At Rangers practice on Wednesday, the lines used were (Albanese):
- Filip Chytil, Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello
- Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes, Vlad Namestnikov
- Jimmy Vesey, Brett Howden, Jesper Fast
- Cody McLeod, Lias Andersson, Vinni Lettieri
David Quinn said after practice (NYR):
- “we are playing a bit more of a thorough game, guys are getting more confidence. We thought we were playing well early when we were 3-7 and there was frustration that has settled in after that Calgary game. We got demoralized and then we played really well against San Jose and built on that. We have had the ability to come back when things are down though I think we still get a little too down when something doesn’t go our way but we are able to recover quicker. We have been able to recover from bad moments not as quick as I would like but we are getting there.”
- On Chytil, “with how he has played he has earned this opportunity and I am anxious to see how he builds on the last few games. It’s the ebbs and flows of a 19-year old, the confidence comes and goes and he has been building towards this.”
- Have you noticed any difference in Chytil after scoring, “he looks a little more confident, smile on his face, he is happy with his linemates. I’m happy for him too. He is a dynamic player for sure and had an awful lot of jump to his game.”
- On losing Buch but getting Zucc back, “he looked good today, had a lot of energy, a lot of jump. He means so much to our team and it’s good to have him back for sure.”
- On seeing the young guys develop, “it’s fun, they work hard, they are great kids, a big part of the future. Howden is for me, from the moment I watched him I thought he had the chance to make an impact this year. Chytil is a guy that I thought could make an impact but they are different types of players. Lias had a really good camp early then tailed off a bit but went down and did a great job in Hartford and I’ve really liked his game so far. It’s a long season and they will have peaks and valleys.”