Although he has had some good moments on an individual level in recent weeks, forward Alexis Lafrenière believes he has much more to offer the New York Rangers.
After being held in check in his two previous appearances, the Quebecer bounced back strongly to score the only goal in a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. Deployed on the right wing of the second trio completed by Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, he made up for his poor performance on Monday by finishing a match against the Dallas Stars with a -3 deficit.
• Also read: What happens now to the Oilers?
• Also read: Bruins send message to Panthers
However, No. 13 wants more consistency in his game to contribute to the success of the Blueshirts, who are leading the Metropolitan Section of the National Hockey League with 27 points.
“It’s very good, but I think I’ll play better and push myself for a more complete game,” the man who beat goalkeeper Tristan Jarry in the first period told reporters. If you work during training and meetings, I believe that everything will go very well afterwards.
While the confidence of Lafrenière, who scored eight goals and four assists for 12 points in 17 games, is increasing, that of his teammates is at its peak. This is bad news for head coach Peter Laviolette’s men’s rival.
“In my opinion, we’re doing whatever it takes to win right now,” defender Ryan Lindgren told the New York Post newspaper. Guys dive to block enemy shots. And we can’t say enough about Quickie [Jonathan Quick, qui a réalisé son 60e blanchissage en carrière]. He made some incredible saves. The players do everything they can to keep the puck away from the goal and that says a lot about our team.”
Violence abroad
The New York club’s success so far has been largely due to its ability to excel in hostile terrain. He achieved a total of eight road wins, the most in the league, tied with the Los Angeles Kings. For his part, Lafrenière performed well in games away from Madison Square Garden, scoring five goals in eleven games. He shot 26 times and averaged 16:45 a night.
The Rangers will visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday afternoon.