In just 41 regular season games, New York Rangers fans fell in love with rookie winger Pavel Buchnevich and for good reason.
In the early going, Buchnevich found instant chemistry with center Mika Zibanejad and winger Chris Kreider. The trio tore up the competition in the preseason and was held together to start the season by Alain Vigneault.
Buchnevich started his season off with a strong game against the New York Islanders. He tallied three shots on net to go along with an assist in a 5-3 victory. After playing one more game, Buchnevich was forced to sit out of the lineup for about two weeks with back spasms, an injury that was thought to not be worthy of worry.