All eyes at Prudential Center Thursday night were on the Rangers’ No. 1 overall pick, not the Devils’ most recent No. 1 overall pick.
This was simply a byproduct of the Blueshirts’ 5-1 win over the Devils, but it’s something that hasn’t happened often since Jack Hughes and Alexis Lafreniere entered the NHL in 2019 and 2020, respectively. There wasn’t.
Lafreniere led the Rangers with two goals, marking his second multi-goal game of the season.
“I think in practice you see how he handles the puck and does certain operations,” captain Jacob Trouba said of Lafreniere, who currently has 16 goals on the season. . “He comes to training camp every year and it’s kind of an eye-opener in a way. I know he betrayed me in training camp this year. He has that skill. He has that ability. He’s starting to feel it and he’s starting to play with a little bit more confidence and that’s good to see.”
The corners were relentless in this game, and Johnny Brodzinski fought like a man who had just signed a two-year, one-way contract that he had signed his entire hockey career.
Breaking off the stick of Devils defenseman Luke Hughes, Brodzinski popped the puck to Lafreniere, who fired it into the top corner of goaltender Nico Dawes for a 2-0 lead late in the first period. .
Lafreniere then received a perfectly placed pass from Vincent Trocheck, splitting two Devils players and making the game 4-0.
The 22-year-old skated with authority and deceptively drove the puck into the net.
Both goals came from flashy hands from top picks, but they also came from plays that required positional awareness.
Matt Lempe was ejected on the first shift of the game for taking a jaw-dropping hit on Nathan Bastian.
“That’s just a big man,” manager Peter Laviolette said when asked if he thought the game penalty against Lempe was justified. “Everything is down. Nothing is wrong. I never raised my arm. I’m glad the players came back and played and didn’t get hurt.”
“Nobody wants to see someone get hurt, but it’s just tough. He’s a big guy. He went full speed ahead, held everything down, tried to penetrate the body, and I thought he hit everything. I’m sure. It’s a difficult decision. We’ll look at it and decide.”
Jimmy Vesey and Artemi Panarin were added to the lineup after missing Wednesday’s practice with a lower-body injury.
As for Chris Kreider’s late-inning goal against the Stars on Tuesday, the Rangers are believed to always double-check with the NHL in times of crisis.
The answer is that there is no change in the score.
The Rangers get Friday off and head to Philadelphia for a matinee against the Flyers on Saturday.
