There was Braden Schneider on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena, forcing his way to the net with conviction before flicking the puck just past the glove of Maple Leafs goaltender Martin Jones.
The 22-year-old defenseman started the drive all the way from below the center red line and cruised around Toronto captain John Tavares, while Blake Wheeler took Jake McCabe out of the play at the blue line.
It was ultimately the game-winning goal in the Rangers’ 5-2 victory in the rematch with the Maple Leafs.
“I saw a bit of ice to skate and [Erik Gustafsson] gave me a good pass,” Schneider described of what he saw on his second goal of the season. “I think there might have been a little bit of a pick or something, I don’t know what happened. But there was some ice that opened up and I had some speed going through and I just tried to put it on net. Fortunately enough, it went in.”
Asked if it felt good to score for the first time since Oct. 26, Schneider naturally agreed, while also noting that he’s not always thinking about scoring.
Well, the Rangers will probably want Schneider to think about it a little more.
The Rangers drafted Schneider 19th overall in 2020, after trading up to do so, during former general manager Jeff Gorton’s hard-to-play-against initiative.
Schneider was listed at 6-foot-2 and 209 pounds when he was drafted, and he had a scouting report that highlighted his size, skating and toughness.
On his draft night, Schneider even described himself as a “two-way physical defenseman” who is “more than willing” to seize an opportunity to jump up in the play or get a shot on net.
There have been flashes of that offensive upside, but the Rangers could always use a little more — and Schneider certainly has the tools to do so.
“I mean, the rules are the same for everybody,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of Schneider making moves like that more often. “He can get up and go when he wants to. That was a perfect example of it. He does have that skill set. I see him more — I don’t know if it’s a stay-at-home D — but I see him more of a two-way defenseman. I do think he’s capable.”
Schneider is one of the few Rangers who can make that commanding move to the net with his now 6-foot-3, 211-pound build. There are even fewer who can actually finish it, too.
One former Ranger who used to do it all the time, but struggled to capitalize, now plays for the Islanders in Julien Gauthier.
There’s no question Schneider has the strength and skill to add more offense to his game. It’s just a matter of him not only identifying his opportunities to do so, but also having the confidence in his ability to make it happen.
His pairing with Gustafsson is certainly a layer to be considered when discussing Schneider’s offensive inclination lately.
The Swedish blueliner is almost always looking to jump up in the rush and taking the lead on scoring opportunities, while Schneider often stays back to cover.
It’s certainly not a negative, especially when Gustafsson’s 19 points in 30 games ranks sixth on the Rangers and second among the club’s defensemen behind only Adam Fox (21 points).
This only means that Schneider needs to find ways to create his own scoring looks, such as crashing the net like he did Tuesday night.
“He’s been playing very well the whole season,” Gustafsson said. “I’m just happy for him. Such a great kid. He’s younger than me. No, all the things he’s done. It’s great to see.”
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