The New York Rangers dominated the New Jersey Devils on Thursday evening, winning their rivalry matchup 5-1. With this win, the Rangers extended their win streak to nine games. Three players stood out in this matchup for the Blueshirts, propelling the team to their ninth victory in a row.
3. Alexis Lafreniere is blossoming for the Rangers
Since the Rangers made the coaching change from Gerard Gallant to Peter Laviolette, the player who has benefited the most has been Alexis Lafreniere. He went from being a liability and potentially labeled a bust to becoming a strong contributor for the Blueshirts. Tonight showcased his level of improvement as he scored two goals in this game.
The first goal was an impressive, unassisted goal. But his second goal was even more impressive as it brought the team up to a 4-0 lead in the second period. Lafreniere keeps improving and demonstrating that coaching matters in the NHL.
2. Igor Shesterkin is a brick wall in net
It’s games like this that are going to quiet a lot of critics as Igor Shesterkin was a brick wall in this game. The best play of the game was the amazing pass he made on Chris Kreider’s goal. It was a neat heads-up play that resulted in a point.
The Rangers nearly shut out the Devils in this one, surrendering just one goal. No matter what though, one thing is for sure, the Igor Shesterkin we all know and love is back and hopefully, he plays like that for the rest of the season.
1. The Breadman is still a point machine
It was concerning when news broke that both Artemi Panarin and Jimmy Vesey were dealing with injuries. Many believed the Rangers would give Panarin the night off to recover. However, he played this game, and thank goodness he did.
The Breadman was an unstoppable force in this game, telling three assists. All the doubts about his injury are clearly overblown as Panarin played phenomenally as always.