Tag: alexis lafreniere

Rangers dominant win validates Kids ‘belong on the ice’

This is what it often looks like when a Peewee AA team from Westchester somehow winds up in the same tournament bracket as a AAA team from Massachusetts.

Carnage on Ice.

So it was at the Garden on Sunday when Rangers-Predators immediately devolved into the kind of mismatch that might have given Barry Trotz pause about accepting the invitation to replace David Poile as Nashville’s general manager as he watched from a press box suite.

The Rangers took six shots between 2:37 and 13:36 of the first period. They all went in, starting netminder Kevin Lankinen allowing four goals before long-man Juuse Saros failed to stop the first two shots he faced.

In the newspaper business, “30” symbolizes the end of a story. In the hockey business on Broadway, “6” sufficed.

“It was not in our heads to get to double digits or anything like that,” Mika Zibanejad said after the 7-0 victory that extended the club’s shutout streak to 150:51 and its winning streak to four. “It’s a tough situation, I’m not sure anyone has a really good answer on how it feels to play a game like this, but I think the focus is to maintain good habits and not get lazy.


Filip Chytil of the Rangers moves the puck down ice during the third period against the Predators on Sunday.
Robert Sabo for NY Post

“You might try something a little bit different if you want to work on something, but you want to continue to play the right way so you can bring that into the next game.”

The Predators, on their way to a playoff miss, were decimated by injury. Ryan McDonagh and Roman Josi were sidelined on the back end. Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen were among the missing up front. At least Trotz was able to get an up-close-and-personal look at a number of kids in the system.

In addition to the victory, which gave the Rangers an 8-2-1 record in their last 11 games, there was actually tangible reward in this one. It was not just an exercise in running it out. Indeed, to hear Filip Chytil tell it, this one was a significant one for him and linemates Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko to reaffirm their value to this loaded lineup.

“Our top-six has top-top players, so our ice time as a line has gone down the last number of games,” No. 72 told The Post. “This game, with the score, we just rolled our lines so that gave us more time.

“That’s very huge for our confidence and our calmness with the puck.”

Chytil opened the goal-scoring parade by splitting the defense before flicking a forehand past Lankinen at 2:37, 15 seconds after the netminder would make his only save of the night against Braden Schneider. The goal not only ignited a deluge, but it was the first in 19 games for Chytil, who hadn’t scored since Feb. 8.

“I have been staying on and working after almost all the practices,” Chytil said. “This is a confidence boost.”

The Kids’ ice time has taken a hit with the addition of Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane to the top-six and the subsequent construction of the Jimmy Vesey-Barclay Goodrow-Tyler Motte fourth line that has a spot in head coach Gerard Gallant’s rotation.

But in this one, Chytil was on for 15:16, Lafreniere — who has not scored in his last six games — for 14:40 and Kakko — 0 for his last 11 — for 14:10. That included a power-play spin as a unit. The lads did not score again, but they made the most of their opportunity by impressing Gallant.


Rangers right wing Kaapo Kakko (24) skates with the puck against Nashville Predators on Sunday.
AP

“They deserved it tonight,” the head coach said. “I like to see them take it. It’s not about me giving it to them, it’s about them taking it.

“They really played [well]. It was their best game in a while.”Gallant’s words should be music to Chytil’s ears. For the 23-year-old center had said just about the same thing from a player’s perspective just a few minutes earlier. The Kids aren’t looking for a handout.

“You have to understand, of course, the kind of players we brought in. They are here to help us win the Cup,” said Chytil, who had scored 11 goals in the 13 games immediately preceding the extended drought. “But we want to show that we belong on the ice. We want to prove that we can contribute to the team.

“We want to keep working as hard as we did before when we had a little more time. We want to help the team win. We want to show we deserve to be on the ice.

“That gives us motivation to earn ice time.”

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Patrick Kane scores 1st goal as Ranger in win over Canadiens

MONTREAL — The hope was that a full lineup would provide a clearer visual of what the Rangers really look like with their newest addition, Patrick Kane, but it only revealed just how much work they still have to do as a team.

Facing a Canadiens team that is in last place in the Atlantic Division and well out of the playoff picture, the Rangers barely escaped with two points after Mika Zibanejad was the lone goal scorer in the shootout, which secured a 4-3 win Thursday night at Bell Centre.

The list of excuses has quickly dwindled for the Rangers.

Sure, they’re still without Ryan Lindgren, whose absence proves time and time again that the Rangers are not the same team without him.

And Tyler Motte is still unavailable with an apparent head injury, leaving the fourth line without one of its speediest and peskiest members.

They were also away from game action for four days, so that could’ve played into some of their lapses, too.


