Urho Vaakanainen is in his seventh NHL season, and the Rangers are his third team, but the 26-year-old defenseman never has reached the playoffs.
So his involvement in the 4 Nations Face-Off for Finland wasn’t just exciting.
It could help Vaakanainen prepare for the postseason.
“I never played in a playoff game, but if I had to imagine, that would be at the top,” Vaakanainen said of the competition level in the 4 Nations. “That’s what my teammates said. It felt like a playoff atmosphere, for sure. The skill, speed and physicality.”
Vaakanainen arrived to the Rangers in December from Anaheim in exchange for former captain Jacob Trouba and insisted playing in the tournament was more valuable than a typical All-Star break.
“I think it’s a great thing,” Vaakanainen said. “Those are probably the hardest games you can play anywhere in the world, against the best players. It’s high intensity, high skill level. It’s only a positive if you get to play those games.”
Peter Laviolette agreed the experience will pay off.
“I think it’s great for him to put himself on the map like that,” the coach said. “He’s come here and played really well for us. He’s a real good defender, a great kid and fit in really well. He closes quick [and] plays with an attitude out there.”
Vaakanainen scored his first goal as a Ranger in the final game before the break at Columbus, when he tied the game in the third period, part of a much-needed win.
Asked if he knew he scored on the play, when he tipped in the puck, he said, “I knew I touched it just a little bit, but I wasn’t 100 percent sure. There was a lot of traffic in front of the net.”
He said he watched replays and added with a laugh, “I made sure they checked it out.”
Mika Zibanejad, who missed the latter part of Sweden’s participation in the 4 Nations due to illness, skated on his own prior to Rangers practice Thursday.
Laviolette said he anticipated Zibanejad would return to practice Friday.
The other four Rangers still involved in the tournament for the final Thursday in Boston, Team USA’s J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox and Chris Kreider, are expected to rejoin the team in Buffalo on Saturday in time for the 5:30 p.m. start.
While Jake Leschyshyn and Matthew Robertson went back to AHL Hartford on Thursday, Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann took part in Rangers practice again with the team still short-handed due to the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Laviolette said he was impressed with the group.
“They worked extremely hard,” Laviolette said. “You wouldn’t know anyone didn’t fit in out there.”
Speaking of Berard and Othmann, in particular, Laviolette said, “I thought they looked great. They both have a little experience here. … They’re close [to the NHL], the top players down there.”
Laviolette praised the line of Zibanejad, Miller and Artemi Panarin that had some success before the break.
“That’s a good line for us,” he said. “Effective. I’m sure you’ll see that again.”
