No hockey game is complete without the whooshing sounds of skates carving up ice, the clacking of stick-on-stick contact and the scattered clusters of fans yelling, “SHOOT!”
That last part is something Rangers fans don’t have to worry about when it comes to the team’s top line.
There are a lot of reasons why the Rangers’ first unit of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Frank Vatrano has worked since Vatrano was acquired in the days leading up to the March 21 trade deadline. The most notable one is that Vatrano is a pure shooter, which is the ultimate complement to Zibanejad’s playmaking ability and Kreider’s net-front presence.
“My goal here was just to come here, play hockey and help this team win,” Vatrano said after practice Monday before the Rangers faced the Hurricanes on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do every single night. Bring my intensity and energy. I was fortunate enough to play with some great players. This whole team, there’s great players throughout the lineup.
“To be playing with Kreids and Mika, it’s obviously great, but just came here to help this team win hockey games and that’s what I’ve been trying to do since I’ve been here.”
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Vatrano brings a shoot-first mentality to a duo that has gotten in trouble at times for making one too many passes. The Rangers have long had an issue of looking for the pretty pass instead of putting the puck on net, but that shortcoming has significantly improved since president and general manager Chris Drury brought in a couple of north-south players: Vatrano and Andrew Copp.
After lining up next to Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome in his first four games as a Ranger, Vatrano has appeared on the right wing of the top line in the last 16 contests. Entering the game Tuesday, Kreider, Zibanejad and Vatrano had outscored opponents by a cool 10-5 at 5-on-5 over 169:45, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Vatrano had seven goals and four assists in his first 19 games with the Rangers, but the 28-year-old has simply made the top line a more complete force.
“They play a fast game and a simple game,” Vatrano said of his linemates. “I think that’s how I play. I think that’s why it’s worked out. You can’t change the way you play, if you’re playing in the top spot. If you’re up and down the lineup, you just got to bring that game you bring every single night — regardless of who you’re playing with.”
Coming from the Panthers, for whom he primarily had a bottom-six role, Vatrano has had to adjust to skating alongside two top forwards. The pending unrestricted free agent, however, has focused on staying true to his game.
Asked if he thinks any differently when playing with Kreider, who entered Tuesday with 51 goals, three shy of tying the Rangers’ single-season goals record, and Zibanejad, Vatrano noted that if he did, it wouldn’t be beneficial for his game.
“Obviously Kreids is a special player, and so is Mika,” he said. “You can’t change the way you play. Obviously Kreids has [51] goals, Mika has almost 30. Whoever is open gets the puck. Obviously, me and Kreids are shooters, so we’re trying to get open for Mika. Nothing changes, just if the guy is open make the play and play simple hockey.”
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