Alexis Lafrenière looks like a first line winger as New York Rangers beat Flyers 4-1
Hold off the elimination ceremony just a bit longer for the New York Rangers. After losing two straight, 19 year-old rookie Alexis Lafrenière picked up two points to lead the Blueshirts to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Alexis Lafrenière picks up first points on new top line
For the first overall pick of the 2020 NHL draft he now has 16 points on the season and his first points on the Rangers new top line with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich. First he helped set up Pavel Buchnevich’s tally with excellent board work. Then he showed first overall patience and hands to score from behind the net. It was also only the second multi-point game of his young career. When it was all over, Lafrenière was optimistic for his line’s future together.
“I’m just trying to learn everyday, at practice, every game – I’m trying to get better,” he explained about his approach to his new assignment. “It’s fun for me to play with Mika and Buch, two great players. Like I said, I just got to learn from them a little bit and get better every day.”
The Blueshirts stayed out of the box last night which allowed Lafrenière to see 17:49 of ice time, his third highest total this season. That also came with :58 of power play time, something we should see more of going forward. It may have taken longer than some may have wanted, but Alexis’ Lafrenière as a first line winger is off to a good start.
Alexandar Georgiev stellar, Artemi Panarin picks up two more points, and more notes
It would not surprise me one bit if we see a little more Alexandar Georgiev down the final stretch. Especially with two games remaining against the Islanders, a team he dominates. Yesterday, Georgiev stood tall and made some incredible saves finishing with 26 stops. His best sequence came in the third period when he made a big pad save and then a backdoor glove swipe of the puck as it was crossing the line. The referee stopped played because he thought it was in only to learn via replay it wasn’t.
Meanwhile, Artemi Panarin picked up two more assists and now has a staggering 55 points in 37 games. Adam Fox also had an assist an leads all defenseman in scoring with 43 points. Finally, both Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich hit the 20 goal mark on the season.
As for young defenseman Zac Jones, David Quinn rotated him in more frequently and he finished with 13:42 of ice time. The Blueshirts discipline helped in that department as he saw shifts with Ryan Lindgren often.
Latest NHL Rumors
Catch the latest rumors buzz here.
More About:New York Rangers Games New York Rangers Features