First David Quinn benched him, then he rewarded him.
The Rangers coach brought Pavel Buchnevich back into the lineup for Thursday night’s 4-3 win over the Devils in Newark just two days after he had made the talented 23-year-old winger a healthy scratch in a 1-0 loss to the Flyers at the Garden.
Buchnevich started on the fourth line, but midway through the third period, with the score tied 3-3, he was up on the second line with Kevin Hayes and Jesper Fast, doing what he could to break the tie. And he had come on just at the right moment, moving the puck around the back of the Devils’ net to start the play that would end in Mika Zibanejad’s game-winner with 4:36 remaining in regulation.