NEW YORK -- Josh Archibald's contributions this season often aren't the type to show up on the scoresheet.
He hits significantly more than any other forward on the roster -- his rate of 19.43 hits per 60 minutes of ice time is nearly double the rate of the next-closest teammate. He has the second-highest rate of penalties drawn among all Penguins this season with 2.01 per 60 minutes, trailing only Mark Friedman. Among forwards who have been with the Penguins all season, he has the third-highest rate of blocked shots at 2.25 per 60 minutes.
Archibald had just 11:01 of ice time in the Penguins' 6-0 loss here in New York on Saturday, and he made the most of it with one drawn penalty, two hits and a blocked shot. While Archibald's contributions in those areas are sometimes easy to overlook, there was no missing the way he put his body on the line in the first period.
It was early in the game, and the Rangers were up just 1-0 at the time. Rangers defenseman Adam Fox took a blast of a shot from the blue line that Archibald got in front of and blocked. It caught him higher up on the leg, just above the knee where there isn't much protection:
Archibald immediately dropped to the ice, then pulled himself to his feet. It was obvious he was in pain. He could barely move, but stayed on the ice for another 15 or so seconds and did his best to defend the Penguins' end until there was an opportunity to safely hop his way over to the Penguins' bench.
The way Madison Square Garden is set up, players can't go to the locker room during play like they can at PPG Paints Arena. There isn't a tunnel connecting the bench to the locker rooms -- players get to the locker rooms through a door in the corner of the boards off the ice, opposite the Zamboni entrance. If a player needs to go to the locker room and it isn't urgent, he needs to wait for a stoppage in play.
I was sure watching Archibald that he would be heading for the locker room at the first opportunity, but when the next stoppage came and there was a TV timeout, he didn't get up from his spot on the bench. He just sat there hunched over, catching his breath and speaking with an athletic trainer.
It was just a small moment in the context of the whole game, and easy to overlook given the outcome. Someone who definitely noticed Archibald's effort at the time was his goaltender Tristan Jarry. During that TV timeout Jarry skated over to the far-side of the bench where Archibald was still hunched over, and gave him a few pats of appreciation. He was thankful for the way Archibald put his body on the line to make his life a little easier.