The Rangers could be getting back some major help sooner than they think. 

Pavel Buchnevich, out since Nov. 10 with a broken thumb, was a full participant in Tuesday's practice in an encouraging sign that he could be nearing his return. 

Head coach David Quinn sounded hopeful that the 23-year-old winger, who was projected to be out 4-6 weeks, could return in time for Saturday's game against the Florida Panthers -- which would be exactly four weeks since his injury.  

The red-hot Rangers were delivered a pretty big blow on Monday. 

Forward Pavel Buchnevich was ruled out four to six weeks with a broken thumb, the team announced. 

The 23-year-old sustained the injury on Saturday during a 5-4 shootout win over the Blue Jackets. 

6:21PM: David Quinn said on Tuesday before the game, "he's gotta play better, he's a real talented player, he's had some inconsistencies in his game.We have the bar high for him and he has to play better. You always like when a guy scores a goal but there has to be consistency. (NYR)

"It's about effort and doing the things that are required to have success at this level or any level of hockey, this is a contact sport. You gotta take a hit to make a play, gotta get in the way, being physical means something different for every player depending on your size. I'm not asking guys to run around killing people but you gotta take ice away from people, get in peoples way and you gotta make life hard for the other team." (NYR)

4:39PM: Buchnevich will be a healthy scratch against the Sharks on Tuesday. (Giannone)

The fourth line tonight will be Filip Chytil between Vinni Lettieri and Cody McLeod. (Giannone)

Pavel Buchnevich scored his third goal of the season but the Rangers mustered just one shot on goal in the third period, losing to the Blackhawks, 4-1. >> Box score

First period:

• 2:55 CHI Jonathan Toews; Assists: Duncan Keith, Corey Crawford
• 4:09 NYR Pavel Buchnevich; Assists: Brendan Smith, Brett Howden

Second period:

• 10:33 CHI Alexandre Fortin; Assists: Nick Schmaltz, Brandon Manning

Third period:

• 15:39 CHI Patrick Kane; Assists: Artem Anisimov, Alex DeBrincat
• 18:51 CHI Alex DeBrincat (ENG); Assists: Dominik Kahum, Henri Jokiharju

Pavel Buchnevich returned to the Rangers lineup on Wednesday after being scratched for Tuesday's win.

Buchnevich played 10:30 and was a minus one with no shot attempts.

He played 4:23 in the first, 2:40 in the second and 3:27 in the third, all at even strength. He didn't play in the final 5:28 of the third or get a shift in OT.

Jesper Fast and Pavel Buchnevich scored in the season opener but the Rangers failed to get a lead on the Nashville Predators in a 3-2 loss at Madison Square Garden. << Box score 

9/7/18 | While describing his skill level, Gordie Clark said that while Buchnevich will score on a slap shot once in a while, "his passing ability is on another planet." (SI)

Buchnevich's agent said that when Buchnevich feels he has been "slighted" it puts him in a bad mood and that "when he's pissed off, he can produce." (SI)

Alain Vigneault said of Buchnevich in March, "there is some learning, there is some adjustments, Buchie is going through that like any young player like I've had in my career. There is a learning curve, peaks and valleys and Buchie is a lot like younger players. There is a tremendous amount of upside with that young man, we just have to work with him to get it more consistent."

Vigneault said that when Buchnevich struggles it is usually because of his decisions with the puck and that "you get to making the right plays by working on your game, improving your knowledge and understanding and there are less of those when you become a better and more experienced player."

Larry Brooks wrote over the weekend that when Pavel Buchnevich was preparing to leave Russia and join the Rangers, the player he was most "likened" to was Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov. (NY Post)

• Brooks wrote, in 2016, that Buchnevich is both a playmaker and a sniper who has a skill set that has been likened to that of the Capitals Evgeny Kuznetsov. He noted that it took Kuznetsov a full-year to get acclimated before he hit his stride. (NY Post)

Kuznetsov told Elliotte Friedman a couple of years ago that the issues he had to overcome were in his head and said recently that he never looks at his shifts and that he knows when he is playing well and not playing well. (Sportsnet.ca)

He added, "I'm better at forgetting now when I'm not good." (Sportsnet.ca)

Rangers prospect Igor Shesterkin stopped all 23 shots that he faced in a 4-0 shutout of Slovakia in the World Championships.

