Pavel Buchnevich not in danger of missing start of Rangers-Hurricanes series

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Pavel Buchnevich, who left Saturday’s practice with an undisclosed ailment and did not participate in Sunday’s scrimmage, is not in jeopardy of missing the start of the qualifying round against Carolina. “I can say that is not the case,” David Quinn, who is limited by NHL/NHLPA regulations as to what he is permitted to tell …

Pavel Buchnevich, who left Saturday’s practice with an undisclosed ailment and did not participate in Sunday’s scrimmage, is not in jeopardy of missing the start of the qualifying round against Carolina.

“I can say that is not the case,” David Quinn, who is limited by NHL/NHLPA regulations as to what he is permitted to tell the media regarding injuries/absences, said when asked if that were a concern.

Buchnevich is not dealing with a COVID-related issue. Players are not permitted to enter the training facility, let alone practice, without a negative result from the previous day’s test. If a test result is delayed or misplaced, that player (or coach or staff member) would be denied entrance to the building.

It thus stands to reason that Buchnevich strained/tweaked/pulled/twisted/aggravated something before leaving the ice on Saturday. We’ll see if he skates on Tuesday following Monday’s day off for the club.

Kaapo Kakko completed an impressive first week of work with a strong showing in Sunday’s scrimmage while moving up to assume Buchnevich’s spot on the right side of the unit with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Julien Gauthier, meanwhile, slid into Kakko’s slot on the right with Fil Chytil and Phil DiGiuseppe.

“I thought Kakko had a really good day. He’s had a really good stretch here since we got back,” Quinn said of the Finn, who beat Igor Shesterkin for a goal in the scrimmage. “His practices are good, he seems like a different kid, and like we’ve talked about, there’s a little bit more confidence in his game, there’s confidence away from the rink. There’s a comfortable approach that he didn’t have before.”

Pavel Buchnevich (l.) with Jesper Fast.Nick Homler/NY Rangers

The 19-year-old looks a bit quicker, his anticipation seems improved, and his release on the shot seems much quicker, as well. He’s looking for the shot and hasn’t been holding onto the puck trying to beat three people — or the same opponent two or three times. He has been diligent in getting back to the defensive zone. It just seems crisper out there.

“You see that he’s smiling, he’s happy, and it’s like a new energy for him,” said Jesper Fast, whose line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome was matched against the Zibanejad unit in the scrimmage. “He’s been looking real sharp in this camp and strong on the puck.

“He had a good scrimmage so that can give him more confidence. He’s going to be a big part for us in this playoff.”

Henrik Lundqvist went the 40-minute distance in the two-period scrimmage for the Blue team, allowing three goals in his team’s 5-3 victory. Shesterkin allowed two goals in 20 minutes while Alex Georgiev was beaten three times in 20 minutes for the losing squad.

During the season, Kakko played 30:10 of five-on-five with Zibanejad and Kreider, the trio on for three goals against and none for with a 49.06 Corsi (Thanks, Naturalstattrick.com). They played as a set line for only two matches, Games 8 and 9 on Oct. 24 and 27.

Management and coaching staff will meet on Monday to assess the state of the team that is less than a week away from traveling to Toronto on July 26. The Blueshirts will meet the Islanders in a July 29 exhibition before opening with Game 1 against the Candy Canes at noon on Aug. 1.

“We feel good about where we’re at,” said the coach. “We feel good about the schedule we created—a lot of thought went into it—and our guys have done a good job handling it.

“I think we’ll probably sit down on Monday. There are a lot of things to re-address here after spending a week together and the week of practices.”