By Jordan Long
The New York Rangers will be missing a key part of their defense. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is out 2 to 4 weeks after suffering a separated shoulder. The injury occurred in the 2nd period of the New York Rangers’ 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.
This is a major blow for the Rangers who are 14-13-3 for a total of 31 points, 4 points behind the Montreal Canadians for the 2nd Wild Card spot. Shattenkirk is one of their best defensemen. On defense, he poke checks the puck to end scoring chances. Shattenkirk breaks up passes to help his team gain control of the puck for the offense. He uses his size at 6 foot to check opponents off the puck and also blocks shots from reaching the goaltender.
Shattenkirk is an offensive defenseman. On full strength situations he uses his one timer to blast the puck towards the net. Those usually end in goals or rebound chances for the Rangers. If Shattenkirk doesn’t score, he feeds his teammates for open shots near the goaltender. Shattenkirk has 1 goal and 7 assists so far this season.
On the power play, Shattenkirk is near the blue line. He is the quarterback and sets up the play. Shattenkirk is able to score from the blue line or allow his team to set up in front of the net for tip-ins near the goaltender. Shattenkirk scored 1 goal and added 1 assist on the power play.
The Rangers know other defensemen need to step up their play. If they don’t, opposing teams will dictate the pace of play which could allow scoring chances for them ending in goals. It may also hurt the Rangers in the standings. The Rangers can’t slide further behind the Montreal Canadians than they are. If they do while Shattenkirk is out, it could be a long season for them.
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