• Shesterkin has made three appearances for Russia in the tournament, stopping all 45 shots he has faced in his 140 minutes played.

Pavel Buchnevich appeared to skate on the fourth line for Russia and only played 4:30, with one shot on goal.

Filip Chytil did not take a shift in the Czech Republic's 4-3 victory over Russia on Thursday at the World Championships.

The Czech team just added David Krejci and David Pastranak from the Bruins.

Igor Shesterkin stopped 18 of 18 shots in Russia's World Championship win over Belarus.

Shesterkin was making his first start of the tournament and stopped 4 shots in the first, 6 in the second and 8 in the third.

Shesterkin has made two appearances in the tournament, stopping all 22 shots he has faced.

Pavel Buchnevich played 13:32 in the game, didn't register a point and had 1 shot on goal.

Pavel Buchnevich had an assist, 4 shots on goal and a plus three rating in 16:26 of ice time during Russia's win over Austria.

He played 6:01 in the first, 3:52 in the second and 6:33 in the third.

In two games, Buchnevich has 1 goal and 1 assist.

2:23PM: Buchnevich had a goal, 2 shots on goal and played 12:44 in Russia's 7-0 win over France.

10:57AM: Pavel Buchnevich scored Russia's second goal in their World Championship opener against France.

Pavel Buchnevich & Igor Shesterkin have been named to Russia's team for the World Championships. (Sports.RU)

Buchnevich and Shesterkin join fellow Rangers Chris Kreider and Neal Pionk (Team USA), Mika Zibanejad and Lias Andersson (Sweden) & Filip Chytil (Czech Republic).

Vlad Namestnikov wanted to play but is dealing with an injury.

The tournament begins on Friday in Denmark.

Pavel Buchnevich conducted an interview in Russia and said the following (Sports-Express):

• The line combinations at the end of the season seemed to be created in a "random way," like shuffling a deck of cards.
• He wanted to try playing center but didn't get the chance.
• He "did not feel anything" when Alain Vigneault was let go and he learned about it from "the news."
• The explanation from management about selling was that this was not a team that could win the cup and that it was time for a change.
• On his season, Buchnevich said that everything depends on his confidence and that it's easier to play when he doesn't have to fear that one mistake will cause a decrease in ice time. He said that he could play a few good games in a row, struggle in one and then find himself on the fourth line with minimal ice time.

4/5/18 | Pavel Buchnevich's agent indicated that Buchnevich plans to play for Russia at the World Championships this May. (Sports.Ru)

Buchnevich has played for Russia multiple times in his career including at the World Juniors and other tournaments.

This season, Buchnevich has 14 goals and 29 assists and a minus three rating in 72 games.

During warmups last night, Pavel Buchnevich gave one of his sticks to a an wearing a Buchnevich jersey from his time in the KHL.

Monday night against Carolina, Pavel Buchnevich had his first three-assist game in the Rangers win.

All three of Buchnevich's assists were primary assists.

On the season, Buchnevich had 13 goals and 19 assists in his first 49 games but only has 1 goal and 6 assists in the last 13 games.

Tuesday night was Pavel Buchnevich's 100th career NHL game, 105 including playoffs.

Since returning from a concussion on 2/17, Buchnevich has 1 goal and 3 assists in 9 games, with 19 shots on goal and an average of 15:34 per game.

On the season, Buchnevich is averaging .61 PPG compared to averaging .49PPG last season.

2/2/18 | 12:39PM: Buchnevich sustained a concussion last night after taking an elbow to the jaw. (Brooks)

He is in the concussion protocol and will be sidelined indefinitely. (Brooks)

12:27PM: Buchnevich is being evaluated for a concussion (Brooks)

12:05PM: Buchnevich is not skating at practice today. (NYR)

Pavel Buchnevich has four points during his three-game point streak.

