The twin absences of Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil over the last five games at first merely served to expose the Rangers’ lack of top-six-type depth. But lately it has created an opportunity for Alexis Lafreniere to get consistent ice time with big dogs Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
More than that, Lafreniere’s response means that president and general manager Chris Drury can bide his time approaching the March 21 trade deadline in his quest to strengthen the top six, which thereby would also strengthen the bottom of the order. There is no need for panic in the front office.
The Rangers recorded one of their most notable victories in this impressive prebreak portion of the season by defeating the ferocious Panthers from Florida — Puddy Tats no more — 5-2 at the Garden on Tuesday night to go into their two-week recess with a staggering 30-13-4 record.
There was a blend of finesse and power as the Blueshirts both strutted their skill and more than stood their ground in this match between upper-echelon clubs that grew feistier and testier from start to finish. The Rangers stood up for themselves and for one another. They refused to be pushed around. On the ice and on the scoreboard, the Rangers got push-back.
They trailed 2-1 early in the second period following an opening period in which the Panthers swept out of their own end, through the neutral zone and into the Rangers’ end as they pleased, while the Blueshirts’ offense was none-and-done without any down low game or containment.
But the Rangers tied it 2-2 at 3:27 of the second when Lafreniere sniffed around in front, took a feed from Kreider and beat Spencer Knight on a whirling backhand for his second goal in two games and 10th of the season. Kreider got the first of his two power-play goals before the period ended and the Blueshirts were on their way.
And perhaps Lafreniere also is on his way as a top-six staple after a passel of false starts his first year-plus. This was his third straight game up top with Kreider and Zibanejad. The Rangers expect Kakko (unidentified upper-body injury) to be ready when the season resumes on Feb. 15 with a Garden match against the Bruins, so it is certainly possible that both of the Pingpong Ball Twins could be in the top six for that one. That, you will recall, is the way the club had envisioned it when camp began.
“I see him learning and coming to understand the kind of player he needs to be in order to be effective at the NHL level,” said Kreider, who leads the league with 33 goals. “He’s got unbelievable vision, great hands, hockey IQ, I don’t think he’s confident enough in his shot — he’s got a great shot. He’s a very strong skater in terms of his edges and I think he’s only going to get faster.
“I think the sky is the limit for him. He’s a young kid learning who he is as a hockey player. It’s so cool seeing him improve week-by-week and day-by-day.”
All of Lafreniere’s goals have come at five-on-five. Only 30 players have scored as many as 10 goals at five-on-five. Beyond that, Lafreniere left the ice ranked 31st in the NHL with 1.13 five-on-five goals per 60:00 among players with at least 500 minutes. There are 32 teams in the league. Mathematically, he fits into top-six category.
There is, of course, more to the game than that. Drury may indeed opt to acquire a more physical, harder-edged and more experienced winger to fill out the Zibanejad line so the Rangers will be more prepared for the playoff grind. But the Rangers can afford to allow Lafreniere to grow in this role. They have time before they strike. And perhaps Lafreniere will keep that assignment and refuse to yield it.
“Definitely he’s getting more confidence,” said head coach Gerard Gallant, the man who devises the line combinations and doles out the minutes. “Again, I talked to him on the bench tonight, there were a couple of shifts he was just too casual on the puck in the neutral zone.
“But most parts of his game are getting real good. He’s playing good defensive hockey, he’s confident in the offensive zone with the puck. He’s just got to be strong on the puck in the neutral zone because that’s what we talk about with young players. They turn it over and it’s going the other way. He can’t do that against a great team like that. But he’s playing good and he’s working hard.
“I’m happy with the way he’s going.”
The twin absences of Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil over the last five games at first merely served to expose the Rangers’ lack of top-six-type depth. But lately it has created an opportunity for Alexis Lafreniere to get consistent ice time with big dogs Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. More than that, Lafreniere’s response means that president and general manager Chris Drury can bide his time approaching the March 21 trade deadline in his quest to strengthen the top six, which thereby would also strengthen the bottom of the order. There is no need for panic in the front office. The Rangers recorded one of their most notable victories in this impressive prebreak portion of the season by defeating the ferocious Panthers from Florida — Puddy Tats no more — 5-2 at the Garden on Tuesday night to go into their two-week recess with a staggering 30-13-4 record. There was a blend of finesse and power as the Blueshirts both strutted their skill and more than stood their ground in this match between upper-echelon clubs that grew feistier and testier from start to finish. The Rangers stood up for themselves and for one another. They refused to be pushed around. On the ice and on the scoreboard, the Rangers got push-back. They trailed 2-1 early in the second period following an opening period in which the Panthers swept out of their own end, through the neutral zone and into the Rangers’ end as they pleased, while the Blueshirts’ offense was none-and-done without any down low game or containment. Alex Lafreniere celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the Rangers’ 5-2 win over the Panthers.NHLI via Getty Images But the Rangers tied it 2-2 at 3:27 of the second when Lafreniere sniffed around in front, took a feed from Kreider and beat Spencer Knight on a whirling backhand for his second goal in two games and 10th of the season. Kreider got the first of his two power-play goals before the period ended and the Blueshirts were on their way. And perhaps Lafreniere also is on his way as a top-six staple after a passel of false starts his first year-plus. This was his third straight game up top with Kreider and Zibanejad. The Rangers expect Kakko (unidentified upper-body injury) to be ready when the season resumes on Feb. 15 with a Garden match against the Bruins, so it is certainly possible that both of the Pingpong Ball Twins could be in the top six for that one. That, you will recall, is the way the club had envisioned it when camp began. “I see him learning and coming to understand the kind of player he needs to be in order to be effective at the NHL level,” said Kreider, who leads the league with 33 goals. “He’s got unbelievable vision, great hands, hockey IQ, I don’t think he’s confident enough in his shot — he’s got a great shot. He’s a very strong skater in terms of his edges and I think he’s only going to get faster. “I think the sky is the limit for him. He’s a young kid learning who he is as a hockey player. It’s so cool seeing him improve week-by-week and day-by-day.” All of Lafreniere’s goals have come at five-on-five. Only 30 players have scored as many as 10 goals at five-on-five. Beyond that, Lafreniere left the ice ranked 31st in the NHL with 1.13 five-on-five goals per 60:00 among players with at least 500 minutes. There are 32 teams in the league. Mathematically, he fits into top-six category. There is, of course, more to the game than that. Drury may indeed opt to acquire a more physical, harder-edged and more experienced winger to fill out the Zibanejad line so the Rangers will be more prepared for the playoff grind. But the Rangers can afford to allow Lafreniere to grow in this role. They have time before they strike. And perhaps Lafreniere will keep that assignment and refuse to yield it. “Definitely he’s getting more confidence,” said head coach Gerard Gallant, the man who devises the line combinations and doles out the minutes. “Again, I talked to him on the bench tonight, there were a couple of shifts he was just too casual on the puck in the neutral zone. “But most parts of his game are getting real good. He’s playing good defensive hockey, he’s confident in the offensive zone with the puck. He’s just got to be strong on the puck in the neutral zone because that’s what we talk about with young players. They turn it over and it’s going the other way. He can’t do that against a great team like that. But he’s playing good and he’s working hard. “I’m happy with the way he’s going.”