On the morning of March 30 of last season in Montreal, hours before Mats Zuccarello would make his 2012-13 debut for the Rangers after having spent the season in the Russian KHL, the diminutive Norwegian told folks not to expect too much:
“I’m not Gretzky,” said Zuccarello, who had played parts of the previous two seasons for the Blueshirts and then re-enlisted for the playoff push. “I’m not a savior.”
Nevertheless, Zuccarello provided a spark over the final 15 games. This season, while it would be a stretch to call him a savior, it is no stretch to suggest he has been among the Rangers’ best, most dynamic and most dependable forwards.
“I’m happy with where I am, but I am not satisfied,” Zuccarello told The Post following Monday’s 2-1 shootout victory over the Maple Leafs that sent the club into the Christmas hiatus with a two-game winning streak and in which he scored in the skills competition.
“Hopefully, I will keep developing and become a better player,” the 26-year-old said. “I’m not that old. I want to keep developing every day.”
Zuccarello, who recorded 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) in 67 NHL games in his first three seasons in North America, is second on the Rangers in scoring with 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 37 games, one point behind Brad Richards.
He has emerged as one of coach Alain Vigneault’s go-to forwards both at even strength and on both specialty units. Zuccarello, averaging 17:32 per match, fourth among forwards behind Richards, Derek Stepan and Ryan Callahan, has been on the ice for 14 of the club’s 24 power-play goals, though on the second unit, and has become a staple on the penalty kill.
This marks the first time in his brief NHL career that Zuccarello has been used to kill penalties. His intelligence, anticipation, speed and quickness have helped him thrive.
“Being on the PK helps keep you honest,” Zuccarello said Monday. “It gives you confidence to know that the coach trusts you in big situations.
“You feel pride when you can help the team.”
Though just 5-foot-7, the creative and skilled Zuccarello has been among the Rangers’ most physical players. He darts in and out of traffic and finds seams, but he’s also always in on the forecheck and competes in battles. His one-on-two puck win on the boards midway through the first period of Sunday night’s match against the Wild when down in the match 1-0 helped key the Blueshirts to their 4-1 victory.
“I feel I’ve been working hard and the hard work has been paying off,” said Zuccarello, who is on a one-year contract worth $1.15 million and will become a restricted free agent on July 1. “As I said, I want to keep adding to my game, but most importantly, I want to help the team win.
“When you perform well and the team wins, you get a little glow from it. There’s nothing better than that.”
The Rangers (18-18-2, 38 points) are in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division, tied in points with the Flyers (17-16-4) for the final divisional playoff spot, with Philadelphia having played one fewer game. Six points separate the second-place Capitals and the seventh-place Hurricanes.
The Blueshirts, who trail the Capitals by four points, open their post-hiatus five-game trip in Washington on Friday. The tour continues with games at Tampa Bay, Florida, Pittsburgh and Toronto. The Rangers are 10-8 on the road.
Richards is second in the NHL in percentage of zone starts in the offensive zone as compared with defensive zone at 70.2, according to data compiled by extraskater.com. Phoenix’s Mike Ribeiro leads at 71.2 percent. John Moore leads NHL defensemen in that category at 65.9.
Brian Boyle and Dominic Moore, meanwhile, are sixth and seventh in the NHL, respectively, in defensive zone starts at 76.3 and 75.9.
The Rangers last played on Christmas Eve in 1972, defeating the Red Wings 5-0 at the Garden. Their last game on Christmas was in 1971, a 2-1 victory over the North Stars in Minnesota. NHL has been dark on the 24th and 25th beginning in 1973-74. The league’s holiday break was extended to three days beginning this season as mandated by the collective bargaining agreement.