Prior to the three-game point streak, Buchnevich only had 4 points in his prior 13 games.

From the Rangers Game Notes, Buchnevich "ranks second on the Rangers in points this season (30; 13 goals and 17 assists), and he is also tied for the team lead in points against Western Conference opponents this season (12; five goals and seven assists in 15 games)."

Pavel Buchnevich scored the Rangers' lone goal on Saturday in a 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. >> Box score

First period:

• 9:00 COL Erik Johnson; Assists: Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon

Second period:

• 3:24 COL Nathan MacKinnon; Assists: Erik Johnson, Mark Barberio
• 6:55 NYR Pavel Buchnevich (Power Play); Assists: Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh

Third period:

• 19:59 COL Mikko Rantanen (ENG)

The Rangers beat the Sabres 4-3 in a back and forth game, led by Pavel Buchnevich and Rick Nash. << Box score

First period:

• 1:24 NYR Rick Nash; Assist: Pavel Buchnevich
• 18:41 BUF Kyle Okposo (PPG); Assists: Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel

Second period:

Pavel Buchnevich was a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Sunday against Vegas.

By month, Buchnevich has:

• October: 5 goals, 5 assists, 31 shots on goal, 14:46 per game in 13 games
• November: 4 goals, 6 assists, 29 shots on goal, 15:01 per game in 12 games
• December: 2 goals, 3 assists, 22 shots on goal, 14:20 per game
• January: 1 assist, 4 shots on goal, 15:08 per game in 3 games.

When Buchnevich was on the ice at 5 on 5 in October, the Rangers had 54% of the shot attempts, 52% in November, 44% in December and 45% in November. (Natural Stat Trick)

Larry Brooks wrote this week that he believes Pavel Buchnevich should get more ice time but that he has to earn that ice time as well. Brooks said that a "careless performance" against Arizona, where he started on the first line but was moved to the fourth line, is what got him scratched on Sunday. (NY Post)

1/8/17 | 12:46AM: Following the game, Alain Vigneault was asked about the moves on MSG and said:

• On Buchnevich & Smith being scratched, "I just felt that for the tonight it was the right thing to do and I wanted to get Kampf in here for some time. On back to back nights, I just wanted to get him back in the lineup."
• Why Buchnevich, "analyzing our different lines, I wasn't sure if Zuccy was going to play so I felt that for tonight it was the right thing to do."

1/7/17 | 9:29PM: Pavel Buchnevich and Brendan Smith are scratched from tonight's game against Vegas. (NHL)

Smith will be replaced by Steve Kampfer and Buchnevich will be replaced by a returning Mats Zuccarello.

This is the first healthy scratch of the season for Buchnevich, the ninth for Smith.

Pavel Buchnevich is slated to start tonight's game with Mika Zibanejad and JT Miller after starting with Jimmy Vesey and David Desharnais on Wednesday.

Alain Vigneault said on Friday that he likes the chemistry between Buchnevich and Zibanejad and that JT Miller can do some of the things that Chris Kreider, their former linemate, does.

Larry Brooks wrote on Thursday that it's "nuts" when Buchnevich is not on the Rangers top line. (NY Post)

Jimmy Vesey and J.T. Miller tried to help fuel a late rally for the Rangers after falling behind 2-0, but the Maple Leafs held on and won, 3-2, on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. >> Box Score

First period:

• 17:14 TOR William Nylander; Assists: Auston Matthews, Morgan Rielly 

Second period:

• 0:50 TOR Ron Hainsey (Power Play); Assists: Morgan Rielly, Mitchell Marner
• 2:37 NYR Jimmy Vesey
• 11:22 TOR Auston Matthews; Assists: Zach Hyman, William Nylander

Third Period:

• 11:25 NYR J.T. Miller; Assists: Pavel Buchnevich, Chris Kreider

Pavel Buchnevich has 11 goals and 12 assists this season in 31 games after only putting up 8 goals and 12 assists in 41 games last season.

