Rangers' Jake Leschyshyn still looking for his first point
New York Rangers center Jake Leschyshyn at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 19, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Jake Leschyshyn played his 10th game as a Ranger on Wednesday night when the Blueshirts took on the Canucks at Rogers Arena in the second game of their four-game road trip, and the first game of the three-game Western Canada swing.
He was still looking for his first point as a Ranger and, for that matter, his first point of the season, having gone scoreless in 22 games since the Rangers claimed him off waivers from Vegas last month. In all, Leschyshyn had no goals or assists in his first 31 games this season.
And it weighs on him.
“Yeah, I mean, I think about it every game,’’ Leschyshyn said. “I mean, it [stinks] not having scored yet. So I'm working extremely hard in practice, trying to get a lot of touches here and there. Because I guess when it comes to the game, you don't never know how much ice time you're going to get . . . So when you have the opportunity you’ve got to take advantage of it. It could be one or two chances a game, and hopefully one will go in here.’’
The 5-11, 195-pound Leschyshyn, 23, had only taken four shots on goal in his first nine games with the Rangers, and he hadn’t gotten much ice time. But he had won 55% of his faceoffs, and coach Gerard Gallant gave him his endorsement.
“I like the way he's played,’’ Gallant said. “He's played a good solid game. He wins a lot of faceoffs. I like him. He's a good kid, competitive kid, and he's playing his role perfectly. He plays a little bit on the PK, when there's some minutes there for him. So what he's doing on the fourth line, I'm happy with it. He doesn't have to score goals to show he's a good hockey player.’’
Blue notes
F Vitali Kravtsov and D Ben Harpur were the two scratches. The only lineup change Gallant made was in goal, where Igor Shesterkin started, after Jaroslav Halak had played Saturday.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