Mika Zibanejad scores the game-winning shootout goal to give the Rangers a 4-3 win over the Canadiens.
AP

Patrick Kane accepts congratulations after scoring his first goal as a Ranger in their 4-3 shootout win over the Canadiens.
USA TODAY Sports

Between their poor transition game, their looseness in the defensive zone and Igor Shesterkin’s lingering inability to come up with that clutch save, however, the Rangers have a number of areas to focus on for which Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko cannot act as a Band-Aid.

Shesterkin, who finished with 23 saves, did make the last big stop in the shootout, however, to help secure the victory.

Still, this matchup with the Canadiens was a competitive one.

Overlooking the fact that Montreal is without a few of its top players, the Rangers were able to answer each Habs goal with one of their own through the first two periods.

The Canadiens took a 2-1 lead into the second period, but Jacob Trouba scored 48 seconds into the middle frame after the Rangers captain was allowed to skate into the right faceoff circle uncontested and wrist the puck past Montreal’s netminder Sam Montembeault.


Alexis Lafrenierre scores a first-period goal on Sam Montembeault as Mike Matheson defends during the Rangers’ victory.
AP

Momentum should’ve swung further in the Rangers favor when Rem Pitlick was called for delay of game later in the period.

Instead, Kane mishandled the puck on the power play and sent the Habs the other way before Josh Anderson buried a shorthanded breakaway goal.

The newest Ranger, however, made up for it just over a minute later.

Sniping the puck from the top of the left faceoff circle, Kane knotted the game at three-all and subsequently let out an emphatic fist pump.


Josh Anderson scores a goal on Igor Shesterkin during the Rangers’ win.
AP

Kane had an eventful third game with the Blueshirts, recording an assist on Trouba’s 2-2 score in addition to his own goal.

He also took a slashing penalty late in the final frame that could’ve been detrimental.

The Rangers may have had a full complement of 18 skaters for the first time since Feb. 25, but it didn’t make the immediate impact on their overall play the way it was supposed to.

Even with K’Andre Miller back on defense, after the 23-year-old blueliner was suspended for three games, the Rangers defensive structure was full of holes and backdoor opportunities — as it has been the last couple weeks.

That much was evident right off the bat.

The Canadiens scored 35 seconds into the game when player after player cycled through the Rangers zone before Kaiden Guhle batted the puck past Shesterkin.

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Rangers must avoid Alexis Lafreniere becoming a failure

SUNRISE, Fla. — Regarding the Rangers, who open 2023 here Sunday night against the Panthers.

In other words, regarding Alexis Lafreniere.

1. The latest L’Affaire Lafreniere does not look good on anybody: not the Rangers organization, not the coaching staff and not the player. That is no small issue.

It is incumbent upon president and general manager Chris Drury to put the full weight of the organization into working with Lafreniere and his camp to determine why it reached the point that on Thursday at Tampa Bay, the 2020 first-overall pick needed to be jolted by being made a healthy scratch.

The burden of proof is on everyone, but the Rangers do go back administration after administration culpable of either mishandling or misidentifying prospects. The organization is famous for eating its young, so it is not a particular reach to wonder how much of Lafreniere’s one-step-forward, two-steps-back dance this season is on the team.

Progress in fulfilling the potential of Lafreniere, Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov and, soon enough, Brennan Othmann — all first-rounders — is paramount to the success of the franchise.

Lafreniere, who is a pending restricted free agent in need of a second contract, is represented by Momentum Hockey’s Olivier Fortier, who replaced Emilie Castonguay when she left the agency last season to become assistant GM of the Canucks. He does not have a particular public profile — Lafreniere is his most well-known client — but it is certainly in everyone’s mutual interest for the Rangers to have a good working relationship with Lafreniere’s camp.

New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) skates with the puck
Alexis Lafreniere’s healthy scratch represents a serious challenge for the player and the organization.
Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Photo

2. If the Rangers somehow could have known that not only would they be in the 2020 lottery, but also would win it and thus claim left wing Lafreniere, yes, it is possible they might not have extended Chris Kreider just ahead of the deadline and, in fact, traded him rather than Brady Skjei. It’s possible that the tandem of president John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton might have done that. But that is moot.

All offseason following the lottery, the question was whether the Rangers would stack their left wings in Kreider, Lafreniere and Panarin. It seemed that switching the 18-year-old would make more sense than asking NHL veterans to move to their off-side, but perhaps that assumption did not allow for the fact that the pandemic prevented Lafreniere from playing competitive hockey for nearly a full year and that No. 13’s rookie season was not preceded by a traditional training camp from which he surely would have benefited.

It is still kind of a mystery whether Lafreniere can comfortably make the switch to the right after half-measures to shift him haven’t quite taken hold. I’m not sure why this has been such a mysterious process. He insists he is comfortable but then it is suggested that he’s really more comfortable on the left side of the Kid Line.

Oh, by the way: What do the Rangers intend to do when Othmann — a left wing — is ready for Broadway?

