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With the New York Rangers struggling on Saturday afternoon against the Vancouver Canucks, Peter Laviolette made a bold move and it happened to work.
Laviolette elevated Jonny Brodzinski and Brennan Othmann to top-six roles, almost seeming to send a message of some sort.
Brodzinski played on a line with J.T. Miller and Alexis Lafrenière while Othmann played alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck.
The most notable impact after those changes were made came from Brodzinski. The 31-year-old forward scored two goals and was all over the ice as his speed was on full display.
He may be overlooked due to the fact that his role is generally limited, but Brodzinski has always been a sneaky offensive threat and strong presence in the Rangers’ locker room.
In fact, Laviolette believes that Brodzinski has the potential to be a dangerous player.
“He’s been really valuable just in the fact that he’s played all of the positions,” Laviolette said of Brodzinski. “He’s moved up and down the lineup. He certainly has a capability to play offense and deliver. He’s a skater, he can move and get involved in offense. I think his speed can really be an asset for him.”
Meanwhile, Othmann was finally given the opportunity to get an expanded role and he took full advantage.
Since being called up, the 22-year-old forward has steadily improved and gotten more comfortable.
While you won’t necessarily see anything flashy from Othmann, he provides a steady presence, which is exactly what he was able to do on Saturday afternoon.
“It was great. You don’t know when that opportunity is going to come, so you want to do well,” Othmann said. “I think our first shift in the second period — playing with those guys is definitely different. You kind of want to read off them a little more. So the first shift was a bit rocky, then we got into penalties back and forth, so you kind of don’t get into a rhythm with them until the back half of the second period.”
Not to mention, Othmann also recorded his first NHL point, tallying an assist on Adam Fox’s goal.
Now, Othmann can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“I think it just takes a weight off my shoulders a little bit,” Othmann said of his assist. “Not that I needed it at the time. It just kind of feels good, knowing that you can contribute at this level a little bit. Especially in a game like that, every game from here on is a playoff game.”
It’s unclear if Laviolette will stick to these newly-established lines, but Brodzinski and Othmann certainly deserve an increased role since they were able to seize on their opportunity.
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