Chris Kreider said that Buchnevich has "woven himself into the fabric of the team" and has never stopped learning on or off the ice. (SI)

Henrik Lundqvist said that Buchnevich is "more comfortably, more confident, physically stronger on the puck and more determined" this season. (SI)

The Rangers dropped their second straight game, falling to the Ottawa Senators, 3-2, on Wednesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Michael Grabner and Pavel Buchnevich tallied for New York. >> Box score

First period: 

• 4:01 OTT Bobby Ryan; Assists: Mark Stone

Second period: 

• 3:57 NYR Michael Grabner; Assists: Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh
• 15:08 OTT Cody Cedi; Assists: Matt Duchene, Ryan

Third period:

• :08 OTT Zack Smith; Assists: Tom Pyatt
• 4:40 NYR Pavel Buchnevich; Assists: Chris Kreider, David Desharnais

Boo Nieves scored his first career goal in the first period and Pavel Buchnevich scored the go-ahead goal in the third to complete a 4-3 win over the Penguins on Tuesday. >> Box score

First period:

• 15:13 PIT Conor Sheary; Assists: Patric Hornqvist, Kris Letang
• 16:49 NYR Boo Nieves; Assists: Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Shattenkirk

Second period:

• 7:11 PIT Phil Kessel; Assists: Jake Guentzel, Olli Maatta
• 12:26 NYR Jesper Fast Assists: Brady Skjei, Paul Carey
• 17:20 NYR Mats Zuccarello

Third period:

• 3:35 PIT Patric Hornqvist (Power Play); Assists: Evgeni Malkin, Ian Cole
• 11:12 NYR Pavel Buchnevich; Assists: David Desharnais, Chris Kreider

Jimmy Vesey scored two goals 29 seconds apart to cap a three-goal first period as the Rangers defeated the Bruins, 4-2, for their fifth straight win on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. >> Box score

First period:

• 9:53 NYR Pavel Buchnevich; Assists: Ryan McDonagh, Michael Grabner
• 10:14 BOS David Pastrnak; Assists: Patrice Bergeron, Anders Bjork
• 14:41 NYR Jimmy Vesey; Assists: Mika Zibanejad, Buchnevich
• 15:10 NYR Vesey; Assists: Kevin Shattenkirk, David Desharnais

Second period:

• N/A

Third period:

• 6:44 BOS Bergeron; Assists: Torey Krug, Pastrnak
• 19:52 NYR Rick Nash (ENG); Assists: McDonagh

Pavel Buchnevich has 6 goals and 6 assists in 16 games this season and 37 shots on goal while averaging 15:01 per game.

He has 5 goals and 2 assists in the past 6 games, scoring on 33% of his shots and averaging 15:29 per game.

Buchnevich said that he is feeling better this season than he did last season and is playing with more confidence. (NYR)

Mika Zibanejad said that Buchnevich's experience of having a year under his belt has helped and said that he has a good mentality of putting things behind him and moving on to the next shift. (NYR)

The Rangers scored four goals in the third period en route to a 5-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday at Madison Square Garden. >> Box Score 

First period:

• N/A

Second period:

• 0:37 CBJ Artemi Panarin; Assists: Zach Werenski, Seth Jones
• 4:24 CBJ Josh Anderson; Assist: Ryan Murray
• 12:41 NYR Michael Grabner; Assists: J.T. Miller, Nick Holden

Third period:

• 5:10 NYR Kevin Shattenkirk (power play); Assists: Mats Zuccarello, Mika Zibanejad
• 8:01 CBJ Oliver Bjorkstrand; Assists: Brandon Dubinsky, Boone Jenner
• 9:40 NYR Chris Kreider (power play); Assists: Pavel Buchnevich, Zibanejad
• 11:27 NYR Buchnevich (power play); Assists: Zibanejad, Shattenkirk
• 19:11 NYR Grabner (ENG)

Pavel Buchnevich scored twice, Boo Nieves had three assists, and the Rangers defeated the Coyotes by a score of 5-2 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday >> Read more

First Period

• 8:01 NYR Chris Kreider; Assists: Mats Zuccarello, Mika Zibanejad
• 15:57 NYR Pavel Buchnevich; Assists: Ryan McDonagh, Boo Nieves

