Rangers need to see more from Lias Andersson

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Hey! Hey! Hey, Hey, Hey! During Monday’s match up against the Ottawa Senators, Lias Andersson scored his first goal of the season by deflection at 3:26 in the third period with an assist from Ryan Strome. Since Lias found the net on Monday night, the question floating around is if he’s going to be a consistent scorer now that the first goal is no longer a stressor.

So far this season, Lias has been trying to find his footing by advancing to the net on more than one occasion, however, he has been experiencing frustration from not being able to score prior to Monday night’s game. Andersson has encountered less playing time than he may have expected when he got called up, making him feel uneasy with on the bench. Under the coaching of David Quinn, Lias Andersson has been able to adapt to a new coaching direction, understand the honor of touching the ice on game days, and how much his performance influences if he’ll be sitting in the press box when game day arrives.

In case you missed it, here is a highlight of Andersson’s first goal this season.

Andersson’s Current Standing

In his last five appearances, Andersson has seen an average of 9:02 of time on ice. Monday night’s game is one of several that Andersson garnered low TOI this season, where he saw just 8:30 to make plays. The short amount of time on ice has proved to push for Andersson to capitalize on his opportunities as he seeks out the net when taking his next shift.

Currently, Andersson has a lot to prove when it comes to his skills and abilities in comparison to teammate, Filip Chytil. The two youngsters were both drafted in the first round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, which makes the hunger to prove themselves substantially greater than the current vets on the roster, as well as each other. There is room for improvement in Andersson’s game and he is starting to become more confident in his position on the ice.

Was the Pressure Lessened?

Following the victory against the Senators, Andersson was asked by John Giannone if scoring his first goal of the season had lessened any pressure he may have felt. Andersson indicated that he simply tries to play his game every night and continues to work hard along his line mates. He emphasized that there’s an importance to the minutes played and desires to keep working. Andersson made it known in the interview that the time he has on the ice is crucial to his own self-development and making the fourth line more competitive.

Andersson is a player who seeks perfection in his craft, and therefore, when he can capitalize on opportunities it’ll satisfy his hunger for the time being until the next opportunity comes by. Given that Andersson is an extremely competitive person, it is best to anticipate that his hunger to score goals and reach personal achievements has been awakened for the rest of the season. Keep your eyes peeled for Andersson.

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