Tyler Pitlick talked 1-on-1 with The Hockey News about his role on the New York Rangers' fourth line, and how the unit has grown into a lights-out shut-down trio.
Tarrytown, N.Y: For 21 games this season Tyler Pitlick, Jimmy Vesey, and Barclay Goodrow have skated together on the Ranger's fourth line.
They are responsible for shutting down the NHL's top talents and have done so against teams such as the Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, and Toronto Maple Leafs. They also have the second-most goals expected for the team this season (58.1%). They are as versatile of a trio as you'll find in the league.
The line has not played the entire season together. Vesey was a healthy scratch to open the season, and Nick Bonino was rotating in and forcing Pitlick out of the lineup before centering the third line in Filip Chytil's absence.
Right winger Tyler Pitlick talked about head coach Peter Laviolette trusting the process with their growth as a multifaceted trio, "It took some time for things to turn into what they are now for him to get used to us and see that we can do. I think we've built that trust and he feels good about it."
Jimmy Vesey believes that the tougher matchups were the line's best games, "I think we are taking pride in our job which a lot of nights is going against teams top lines...I think some of our better games have been against Boston, L.A, and we were pretty good against Buffalo." On November 25th, Vesey and Pitlick scored on Boston while only allowing a single goal to the Bruins top line and David Pastrnak, who is currently 5th in the league in goals.
Vesey was last year low budget signing that panned out well for the club, earning him a two-year deal over the summer. This season Erik Gustafsson and Jonathan Quick stand out among the Rangers 2023 bargain bin free agent signings. Tyler Pitlick was also one of those that inked a deal on July 1st.
Pitlick also used the word "pride" when discussing his role on the Rangers with The Hockey News, and added, " I think we're getting a lot of chances and too, and they are going to start going and we're going to get hot here. I don't see a reason why we can't start scoring and shutting them [opponents] down."
He has recorded 1 goal and 2 assists in 25 games this season. The Ranger's fourth line has scored 9 goals combined, 7 of those coming off the stick of Vesey. Peter Laviolette is confident that this unit will start scoring more, and not by chance.
"There's a lot of work that goes into playing against a team's higher-end players. Last night they caught almost every shift against the Strome line... Not only that they dragged that line into the offensive zone and had a lot of chances. I wish some of those would drop because they've been working really hard."
The 32-year-old journeyman's role began six years ago, "For me, it started in my first year in Dallas where I got that role." That season (2017-2018) he scored 14 goals and 27 points.
The Rangers have not had an energy line like this group consistently since they rebuilt. Similar to the Islanders' "Identity Line", Pitlick discussed why the fourth line can generate offense.
"You usually have a centerman that can kill, and is good on draws, and a defensive specialist as well, you have to find a way to turn that into offense, otherwise you're just spending time in the d-zone. If we keep their top lines in the offensive zone with a good forecheck so by the time they get out of the zone they change, we've done our job."
The New York Rangers have a loaded second half, with three games against the Islanders, Devils, and Flyers, and two more against the Hurricanes. Luckily for the Rangers, their fourth line is buzzing, with a hunger to score more goals.
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