Second Period

• 5:13 AZ Anthony Duclair; Assists: Christian Dvorak, Alex Goligoski
• 5:59 NYR Michael Grabner; Assists: Boo Nieves
• 13:56 NYR Pavel Buchnevich; Assists: Boo Nieves

Third Period

• 3:52 AZ Clayton Keller (Power Play); Assists: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Max Domi
• 19:24 NYR Michael Grabner (ENG)

Brady Skjei and Mika Zibanejad scored while Henrik Lundqvist recorded a shutout as the New York Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. >> Read more

First period:

• 17:25 NYR Brady Skjei; Assists: Michael Grabner, J.T. Miller

Second period:

10/12/17 | On Buchenvich, Alain Vigneault said on Thursday, "there is no doubt, he came to camp better prepared. Because he was better prepared it shows, he is getting some good looks. That line has had some real good moments and that the chemistry will continue. He's still got a lot of room for improvement and with that skill set, he can be a real solid player and he is trying to get better and we are trying to get him better."

10/7/17 | On Thursday, Pavel Buchnevich had an assist, was a minus two, and had 7 shot attempts (4 on goal, 3 that were blocked).

Buchnevich had tow. giveaways in his 18:22, 7:17 of which was on the PP with the remaining 11:05 coming at even strength.

9/30/17 | Pavel Buchnevich said that his back is "definitely better" and that if he can remain healthy he will be able to play with "more confidence." (Newsday)

The past two days have featured Buchnevich on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, the same trio that started last season together.

Alain Vigneault said on the first day of training camp that Buchnevich came to New York in the middle of the summer and hasn't had any back issues.

Pavel Buchenvich said that he returned to New York recently and has already been working with Ben Prentiss and skating with Chris Kreider to get ready for the season.

Buchnevich worked with Prentiss, now a Rangers strength and conditioning consultant, last summer as well.

He said that with Kreider he's been skating and playing three-on-three "to have some fun."

Pavel Buchenvich said that he wants to play this season without injuries and that staying healthy is his only focus. (Championat)

Last season Buchnevich played in 41 games for the Rangers but missed 5 games with back spasms early in the year and then 26 with another back issue during the season.

Buchnevich was also a healthy scratch 7 times during the season and played in 5 of the Rangers 12 playoff games.

Pavel Buchnevich spoke with Championat in Russia and said the following:

• He is spending more time with family in Russia this summer but will travel to New York soon to prepare for the season.
• Losing Derek Stepan is a "substantial loss" but the team has young players like JT Miller and Kevin Hayes that will get more experience and should be better next season.
• His focus is on playing this season without injuries.
• His back is healed and he spent time with the medical staff of his former team in the KHL.
• He isn't afraid of "Russian torturer" Lindy Ruff and that Ruff will be working with the defense.
• The AHL is "classic North American hockey" and features a lot of hitting and fighting.
• He was supported by his teammates during his goal drought.

In his rookie season with the Rangers, Pavel Buchnevich:

• Played in 41 games
• Missed 31 due to injury (5-back spasms, 26- back) and 1 game due to illness
• Was a healthy scratch 7 times
• Missed two games because he was with Hartford.

In the playoffs, Buchnevich played games 4,5,6 against the Senators and then games 1 and 2 against Ottawa.

In his first 10 games that Buchnevich played he had 4 goals and 4 assists, 18 shots on goal and averaged 15:06.

7:06PM: Tanner Glass returns to the Rangers lineup tonight for the first time since Game 3 of the Rangers first round series against Montreal.

Pavel Buchnevich, who played limited minutes on Saturday, is a scratch.

On Glass, Vigneault said this morning "well, when Tanner played there was no surprise to his game or what he brings to the lineup. That is something we have looked at every game so far, whether it be Montreal or Ottawa. Who helps us tonight and gives us the best chance to win. You guys know Tanner, if he plays he plays a certain way an in some games it's useful and in other games it's useful depending on many minutes you get."

Pavel Buchnevich played 12:23 in his NHL playoffs debut and had 3 shots on goal and 2 hits.

