Rangers rookies Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller got their first taste of the NHL – and it was sour.
Igor Shesterkin, who is technically a rookie despite the regular 12-game rule he had last season, would probably say the same as his first opening night, as he allowed four goals in the Rangers’ loss to the Islanders on Madison Square. Garden Thursday.
But head coach David Quinn has said he wants his young players to learn from losses like this, it may come much sooner than he thought.
“It’s a great learning session for a young player to play against such a team,” Quinn said during a Zoom call after a 4-0 loss. ‘[The Islanders] personify what a professional person is at this level. It’s not so much about making a great play, it’s playing smart hockey and sometimes you come off a shift and nothing happens, it’s a good move.
“Unfortunately, now, after one night, we are not the way we want to approach it, but I think it was a great lesson for the young guys.”
Miller, who made his NHL debut on the second defensive pair with Jacob Trouba, scored one shot in just under 14 minutes of ice time. He had a turnover early in the second period that left Shesterkin out when Island captain Anders Lee converted Anders Lee into a two-on-one rush for a 2-0 score.
“It’s clear that the National Hockey League is a tough league to win,” Miller said. ‘So I just think this first game is a good example that every game is going to be a battle. You have to play the full 60 minutes and hopefully get to the other side. ‘
Lafreniere had a similar performance as Miller, with one shot on goal in about 15 ½ minutes of ice time, mainly on the third line with Filip Chytil and Julin Gauthier. In a game where rookie errors occurred throughout the series, Lafreniere was no exception when he played a kick towards the end of the first period, asking the Rangers to put too many men on the ice penalty.
The first overall pick in 2020 committed his second penalty of the evening when he was asked for a hook at 14:13 of the second period, which led to a power play goal from Jordan Eberle about 50 seconds later.
“For sure a lot of nerves,” Lafreniere said. ‘After a few shifts, [I] feeling better. Try to work as hard as possible, of course difficult first game. But we will get better and we will work on our game and try to jump back on Saturday. ”
The Rangers were 0-for-3 on the power play, but their eight penalties allowed the Islanders to record two power plays.