It had been several games since Alexis Lafrenière was unable to put his name on the score sheet, but the Quebecer remedied this situation by obtaining two points in the New York Rangers’ 4-3 victory. on the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
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The first choice of the 2020 draft showed off all his talent in this meeting, and particularly in the second period. Lafrenière first made himself an accomplice to Kaapo Kakko’s goal before shaking the ropes himself. Speeding into enemy territory, the winger mocked Ryan Lomberg, then beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a superb backhand shot to the top.
The 21-year-old hadn’t had a point in eight games. He now has 34 in 72 games, which is a personal high, in his third season in the National Hockey League.
Patrick Kane and Filip Chytil also scored for Rangers. The Panthers’ response was provided by Lomberg and the two successes of captain Aleksander Barkov.
Jaroslav Halak was the winning goaltender with 31 saves on 34 shots.
Two Matthews goals aren’t enough
In Raleigh, Auston Matthews scored twice for the second straight game, but the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn’t take advantage against the Carolina Hurricanes. The local favorites secured a 5-3 victory.
Matthews now has 36 goals this season, trying to reach 40 for the fifth time in eight seasons. The center player, like most of his teammates, came up against a Pyotr Kochetkov in great shape. The Russian goalkeeper blocked 41 shots, including 10 shorthanded.
The Hurricanes keeper was helped by a group effort on offense. Brent Burns, Jordan Staal, Stefan Noesen, Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teräväinen scored for Carolina.
The Devils in the playoffs
In Newark, the New Jersey Devils secured their playoff spot by beating the Ottawa Senators 5-3.
Mackenzie Blackwood closed the door for the visitors in the third period, allowing Dougie Hamilton and Tomas Tatar to turn things around with two goals. The Devils had previously let slip a 3-1 lead when Thomas Chabot and Mark Kastelic hit the target.
In this loss with serious consequences for the Senators, Tim Stützle nevertheless became the first player on the team since Erik Karlsson in 2015-2016 to reach the 80-point plateau.
Carried by two points each from Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, the Devils reached 100 points in the standings. The team is in second place in the Metropolitan section, two points behind the Hurricanes.