Buchnevich played 5:22 in the first period, 3:43 in the second period and 3:18 in the third period while seeing 1:58 on the PP.

When he was on the ice at 5 on 5, mostly with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, the Rangers had 12 shot attempts for, 10 against and 8 shots on goal for and 6 against. (Natural Stat Trick)

7:04PM: Buchnevich is in and Glass is out.

4:13PM: Alain Vigneault would not reveal his lineup for tonight when he spoke with the media so there is no definite word on if Pavel Buchnevich will make his NHL playoffs debut.

Buchnevich skated in warmups for Game 3 and at practice on Monday skated in a rotation with Tanner Glass on a line Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad as well as on one of the PP units.

Pavel Buchnevich played 10:19, was a minus one and had 3 shots on goal, 1 shot that missed the net, 1 hit and 1 giveaway against the Penguins.

He played 4:12 in the first, 3:44 in the second and 2:23 in the third with 8:33 of his time coming at even strength and 1:46 coming on the PP.

Buchnevich started the game with Rick Nash and Mika Zibanejad before being swapped onto the fourth line with Oscar Lindberg and Matt Puempel.

11:14PM: Asked about putting Glass and Kampfer in, Alain Vigneault said that it had somehwat to do with it being a back to back, "a little bit of that, a little bit of the opponent also. I just thought that making those two changes would help us out and for the most part our group as a whole played a strong game."

8:02PM: The Rangers have confirmed that Buchnevich and Clendening are scratched.

7:47PM: According to the line rushes in warmups, Tanner Glass will replace Pavel Buchnevich and Steven Kampfer will replace Adam Clendening in the Rangers lineup tonight. (Brooks)

Alain Vigneault said earlier in the day that the Rangers had some gametime decisions relating to bumps and bruises in the second part of a back to back.

Pavel Buchnevich returned to the Rangers lineup last night in place of Tanner Glass after being scratched on Friday in favor of Glass.

Buchnevich played 9:42, had an assist, 1 shot on goal and 2 shot attempts blocked.

He played 3:09 in the first period, 4:11 in the second period and 2:22 in the third period, all at even strength.

When he was on the ice the Rangers had 9 shot attempts for, 5 against, 4 shots on goal for and 5 against. (Natural Stat Trick)

6:58PM: Adam Clendening is in for Steven Kampfer and Buchnevich is in for Tanner Glass.

Vigneault said earlier tonight (NYR):

• "Our PK on the road has been good, at home it's miscues and misreads and it's an area that we are spending a lot of time on. It's an are that we know, speciality teams, need to be better and we are spending a lot of time on it."
• On being consistent, "you look at last night's game and we are ready to play. In the first 10 minutes we had a lot of looks and other than one scoring chance 5 on 5 we didn't give them anything in the first. Then we took a penalty and they had two opportunities off of that. The second we know wasn't good enough, we weren't skating or moving the puck but we played real well in the third. We know as a group that it's a 60 minute effort and that is what we will try to do tonight."
• On injury updates, "Kleiner skated and felt good. Dan did not skate, a scheduled off day for him, so we will see how they all are tomorrow."
• On Buchnevich, "he's a young player, like I have mentioned a lot of times. We are talking to him about the areas that he is doing well and want him to continue and there are other areas where he needs to improve on and we are doing that on a daily basis and I am confident he will have a good game tonight."

5:03PM: Antti Raanta will start for the Rangers tonight against Minnesota. (Russo)

Pavel Buchnevich will return to the Rangers lineup and Alain Vigneault said that there are some game time decisions on the lineup. (Russo)

3:26PM: Alain Vigneault said that Pavel Buchnevich is "going to play," but not tonight against Florida.

Vigneault said that there is a "lot of hockey left" and that while Buchnevich has been dealing with some inconsistencies, "he is going to play."

He continued that the Rangers have a "lot of faith in his skill level and the way that he can play" and that he has had some good games lately.

Larry Brooks wrote in the NY Post that if Buchnevich isn't in the lineup to work through his issues then the Rangers likely won't be able to count on him contributing in the playoffs.