Moving Forward
The Hurricanes are a tough matchup as they are great on both the power play and penalty kill. The Rangers will rely heavily on Zibanejad and Trocheck on the power play and they will rely on all four of their centers on the penalty kill. They got off to a strong start in Game 1 as they scored on both of their power plays and killed off all five of their penalties in a 4-3 victory.
Now the Rangers will need their centers to continue to lead the way as they look to outplay the Hurricanes on special teams and advance against a very tough opponent.