New York Rangers: Kevin Hayes proves his impact on the ice

After suffering a three-game losing streak, the New York Rangers were relieved to have center Kevin Hayes return to the lineup as he notched two points on the scoresheet and propelled the Rangers to a 6-5 victory.

New York Rangers center Kevin Hayes returned to the lineup Thursday in style as he tallied a goal and an assist to lead the Rangers to a 6-5 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

Hayes missed the previous six games due to a lower body injury he received on Jan 7 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

He went on to play in the following game against the New York Islanders and even scored but was then ruled out while the Rangers went 2-4 without him.

More from Empire Writes Back

The 6’5 center headed into Thursday as a game-time decision. The Rangers were sporting a three-game regulation losing streak and needed all the help they could get and Hayes came back to provide it.

He kicked off a high scoring night when he got a lead on the left side that gave him the opportunity to wind up and send a laser past Sharks’ goaltender Aaron Dell at 5:45 of the first period.

Later in the second he set up Ryan McDonagh for his first goal of the season at 11:04 with a beautiful feed on a two-on-one.

Aside from the offense he has been generating, Hayes does the little things right. He is a lot faster this season than last and can race for loose pucks.

He is one of the most entertaining Rangers to watch because of his size, reach and creativity with his hands. He does like to hold on to the puck a lot but he’s been learning how to shoot a little more and when he does, he has the ability to beat NHL caliber goaltenders clean.

It is fair to say that Hayes is a key piece to this team. He is not only the team’s second line center but he is vital to the penalty kill and is such an essential playmaker. He has really stepped up defensively this season and has matured as an NHL player.

I said back in July that Hayes would be stepping into a key role on the Rangers and I had no doubt that he would be able to fill it. So far I think that I assumed correctly in Hayes’ progression.

Next: Max Pacioretty could help down the stretch with the Rangers

Hayes sits at 20 points on the season and if he can stay consistent he can beat his career high of 49 points in a season which was achieved last year.

The Rangers have been in a precarious position after dropping six of their previous eight before this game. With Chris Kreider and Kevin Shattenkirk out indefinitely, Hayes was needed back as soon as possible.

His return sparked the Rangers’ bench and hopefully they can return from the All-Star break with some pep in their step to stay afloat in the playoff picture. They’ll need Hayes to stay on his “A” game to do so.

Home/New York Rangers