Ranger kids not kidding around
ALAIN Vigneault plugged Pavel Buchnevich back in the lineup Saturday night for Tanner Glass after being scratched on Friday, and thus, the Kids Line was born.
That was how Vigneault referred to his fourth line from Saturday’s 3-2 road win over the Wild, a line featuring two rookie wingers in Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey, with 25-year-old sophomore Oscar Lindberg between them.
It was a very effective combination for the Rangers, rulers of the road at 26-9, including 19-4 in their last 23 away from the Garden. They’re two road wins shy of tying their franchisebest mark set two seasons ago and have six road games remaining, including their next game Tuesday against the Devils. Lindberg scored a go-ahead goal in the middle of the second period and earned an assist when Vesey netted what turned out to be the winner late in the period. Buchnevich got credit for an assist as it was his sharp-angle shot from the right boards that was tipped by Lindberg into Devan Dubnyk’s right pad before Vesey buried the rebound for his 15th goal and first in 15 games.
“You just look at (Minnesota’s) lineup, to get two points you need a solid effort from your whole group, and we got that,” Vigneault said after the game. “Our Kids Line was real good. They got us that big goal in the second period, and we did what we had to do to get two points.”
Add in Brady Skjei’s tying goal in the first period before a hometown crowd featuring family and friends and it was a banner night for the Rangers’ rookies.
“You’ve got to play your four lines, you’ve got to play your six ‘D,’ and we got contributions from our fourth line,” Vigneault said after the Rangers played at home on Friday and hopped on a flight to finish their back-toback. “Our kids tonight I thought came out and played a real good game. Grinded it out and got a greasy road win.”
It was a strong game for Vesey, who along with Buchnevich has gone through the normal ups-and-downs of a first-year NHL player while adjusting to changing roles. He has managed recently to keep his legs going despite having more miles than he ever has, going straight from the NCAA with Harvard to the long NHL grind.
Buchnevich also put forth an important performance as he looks to earn more trust from Vigneault, who before sitting the 21-year-old for Friday’s game said his play had been “a little bit inconsistent.”
It’s uncertain how long this line will be together, but at the moment the Kids are all right.