There was Alexis Lafreniere who pushed the winner of the overtime match home and there was Igor Shesterkin who recorded one important save after another.
Which first six games?
Man, did the Rangers need these? Man, did the Rangers earn it 3-2 vs. the Sabers at Buffalo on Thursday to make up their four-game lost streak and return to the Garden for the first of two against the Penguins on 2-4- 1 on Saturday.
That it was the combination of Lafreniere and Shesterkin at the top of the charts perhaps made this a bit sweeter, although the club also received prime-time performances from prime-time Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich and a supporting cast who never let go and never took his collective eye off the task.
Of course, the corks were mostly popped for Lafreniere, who played six games and another 62:47 from his seventh before scoring both his first NHL goal and his first NHL point by beating Linus Ullmark with a left snapper of a handy two -on-a-feed from Colin Blackwell.
That was the end of the night for the first overall Ping Pong Ball Kid, who had previously been rejected by Ullmark due to several glorious opportunities, including one from the left threshold in the first minute of the third period with the Blueshirts leading 2-1 . . Lafreniere had four shots out of five tries at 3:00 PM of convincing work, mainly on a revamped 1A line with Zibanejad and Buchnevich.
“I had a lot of good chances and I would just keep going and it would definitely go in,” said Lafreniere wearing the Broadway chapeau that looked older than the 19-year-old himself. “I kept going, kept sanding and a nice pass from Blackie on what was sort of an open net.
‘Sure [a weight off my shoulders]. I saw the puck go in and all the boys jumped on the ice. It was a very special moment. “
Lafreniere may have been kept off the board for his first six games, but he was engaged and in the puck as he moved from line to line as one of a cast of thousands. His work ethic and dedication were undeniable. Such was his popularity among his teammates.
And of course, that also applied to his skill level. It was clearly only a matter of time for the Saint-Eustache boy, and the time was 2:47 overtime on January 28, 2021 in Buffalo.
“Obviously everyone is talking about his world-class talent, but this guy is a ballsy kid, he really is,” said David Quinn. “I don’t care if he’s first choice or 271st choice, he’s a ballsy kid, a kid you want to be with.
“ He had a lot of fun being snakebite, he probably should have scored four goals tonight, but to get his first at that point, in that situation and under those circumstances, I couldn’t be happier. for him. His game was coming, he was playing better and better every night so it’s just great to see this. “
The Rangers played with passion and dedication to own this game for 60 minutes, except on the scoreboard. They were quick on the puck, controlled play for teams at a time below the hash marks, and were attentive to their work without the puck in both the neutral and defensive zones. They had a 24-9 advantage in shots over two periods that fully mirrored the game.
But after taking an 1-0 lead in the first inning, the Sabers came alongside. And after putting a 2-1 lead in the third inning, the Sabers got on a powerplay again at 4:47. In their last four games, the Rangers blew one two goal lead and, get this, one goal six times. They stood firm in this after Buffalo linked it to Shesterkin’s work, an important reason.
Indeed, the 25-year-old, who was fairly average in his first three starts, set the tone with a great save from Victor Olofsson just two minutes after the game. That was crucial for both a goalkeeper and a team of shaky confidence.
“I tried my best and it was a rescue I had to make for the team,” Shesterkin said through a translator. “The team played really hard and as a goalkeeper I wanted to support the team and do a great job in the net.”
Support flowed from nets through the defense forwards and back again. But the evening was reserved for Lafreniere’s party. He waited seven games, after waiting another three months to be called up, with the pandemic denying him the chance to take the podium overall in Montreal.
“If there’s anyone who can handle it …” said Quinn. He never let anything make him or her rattle him. It just talks about his mental toughness and persistence as a human.
“He clearly has a lot of talent, but so much more goes into it. He has those characteristics and if anyone can handle these conditions, it is him. “