Rangers rookie Braden Schneider continues to make strong impression
Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider controls the puck against Red Wings center Sam Gagner during the first period at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Credit: Brad Penner
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Braden Schneider tries to stay in the moment, not look too far ahead and avoid thinking about the big picture.
Once in a while, though, the rookie defenseman can’t help but take a step back and appreciate where he is — playing solid minutes for a Rangers team that has a chance to go deep in the playoffs.
"It’s pretty cool to see how much success this team is having and it’s pretty cool I’m on the team," Schneider said after practice on Saturday.
Schneider, 20, played in only his 12th NHL game on Thursday but has made a strong impression. He had an assist in Tuesday’s 2-1 shootout win over Boston. The No. 19 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has four points since his recall from Hartford on Jan. 11.
Coach Gerard Gallant had Schneider skating with Patrik Nemeth at practice Saturday but declined to say whether he planned to take Nemeth off injured reserve and bring him on the trip to Ottawa for Sunday’s game. Schneider had been playing with fellow rookie Zac Jones, who was skating with Libor Hajek.
It’s clear that Schneider’s ability to adjust to different partners is one thing that Gallant likes.
"It’s part of it. You can’t worry about who you are playing with on any given night," Gallant said. "In our game, with COVID and injuries happening, it’s good to play with everybody. I think he’s done a great job."
Schneider, who scored a goal in his NHL debut against San Jose on Jan. 14, said he is still adjusting to everything he has to do while playing at the highest level.
"It’s a different kind of game,’ he said. "You have to know what you’re going to do before you’re getting it. There’s just a flow to the game that is a lot different than any hockey I’ve ever played.
"I think each game I definitely feel more confident and more part of the goal that everyone’s trying to be going after, which is to go into the playoffs and have a good run and hopefully get to the Stanley Cup."
Notes & quotes: It sounds as though slow starts were a big topic of discussion at Saturday’s practice. "It’s just doing things the right way and mentally getting prepared for those games," Gallant said. "For whatever reason, recently a couple games before the break and a couple games after, we just have to get off to better starts. I think it’s all mental. Get yourself prepared, do your workouts and focus on your first shift and things will take care of themselves." . . . For what it’s worth, Ryan Strome revealed Saturday that Jacob Trouba is in charge of the team’s pregame music.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
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