"The Rangers are always a contender every year," Vesey said Tuesday after the Rangers skated at their practice facility before boarding a flight to Montreal. "We had a good season this year. When we're playing our game, I think we can beat anybody. It's my first crack at the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so I'm looking forward to it."
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Vesey, who had 27 points (16 goals, 11 assists) in 80 games in his first NHL season, will start the playoffs on the second line with center Mika Zibanejad and right wing Rick Nash. He's hoping the three can find ways to produce against Canadiens goalie Carey Price.
"I think we've played together quite a bit lately, and with the exception of maybe one game, I think we've been really good and created a lot of offense," Vesey said. "I think there seems to be some chemistry developing in practice, so hopefully we can bring it all together [Wednesday] and in the first round."
As expected, not everything was rosy for Vesey in his rookie season. He went 10 games without a goal from Jan. 3-25 and fought through a 14-game drought from Feb. 19 through March 17. But coach Alain Vigneault said he believes Vesey is ready to contribute at the most crucial time.
"A lot like Chris Kreider's first year, there's a rookie coming in the lineup playing a big role, playing big minutes," Vigneault said. "Jimmy is getting this opportunity. I think it's normal for a younger player to go through ups and downs during the season. Jimmy's been through, like all our players, has been through championship games at another level. He's been in big moments, he's handled them real well, and our whole group is very confident that he's going to play real well for us here as we move forward."