Lafreniere, the top pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, could benefit from the change Gerard Gallant refuses to make.
Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Photo

3. Yes, this is true: a career 36-33 in 171 games that includes 36-30 at even-strength and 0-3 on the power play.

And here is what I do not understand, and this directly has a dramatic impact on Lafreniere:

When lines struggle at five-on-five, coach Gerard Gallant will not hesitate to change them. A couple of bad periods is often enough to create an upheaval.

Want to catch a game? The Rangers schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.

But when the first power-play unit struggles for games at a time, the coach not only will not change the personnel, but also would consider it blasphemy to break up the four-righty unit even under the current 1-for-16 quagmire in which they are stuck. I know — missed open nets and posts.

That is where the team and Lafreniere could benefit if Gallant would make that kind of move and elevate an athlete who is supposed to possess great vision and creativity into a spot where he may be able to show his stuff. Lafreniere should be an effective puck retriever, too.

4. I cannot imagine what equal value in a trade for Lafreniere would possibly resemble. Dealing Lafreniere and having him flourish somewhere else would represent the ultimate organizational nightmare.

Who would they be able to get, a first-rounder who may or may not ever play? Another project who plays a different position? Where is the GM who will deal a known, young, cap-controllable center or defenseman for Lafreniere … if, again, the Rangers would ever even consider making that move?

If you’re bringing in a center, you’ve decided to move on from Chytil, isn’t that correct? Unless, that is, that you’re going to ask Vincent Trocheck to waive his no-move clause one season into a seven-year agreement?

Do you think Drury wants to risk a trade that becomes Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi?

5. It is time to get Lafreniere back in on Sunday.

The remade lines worked against the Lightning on Thursday to the degree the Rangers produced 46 shots and double-digits of glorious chances, but still scored just once in the 2-1 shootout defeat.

There is no reason to break up the Kravtsov-Chytil-Julien Gauthier third line that played dynamic hockey against the Lightning. Kreider, Zibanejad and Kakko are remaining intact.

Lafreniere should slide in on the right (Is he comfortable on the right?) with Panarin and Trocheck reforming the unit that was together for 12 games in the early weeks while Barclay Goodrow shifts into the middle of the fourth line between Sammy Blais and Jimmy Vesey while Jonny Brodzinski sits.

Brodzinski has been fine in his role, and Gallant had him on late in the third period in place of Kravtsov on Thursday. But in the big picture, and that is surely as important a part of it as the narrower one, playing Brodzinksi ahead of Lafreniere is a little bit nutty.

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Alexis Lafreniere’s struggles aren’t worrying Rangers teammates

Amid a four-game losing streak, the Rangers are preaching calm, and that extends to the performance, or lack thereof, of individual players. Case in point: Alexis Lafreniere.

The former top-overall pick hasn’t scored a point since the Rangers last won. They need production from him on the right side of the second line with Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin. That trio, in 89:16 together per Natural Stat Trick, has a 60.10 percent Corsi rate, a 50.72 expected goals percentage and is dead even on scoring chances. The only major category in which it is underwater is the most important: goals for, which is as good a stand-in as any for the Rangers right now.

“Good sign if you’re getting good chances,” Lafreniere said before the Rangers jetted off to Dallas for a match Saturday afternoon against the Stars. “They don’t mean much if you don’t score. You just gotta keep going, and I think eventually, we’ll find our way as a team.”

Lafreniere — and for that matter, Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil, his linemates last season on the Kid Line — came into this season with more on their shoulders than ever. Lafreniere was thrust into a top-six role after Vitali Kravtsov flunked his training camp audition, but a successful playoff run would have bred expectations regardless of where in the lineup he ended up.

Moreover, with the Rangers in a cap crunch and having lost a number of forwards who had been integral to their run last season, they needed more from Lafreniere and the rest of the Kids, regardless of expectations.

New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafrenière hasn’t scored a single point since the Blue Jackets last won.
Corey Sipkin

The current second line, which came out with a bang when Lafreniere was first promoted there against the Wild in the second game of this season, has slowed down as all three participants figure out the jigsaw puzzle of how their respective games fit together.

“Just learning to play with different guys, that’s the toughest part,” Lafreniere said. “I think that they’re two really good players. Just trying to know a little bit where their favorite spots on the ice, in the [offensive] zone to get pucks and stuff like that. I think trying to work on getting a good forecheck in.”

That is a matter of patience, which Rangers coach Gerard Gallant is currently practicing.

With the Rangers sitting at 3-3-2 going into  weekend games at the Stars and Coyotes, the panic meter in the room is at zero.

“Individual players, you’re not gonna get 82 great games from them it’s gonna happen,” Gallant said. “I liked our game the last five periods. We keep doing that, we’ll win hockey games; there’s no doubt. Sometimes, the results aren’t there. Keep sticking with it, and you’ll win games. That’s how it works.”

