Thanks to a great Alexis Lafrenière, the New York Rangers overcame a deficit to win a shootout against the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.
It is the top pick in the 2020 draft class who tied the score at 3-3 with 11 seconds left in the third period (Watch the video above). Lafrenière used a pass from teammate Chris Kreider to put the puck into the net. It was his second goal of the game, which gave his team a temporary lead in the second period.
As a sign of his great confidence, the Quebecer scored the winning goal in the penalty shootout thanks to an excellent backhand shot that left Elvis Merzlikins no chance.
The 22-year-old striker has scored seven goals and four assists in 14 games since the start of the season.
Chris Kreider was the other scorer for the Rangers (11-2-1), while Adam Fantilli, Justin Danforth and Sean Kuraly provided the response for the Blue Jackets (4-7-4).
Johnny Gaudreau, who missed several games, failed to get his name on the scoresheet for the fifth time in seven games. Since this unfortunate streak began, he has only managed one goal and one assist.
The Rangers will face the New Jersey Devils next Saturday. Pascal Vincent’s men will face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.