Tarasenko: ‘I played with Artemy and enjoyed the moment’
It didn’t take long. Already in the third minute of the game with “Seattle” Before Rangers Artemi Panarin broke through the flank and returned the pass – to the open Vladimir Tarasenko . The New Yorkers rookie, without thinking twice, knocked on the doors of the Kraken.
Incidentally, this is only the fourth time in Rangers history that a player has scored in the third minute of his debut. Previously, Norm Lowe (1.00, February 26, 1950), Lane Lambert (2.28, December 10, 1986) and Mike Ellison (2.44, October 9, 1980) were so different that Tarasenko fitted in very well at the new club.
In the end, the Rangers beat Seattle 6-3. Tarasenko himself scored one point, showed +1 utility, had two shots on goal, had one hit, two blocks, had 13.58 minutes of playing time, including 1.28 at the majority.
Tarasenko played the whole game evenly with Mika Zibanejad and Artemy Panarin. That’s 10.58 minutes on the ice.
Judging by the advanced stats, this line didn’t dominate on the ice, they played mediocre. But for a start, all is well.
And it’s clear that Vladimir was rewarded in the locker room with a Broadway hat, which is awarded to the best player in the game winning Rangers.
– You did not wait long, immediately scored the puck. How did you do it so fast? journalists asked Tarasenko.
– I opened up and understood that Artemy can give me a pass. Sometimes you really try to do something. But we just enjoyed the time when we played together. As I said, we had a lot of emotions. There was no need to do anything supernatural. When there was a good chance, I scored.
Did you hear that all of Madison Square Garden was chanting your name? It was good?
– Is it true? I was focused on hockey and my thoughts. If so, that’s amazing! I received a very warm welcome at Rangers and the atmosphere is great. I am very happy.
You have already played in New York. What did you feel again?
– It’s completely different. When you’re an outside player, sometimes you can’t even hear the crowd. You’re just playing hockey, blocking out the noise. And when you play for the home team, you feel supported, and that’s very important. It is a pleasure to play in such an environment.
– Did you feel that from the first match you brought energy to your new team?
– I tried to do it from the first minutes. And even if the match turned out to be difficult, I can say that it was a good day for us. We are very content and happy.
– How do you like Artemy’s pass when you scored a goal?
Yes, I think it was awesome. Nice pass to a goal. But I think we can play even better together. Artemy and I understand each other well. And we will add more to each game.
How have the last 24 hours been for you? Pretty violent, right?
“Yeah, you can’t be more specific. Unusual life experience. This is the first time I’ve been traded to the NHL. I played 11 seasons for St. Louis. But I will say again that the guys in the Rangers dressing room gave me a very warm welcome, which was very cool.
Malkin: “Well, how did I get close to Gretzky?”
It must be said that the exchange of Tarasenko to the Rangers upset … Patrick Kane, himself impatient to be exchanged from Chicago.
And so Kane came up with the idea that he himself could move from club to club since the ‘Original Six’. And he could play on the same line with his friend Artemy Panarin. But that was not the case.
I can’t say I’ve been jumping off the ceiling since the Tarasenko trade,” Kane remarked grimly.
Although, if the salary cap is removed, maybe Rangers and Kane can be salvaged? The deadline (March 3) is still three weeks away.
In the meantime, we thought about Kane again tonight. After all, Pittsburgh Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin scored the 1,200th point of his NHL career. Very cool!
A total of 50 players have reached this milestone in league history. Of these, four are continuing their careers in the NHL:
1471 – Sidney Crosby
1464 – Alexander Ovechkin
1215 – Patrick Kane
1200 – Yevgeny Malkin
Moreover, Malkin reached this mark in 1032 games. It took 927 games for Crosby, 1072 for Ovechkin and 1130 for Kane.
– Eugene, you not only gained excellent height in your career, but now you play hockey very well, – journalists told Malkin.
Thanks, thanks, that’s good to hear.
Yes, you are simply the best. And you don’t change your style over the years, do you?
– Well, you say, I change with time? How do you like my hockey and my stats, have I become closer to Gretzky?
Yes, I had some big and very serious injuries in my career. But 1200 points are good numbers. But I never thought like that: “Oh, how many points have I already scored or could have scored if I could have avoided an injury.”
I want to thank fate for playing in a great team. And I have great partners. There are three seasons left to play. If all goes well, maybe I can score 1,500 NHL points. Who knows? These are also good numbers. And I’m fine.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