Gallant said he thought the Rangers played well in their 3-0 loss to the Islanders on Wednesday. They outshot the Islanders, 41-29, but couldn’t get the puck by goaltender Ilya Sorokin.

As for Lafreniere?

“It’s like the rest of the team,” Gallant said. “He’s getting his chances. He’d like to finish more, he’d like to put the puck in the back of the net, but again, I’m not gonna point out Laffy over anybody else. He’s played fine.”

Being himself, Trocheck added, is the best way Lafreniere can contribute.

“I don’t want him to change his game,” Trocheck said. “There’s a reason that he’s here. He obviously is a really good hockey player. The way he competes, the way he works, is something that we need on our line. We just want him to go out there and play his game.”

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Dryden Hunt replacing injured Vitali Kravtsov in Rangers’ lineup

Dryden Hunt, who appeared to be veering toward endangered species status approaching cutdown day, will replace the ailing Vitali Kravtsov in the lineup for Thursday’s match in Minnesota.

Hunt, who played up and down last year’s lineup and worked on Artemi Panarin’s right side for 29 games, skated on the fourth line with Ryan Carpenter and Ryan Reaves at Wednesday’s practice after having been scratched from Tuesday’s opener.

Kravtsov, who left the 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay at the 7:01 mark of the first period with an upper-body injury following a hit from Victor Hedman, is not on this two-game trip that includes a match in Winnipeg on Friday.

The Rangers believe Kravtsov is a possibility next week, when the club is home to Anaheim on Monday and San Jose on Thursday, but there is no definitive timeline for the winger’s return.

Though Hunt will make his season debut, Sammy Blais has not yet been cleared for duty after incurring an upper-body injury on a hit from Alexander Romanov in Saturday’s final exhibition game on the Island.

Dryden Hunt will replace the ailing Vitali Kravtsov (inset) in the Rangers’ lineup for their upcoming match against the Wild.
Getty Images (2)

Blais did skate at practice, albeit wearing a gold non-contact jersey, and has accompanied the club on the trip. Theoretically, the winger could be cleared by Friday.

The Rangers thus will maintain a 23-man roster for the immediate future.

Alexis Lafreniere remained on the right with Panarin and Vincent Trocheck while Jimmy Vesey skated on the left with Filip Chytil and Barclay Goodrow.

“I’d been thinking about putting Laffy up there for quite a bit of training camp, so I don’t think this affects anything,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “There’s no concern. When I put Vesey and Goodrow up there with Fil, I thought they played great.”

“I think everybody adjusted real well to losing Kravtsov. I’m not concerned about moving guys around a lot. We did it a lot last year so it doesn’t bother me one bit and I don’t think it bothers the players because I do it a lot.”

Braden Schneider, who made the switch from No. 45 to No. 4 prior to the opener, knows some Rangers history, He knew the number had once belonged to Ron Greschner, knew that it had been worn by Michael Del Zotto, and, “Kevin Lowe wore it, too …”

“I always liked having a low number and 4 was the lowest available,” Schneider said of the switch, with No. 2 having been retired in honor of Brian Leetch and No. 3 retired in the name of Harry Howell. “I wore 4 as a youth hockey player, but I think of NHL defensemen and low numbers.”

(No one mention this to No. 26. Dave Maloney.)

Zac Jones, who has been given the all-clear to move out of a hotel and into a permanent residence, is searching for a spot in Westchester.

“Not the city, not this year,” Jones, who will turn 22 next Tuesday, said while laughing.

Upcoming back-to-back means Jaroslav Halak will get his first start as a Ranger either in Minnesota or Winnipeg.

The Rangers had 39 shots against Tampa Bay — 21 at even-strength; 14 on the power play, that went 1-for-4; and four shorthanded in killing five of six and allowing only a five-on-three against.

The power play applied such sustained pressure that the first unit was on for 5:41 of the club’s 6:12 with the man-advantage.

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Rangers, Lightning come to blows at end of Game 5

Tempers are high as the Eastern Conference Finals head back to Tampa.

At the end of the Lightning’s 3-1 win over the Rangers on Thursday night in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden, the fists began flying.

Bolts captain Steven Stamkos and Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere jawed at one another behind Igor Shesterkin’s net before dropping the gloves.

The pair received fighting majors on the scoresheet for their troubles.

Stamkos and Lafreniere weren’t the only pair to engage in some post-buzzer shenanigans.

Tampa Bay’s Erik Cernak and Rangers defenseman Adam Fox received two minutes apiece for slashing one another, while Blueshirts center Ryan Strome also earned a pair for slashing Cernak.

Steven Stamkos and Alexis Lafreniere went at it after the final buzzer of Game 5.
Getty Images

Losers of three straight, frustrations are boiling over for the Rangers, who must win Saturday’s Game 6 in Tampa to keep their season alive.

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