Filip Chytil's stat line looks a bit goofy, but with the way he's playing, the New York Rangers won't mind. His scoring depth has been critical to New York's success in recent games, and it's happening at a key time.
Through 15 playoff games, Filip Chytil's stat line looks a little goofy.
Seven goals. One assist. Eight points. After Jake Guentzel and his 8-2-10 line was knocked out in the first round, Chytil has emerged as the NHL's newest Cy Young favorite.
The New York Rangers certainly aren't complaining.
Chytil has been on a roll with the Rangers as of late, scoring five goals in his past three games, including two in a big Game 1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. With seven goals total, he's one away from tying his regular season count of eight, which took him 67 games to accomplish.
Chytil's career hasn't gone completely to play, with the 2017 first-round pick struggling to make a big offensive impact like originally hoped after a great rookie AHL season in 2017-18. Chytil has a career-high of 14 goals and has just two seasons of 10 goals or more, mainly playing a role in New York's bottom six.
Chytil was a healthy scratch at points during the season, which, for a 22-year-old struggling to get significant ice time, can be a confidence-breaker. But Rangers coach Gerard Gallant clearly believes in Chytil right now, and he's starting to find his legs with Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko -- two other top young forwards that have struggled to live up to expectations early in their careers.
New York's "Kid Line" combined for five points in the 6-2 victory, and Chytil has been the focal point. Lafreniere's confidence has really started to show through and it's been good in helping to set Lafreniere up, and Kakko continues to play a strong possession game. Very few lines have played at least 100 minutes together in the playoffs -- five, in fact, according to Money Puck --but the Kid Line's 48.2 expected-goals percentage is second, and first of three for the Rangers.
Part of New York's playoff success has been the tremendous play of its depth. Six players have at least 10 points in 15 games, with another two sitting at nine. Six players -- including defenseman Adam Fox -- have at least five goals. Chris Kreider (nine) and Mika Zibanejad (eight) lead the way for the Rangers, with Chytil being an unlikely source in third with his seven. But these big goals have been a turning point for a Rangers team many expected to fall against Carolina, and, now, Tampa Bay.
Over the past eight games, Chytil has a points-per-60 of 3.78 -- good for sixth among players with at least five games and first of all with seven since the start of the second round. His 3.78 G/60 is first among players with at least 10 minutes of 5-on-5 action, albeit aided by his .ow 11:54 of ice time per contest. But in the opportunities presented to him, Chytil has been effective, and that's all you can ask for.
The Rangers don't have an easy matchup against Tampa, despite a convincing Game 1 victory. Sure, they've got the best goalie in the world right now, one of the best defensemen in Adam Fox and a stout offensive group. But the Tampa Bay Lightning can say the same about their lineup, too, and they've got back-to-back Stanley Cups to prove it.
Chytil's in the final year of a two-year contract with an AAV of $2.3 million. Based on four seasons of 23, 23, 22 and 22 points, respectively, it's unlikely he makes a big increase if he ends up sticking around and isn't used in trade bait. But regardless, his play right now is red-hot, and Stanley Cup winners need underdogs like that to show up when the spotlight's on.
And Filip Chytil is doing just that.