Islanders’ Cal Ritchie Getting First Taste Of Playoff-Like Intensity Amid Postseason Push
Cal Ritchie is getting his first real taste of NHL playoff intensity, adjusting on the fly as the Islanders push toward the postseason.
BUFFALO, NY — Matthew Schaefer’s rapid rise to becoming one of the best players in the league in no time has put him in the spotlight, and rightfully so.
But there’s another rookie on Long Island who has taken strides in his development in his first season there, and that’s Cal Ritchie.
The New York Islanders’ 21-year-old was the key piece in the Brock Nelson return, and while he isn’t a Nelson kind of player, he has the ability to be a No. 2 center in this league for a long time — a 200-foot center who can do it all out there.
Unlike Schaefer, Ritchie’s season has been full of ups and downs, but he’s finding a groove, which has led to a confidence boost.
He’s currently playing on the second line alongside Brayden Schenn and Mathew Barzal, while working the goal line on the top power-play unit.
Ritchie enters tonight’s game against the Buffalo Sabres riding a four-game point streak with two goals and three assists, having extended that streak with two assists in their 8-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.
I sat down with Ritchie to discuss his game and what it’s been like to be part of an NHL playoff race, which is just a tad different from a playoff race in the OHL.