Rangers: 3 players who stood out in the 4–3 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets

New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) scores the game winning goal in a shootout against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

What a hockey game for the Blueshirts! The New York Rangers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4–3 in a shootout. Winning this game gets the team on a three-game winning streak. Many players impressed, but three players truly stood out from the bunch.

Chris Kreider comes up clutch

Chris Kreider has been one of the best Blueshirts this season. Kreider scored the first goal of the game for the Rangers in the first period and put this team in the best spot after trailing 1–0. He then made the key assist in the third period to get Alexis Lafreniere to score the clutch goal with 11 seconds left in the game. That key assist brought the Rangers to overtime and earned a point for the team.

Artemi Panarin makes Rangers history

The streak continues! Artemi Panarin has extended his point streak to 14 games after making two key assists on both of Alexis Lafrenière’s goals in the second and third periods. With Panarin’s streak now at 14, he has tied Rod Gilbert for the longest streak to start a season in franchise history.

If he can get another point in the Rangers’ next game against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, then history will be made.

Alexis Lafreniere with a breakthrough performance

What a renaissance year it has been for Alexis Lafreniere. Remember when he got extended for two years, and a large chunk of the fanbase was angry with that being done? Well, it has worked out very well for the Blueshirts. Just look at what he did in this game tonight.

In this game, Lafreniere scored three goals. The goals were scored in the second period, third period, and in the shootout. The goal that came in the most clutch was when he scored a goal with 11 seconds left in the third period. That shootout goal was a nice backhander that he made as well, which wowed many fans.

Kudos to Lafreniere for what he did in this game; he basically won this game for the Rangers. It was looking grim once the Will Cuylle goal got called off. Luckily, Lafreniere was on fire tonight and gave this team two points, along with a ton of confidence during the Blueshirts’ long break.

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