The New York Rangers will square off tomorrow afternoon for the first time against the Pittsburgh Penguins to put some distance between them in the standings.
After a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday, they jumped over the the Penguins, who dropped a 6-1 decision to New Jersey. The Blueshirts are also 5-0-1 in their past six games, with just nine non-shootout goals allowed during that stretch.
That has those in the analytics community continuing to question if the Rangers are for real or just a byproduct of Igor Shesterkin.
Rangers Ryan Reaves no fan of analytics
Ryan Reaves, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds has made himself an integral piece of this Rangers team. This season, he has helped the Blueshirts to a 33-13-5 with his hard style of play and acting as a natural deterrent to keep other teams in check. It’s definitely not for his CorsiFor percentage.
“I’m not a big fan of analytics as is to be honest,” Reaves said. “Yeah, I look at the results. If you look at our team this season, we’re tied for most comeback wins in the league. We’re resilient and there’s not a lot that rattles us.”
When asked to address specifically the claim that the team is propped up by Igor Shesterkin, he made sure to bring things back to the team concept.
“You need a good goaltender to win and we obviously have one of the best in the league,” Reaves explained. “A lot of people like to say ‘your goaltender is holding you in games’, but he’s part of the team. We need him going, just like we need every other guy going.”
The New York Rangers acquired Reaves this past summer for a third round pick. Soon after, they extended the 35 year-old through 2022-23. The extension matches this season’s AAV at $1.75 million. He’s certainly been worth every penny as he leads the team with 186 hits, and has added 10 points in 44 games.
Sean Avery released from ECHL team
Well that was quick!
Sean Avery’s comeback bid with ECHL’s Solar Bears ends almost as soon as it started.
The Orlando Solar Bears have announced that the club has released forward Sean Avery from his ECHL Standard Player Contract.
Avery, 41, signed with the Solar Bears on Feb. 23. He did not appear in any games for Orlando.
Avery posted on his Instagram that he wanted to get back home to California and see his toddler son.
“God Bless the Orlando Solar Bears, the boys letting me skate for a few days. Three bag skates in a row and I loved every minute of it,” he said. “But I miss my little guy Nash too much. I have to get back to California to see him.”
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