So there was Alexis Lafreniere punching home the winner of the overtime game and there was Igor Shesterkin recording a significant save after another.
What are the first six games?
Man, did the Rangers need this one? Man, the Rangers won that 3-2 over the Buffalo Sabers on Thursday to end the four-game losing streak and return to the field for Saturday’s first of two against the Penguins 2-4-1.
The fact that it was the combination of Lafreniere and Shesterkin at the top of the charts made this perhaps a little sweeter, although the club also received prime time performances from Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich and a secondary cast who never let go and never took their collective eye out of the task they were carrying out.
Of course, however, the plugs appeared primarily for Lafreniere, who spent six games and another 62:47 of his seventh before recording both his first NHL goal and his first NHL point of beating Linus. Ullmark with a snapper on the left. two-to-one food by Colin Blackwell.
This ended the night with the first overall classification of Ping Pong Ball Kid, which had previously been denied by Ullmark on several glorious occasions, including one from the left door in the first minute of the third period with the Blueshirts with a 2- lead. 1. Lafreniere had four shots on five attempts at 3pm from a convincing job mainly on a remodeled 1A line with Zibanejad and Buchnevich.
“He had a lot of good opportunities and he was going to move on and he was going to come in safely,” Lafreniere said as he wore the Broadway hat that looked older than the 19-year-old himself. “I kept going, kept grinding and had a good time with Blackie about what was kind of an open network.
“It simply came to our notice then [a weight off my shoulders]. I watched the record come in and all the guys jumping on the ice. It was a very special moment. “
Lafreniere may have been held off the board for his first six games, but he was engaged and was on the disc while, like one of the thousands, moving from line to line. His work ethic and commitment were undeniable. Like his popularity among his teammates.
And, of course, so was his skill level. Obviously, it was only a matter of time for the Saint-Eustache boy, and the time was 2:47 of the January 28, 2021 overtime in Buffalo.
“Obviously, everyone talks about his world-class talent, but this guy is a cheeky kid, he really is,” David Quinn said. “I don’t care if it’s the first or the 271st, it’s a child with balls, a child you want to be.
“He’s had a lot of fun with the fact that he’s been a snake. He probably should have scored four goals tonight, but because he didn’t get the first one at that time, in this situation and in those circumstances, I couldn’t be happier for him. “His game was getting closer, he played better every night, so it’s great to see that.”
The Rangers played with passion and commitment in owning this game for 60 minutes everywhere except on the scoreboard. They were fast on the disc, controlled the game in turns at a lower time than the hash marks and were attentive in their work without the disc in the neutral and defensive zones. They maintained a 24-9 lead on shots in two periods that fully reflected the game.
But after advancing 1-0 in the first, the Sabers tied. And after getting a 2-1 lead in the third, the Sabers tied again in a force play at 4:47. Over the last four games, the Rangers have gained a two-goal lead and, with that, a six-goal lead. They stood firm in this after Buffalo linked him to Shesterkin’s work, an important reason.
In fact, the 25-year-old Russian, who had been quite average in his first three starts, set the tone with a great save from Victor Olofsson’s strip just two minutes from the contest. This was crucial for both a goalkeeper and a team with hesitant confidence.
“I did my best and I had to win for the team,” Shesterkin said through a translator. “The team played very hard and as a goalkeeper I wanted to support the team and do a great job on the net.”
Support flowed from the nets outward through defense to the front and back. But the night was reserved for the departure of Lafreniere’s party. He waited seven games after waiting three more months for his selection, the pandemic denied him the opportunity to take to the Montreal stage as a first-place finisher.
“If anyone is equipped to handle it …,” Quinn said. “He never let anything bother him or shake him. He only talks about his mental toughness and perseverance as a human being.
“Obviously, he has a lot of talent, but there is much more. He has these characteristics and if anyone can stand these circumstances, it is him. “