So there was Alexis Lafreniere who won the overtime match and there was Igor Shesterkin who scored one important save after another.
Which first six matches?
Man, did the Rangers need this one? Man, the Rangers earned 3-2 over the Sabers in Buffalo on Thursday, defeating their losing streak of four games and returning to the Garden for Saturday’s first of two against the Penguins at 2-4-1.
It was the combination of Lafreniere and Shesterkin at the top of the hit parade that might have made it a little sweeter. Although the club also received prime-time performances from the premature Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich and a supportive cast that never let go and never took his collective eye off the task.
Of course, the corks were mainly for Lafreniere, who went through six games and still 62:47 of his seventh before scoring both his first NHL goal and the first NHL point by Linus Ullmark with a left-handed snapper from a handy point to beat. two-to-one feed by Colin Blackwell.
It ended the evening for the first overall Ping Pong Ball Kid, previously denied by Ullmark on several amazing occasions, including one from the left side of the threshold in the first minute of the third period with the Blueshirts leading 2-1 lead. Lafreniere had four shots on 15 attempts at convincing work in 15:00, mainly on a refurbished 1A Line with Zibanejad and Buchnevich.
“I had a lot of good chances and I would just keep going and it’s definitely going to go in,” Lafreniere said as he wore the Broadway chapel that looked older than the 19-year-old himself. ‘I kept going, kept grinding and a nice pass by Blackie on an open net.
‘It is definitely [a weight off my shoulders]. I saw the puck go in and all the boys who jumped on the ice. It was a very special moment. ”
Lafreniere may have kept his first six games off the board, but he was engaged and on the bag as he, as one of the thousands of players, moved from line to line. His work ethic and dedication were unmistakable. So was his popularity among his teammates.
And of course, it was also his skill level. It was, of course, just a matter of time before the son of Saint-Eustache, and the time was 2:47 of overtime on January 28, 2021 in Buffalo.
“Of course everyone is talking about his world-class talent, but this guy is a ball-like kid, he really is,” David Quinn said. “I do not care if he is the first choice or the 271st choice, he is a ball-like child, a child you want to be with.
‘He had a lot of fun with the fact that he was a snake, he probably should have had four goals tonight, but for him to get his first at the moment, in that situation and under such circumstances, I could not have been happier do not be for him. His game was coming, he played better and better every night, so it’s great to see it. ”
The Rangers played with passion and dedication in possession of this game for 60 minutes everywhere except on the scoreboard. They were quick on the pocket, controlled shifts at once under the gate marks and were attentive in their work without the disc in the neutral and defensive zones. They had a 24-9 lead in shots through two periods that completely reflected the game.
But after leading 1-0 in the first place, the Sabers leveled it. And after taking a 2-1 lead in third place, the Sabers tied it again at a power play at 4:47. Over their last four games, the Rangers have scored one two-goal lead and six goals with one goal. They got stuck in this one after Buffalo linked it to Shesterkin’s work, an important reason.
Indeed, the 25-year-old Russian, who was fairly average in his first three starting goals, set the tone with a huge saving from the lock on Victor Olofsson, just two minutes into the game. It was critical for a goalkeeper and a team with shaky confidence.
“I tried my best and it was a saving I had to make for the team,” Shesterkin said via a translator. “The team played very hard and as a goalkeeper I wanted to support the team and do an excellent job in the net.”
Support flowed from nets through the defense to the forwards and back again. But the evening was reserved for Lafreniere’s outing party. He is waiting seven games after waiting another three months to be drafted, and the pandemic denied him the opportunity to clinch the stage in Montreal as the first overall stage.
“If anyone’s equipped to handle it …” Quinn said. “He never let anything bother or rattle it. It only speaks to his mental toughness and perseverance as a human being.
‘Of course he has a lot of talent, but there’s so much more in it. He has those qualities and if anyone can handle these circumstances, it’s him. ‘