Anisimov Continues to Impress

After last night's solid performance centering the first line in a win over the Sabres, freshman forward Artem Anisimov continues to impress the coaching staff as well as the fans. In the off-season, the talk in Rangerland was about where to play Anisimov to begin the season, and most of us agreed that he should have to start at the bottom and work his way up. Well, that is exactly what he has done, as the Russian native started out playing some fourth line, eventually made it to the third, and due to injuries to other centermen on the team, is now among the top six Ranger forwards.

Artem is quickly getting on Tortorella's good side, and the coach had nothing but positive things to say about his new first line center on Saturday.

“It’s not so much what he’s doing now, but for the future of the organization he’s taken some big strides,” Tortorella said. “I think he’s getting better and better, his puck handling, his reads. On the two-man forecheck, he pops out high. He gets it. He’s understanding it. He’s certainly a very important guy for us.”

Not only has Anisimov had to learn the game at the NHL level, but he is also learning the English language and how to better communicate with his mates. Enver Lisin has been instrumental in Artem's progress speech wise, as the two of them have become close friends. Whether it be in the locker room, on the bench, or away from the rink, Lisin has shown him the ropes.

Now going back to his play, one of the things Anisimov does best is getting the shot off from anywhere on the ice. We saw it last night when the 21-year old second round draft pick entered the offensive zone at full speed, used defensemen Tyler Myers as a screen, and let a wrister fly which beat Miller but rang off the post. This was done all in one motion, and that is how the dominate goal scorers in this league are able to put tallies on the board on a consistent basis. It is all about the release-- just ask Alex Ovechkin and our very own Marian Gaborik, two individuals who may have the best releases in the game.

Anisimov is currently on pace for around 15 goals (currently has 5 goals and 8 assists), which is exceptional for a rookie, but I think that pace may pick up speed if he can get hot on a line with Prospal and Gaborik. Artem's future is very bright, and he will eventually become a tremendous part of this franchise, just as Gaborik and Lundqvist are right now.

Rangers/Red Wings Pregame coming later....

(Image courtesy of AP Photo)