There were 17 seconds remaining Friday night, the Rangers were protecting a one-goal lead, the Capitals had pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker and there, hopping onto the ice, was Alexis Lafreniere.
If this was the first time in his young NHL career that he was on in that defense-first situation, there was reason for it, and the reason is illustrative of why the Rangers have formed a bond with head coach Gerard Gallant, who should be near or at the top of any voter’s ballot for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year.
See, Lafreniere had scored earlier in the match, going to the net to convert a classic two-on-one, give-and-go feed from Ryan Strome at 15:44 of the second period in the regular-season finale. That was his 19th goal. As the game wound down, there was a milestone in reach.
“I would have loved to see him get his 20th goal tonight,” Gallant said.
And that’s it. That is Gallant. When the Rangers were on the road, the coach’s starting lineup unfailingly featured players facing their former teams. When the Blueshirts were home on Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month, the coach had both Ryan Reaves and K’Andre Miller in the starting lineup, giving Reaves the opening shift with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. That may not be unique, but it is noticed and appreciated.
This season, which produced a level of unexpected success, ended with a 4-3 victory that served as filler before the Blueshirts and Penguins hook up in the first round of the playoffs that will open at the Garden, probably on Tuesday. They finished with 110 points off 52-24-6, getting every ounce out of the roster. Now, as Zibanejad said, “Everyone starts at zero again.”
The Rangers went with their regular lineup, with only the recovering Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp sitting it out. Oh, and with Igor Shesterkin on the bench as the backup. The Blueshirts played it straight. So did the Caps. My fears of hooliganism were unfounded. It does not appear as if anyone came out of this compromised by the experience.
If Panarin and Copp are good to go for the opener, then Gallant probably has two lineup decisions to make, both triggered by the composition of the third line. The question is whether the coach would trust a young third line consisting of Filip Chytil, Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko.
If that is the alignment, that means Barclay Goodrow would be shifted to the fourth line, which likely would mean a scratch for Dryden Hunt. It’s hard to believe that the club would keep Reaves in street clothes for Game 1.
But if Gallant wants Goodrow, who supplies grit and a defensive conscience, to center Lafreniere and Kakko, then whither Chytil? On the road, Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan would undoubtedly match either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin against the kids.
Would moving Chytil down to the fourth line make any sense at all? Or could the 22-year-old become a healthy scratch, coming off a season-ending stretch in which he recorded two goals in his final 24 contests, including a nifty one from the left porch to open the scoring Friday night?
This would be a tough, tough call.
While Chytil’s status may be in question, Lafreniere’s most certainly is not. The young man elevated his game after being asked to take a seat by Gallant on April 13 in Philadelphia. He responded to the “rest,” getting four goals in the seven games that followed.
Gallant broke up the kids midway through the second period, elevating Lafreniere onto the unit with Goodrow on the left and Strome in the middle. If either Panarin or Copp is not ready, Lafreniere seems ready for elevated responsibility.
“He finished really strong,” Gallant said of No. 13, to whom he gave 7:11 of ice time in the third period. “And now he’s playing with some confidence and that’s good for us … and him, also. He’s played really well.”
The 2020 first-overall pick scored 19 of his 19 goals at even-strength, second on the club to Chris Kreider’s 23. It gets better than that. Coming into the match, Lafreniere ranked 68th in the NHL in even-strength goals per 60:00 at 1.13 among players with at least 750 minutes played.
That might not sound like all that much, but he scored at a higher rate at even-strength than J.T. Miller, Anders Lee, Mats Zuccarello, Brayden Point and assorted other of the league’s luminaries. There was progress made this season.
The regular season, though, is over. There is time to appreciate Kreider’s magnificent 52 goals. There is time to appreciate Shesterkin’s season worthy of Hart Trophy consideration. There is time to appreciate how this group jelled. But that can wait.
For the first time in five years, the playoffs beckon.