OTTAWA — If you asked two years ago where Kevin Hayes would be most utilized in the 2017 playoffs, a defensive-zone draw while holding a tight lead would not have been the first guess — if at all.
Nevertheless, as the Rangers center readies for his 25th birthday Monday, he also appreciates how his game has evolved. Once just a skill player with terrific hands and vision, Hayes now prides himself in the way he plays in his own zone, and it hardly bothered him that he didn’t have a goal yet through the first 10 games of the postseason.
“I feel good where I’m at,” Hayes told The Post after his team’s practice in Tarrytown on Friday before they left for Ottawa, where they are set to take on the Senators in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series Saturday afternoon, the best-of-seven contest knotted at two games apiece.
“I think I’ve taken more of a defensive role here, take a lot of ‘D’ zone face-offs. Definitely focusing on defense a little bit. When I’m on the ice, the other team’s not scoring.”
There have been some good games and bad games from Hayes this postseason, and he has been on for three goals against in the first four games against Ottawa after being on for four goals against in the six-game first round against Montreal.
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Yet he held an even plus-minus rating in the postseason, meaning he had been on for seven Rangers goals, while he has collected two assists.
“Consistency to some people that watch the game, they see points and that’s what they think of as a consistent player,” Hayes said. “I think defensively I’ve been where I want to be, and I want to help out offensively and I think I’ve generated chances.”
It hasn’t always been the smoothest relationship between Hayes and coach Alain Vigneault, so infamously coming to a head when he was made a healthy scratch for two straight games in the middle of the 2015-16 season. But coming into this season, Hayes knew he needed to dedicate himself to the defensive side of the ice if he wanted to stick around in the league for a long time.
“I think Kevin has been working extremely hard at both ends of the rink,” Vigneault said Friday. “His line, I’ve sent on a lot for defensive-zone face-offs, especially on the left side. I think for the most part, he’s done well.
“I’d like him to shoot the puck a little more now and then. That would be a positive. We’re giving him that feedback. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s trying real hard right now.”
Hayes also had been one of the worst face-off centers in the league, with a 36.27 percent success rate in his rookie year of 2014-15, and 35.96 last year. But he raised it to 45.66 during this regular season, and was drawing at a 52.0-percent success rate in the playoffs.
“I’m usually on the left-hand side, it’s a lot easier to win face-offs when you’re on your backhand,” Hayes said. “So I think usually if it’s a ‘D’ zone on the left side, it’s definitely something I pride myself on and I look forward to every series.”
Of course the Rangers still want more from Hayes, and they think very highly of his potential. But he is focused on both ends of the rink.
“Everyone has an opinion,” Hayes said. “I’m happy with where my game is.”