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Mika Zibanejad says it’s about the little things, the details you might not notice without knowing to look for them. But the shift, there more than anyplace, has been noticeable in Alexis Lafreniere’s game lately.
“When he gets closed down or people try to close on him quickly, he’s come into those situations and found a way to get the puck out of the zone or into the middle or finding someone,” Zibanejad said. “I think that’s part of his hockey sense and skill to be able to understand when he needs to make a play, when he needs to chip it out and make it simple.”
That is the minutiae-laden explanation of Lafreniere’s recent improvement. The more simple one is this: the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 has three points (two goals, one assist) in his last three games, and has looked altogether more confident since moving up onto the top line with Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
It’s no secret that the 20-year-old, who lit up the Quebec Major Junior League two seasons ago, has found the NHL tougher than many expected. Through 51 games this season, Lafreniere has 12 goals and four assists in a role that’s shifted as his own game has ebbed and flowed.
Since Kaapo Kakko’s injury, Lafreniere has been back in the top six. That group, it seems, has found something. In six games since the All-Star break, the threesome of Lafreniere, Zibanejad and Kreider has outscored opponents 4-1, outchanced them 44-27 and outshot them 45-29, per Natural Stat Trick.
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Though Kreider and Zibanejad are certainly the twin engines driving play, the uptick in Lafreniere’s scoring and confidence alike — one following the other — has been noticeable to those around him.
“He looks [like a] confident, stronger player,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “I think he’s a young kid growing, he’s in better shape. He’s doing the right things.”
“I feel like he’s calmer with the puck and doesn’t rush his decisions,” Zibanejad said. “I think he’s doing it at that pace. … He reads the situation really well.”
Lafreniere, who made his name as a playmaker with 77 assists in his draft year, said he feels other parts of his game rounding into shape.
“I would say I’m more of a playmaker,” Lafreniere said. “I think I can score, too. I don’t want to do only one thing.”
The two goals Lafreniere has scored in the last three games showcased different parts of his game: against the Capitals, he got a piece of Ryan Lindgren’s point shot to score on a deflection; against the Canucks, he blasted a one-timer from Zibanejad past Thatcher Demko.
Lafreniere’s first season-and-a-half have cooled expectations for a player who many thought would have star potential, enough that a few good games won’t change anything. But the Rangers are taking note.
“He made some really nice passes, scored a nice goal opening up the last game for that one-timer,” Gallant said. “Real good signs.”
Lafreniere acknowledged he’s been playing with more confidence recently. And, like Zibanejad, he pointed to the little things as an offshoot of that.
“You’re just more poised with the puck, I think that’s big,” Lafreniere said. “You’re seeing the ice better, you’re making more plays. … You’re the same player that you are when you don’t have confidence but you just make more plays.”
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