Rangers Continue Trend Of Celebrating With Fans On Alexis Lafreniere Goal in Game Three Of ECSF
Call it how you see it-playing with edge, confidence, swag. The New York Rangers' confidence is emphatic.
On Thursday night, Alexis Lafreniere scored his second game-tying goal in as many games, on a first-overall-pick-level release 6:25 into the third period of Game 3.
Upon scorching his fifth career tally past rookie goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov, the 22-year-old winger skated over to a gathering of Ranger fans at ice level to celebrate with them.
The excited Lafreniere took a page out of his centerman Vincent Trochecks boom, who broke the internet by celebrating with the MSG faithful following his double overtime goal on Tuesday night.
Rangers were home dogs again last night pic.twitter.com/4gTSjwJ6Ev
— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) May 10, 2024
Andrei Svechnikov knotted the contest up 18:24 into the third period, but Artemi Panarin sent the ecstatic Blueshirts home 1:43 into overtime scoring the game-winning goal.
New York's superstar also wanted in on the celly fray, delivering his classic "Bread Kick" celebration, a nod to the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes and their famous eye-high strut kicks.
Lafreniere has eight points (three goals, five assists) in seven playoff games this post-season. He recorded nine points (two goals, 7 assists) in his previous 32 postseason contests.
Panarin recorded his fourth game-winning goal of the playoffs, tallying nine points (four goals, five assists). He is the only other player in NHL history besides Clark Gillies in 1977 to have his first four goals of a single postseason all be game-winning goals
Trocheck is arguably the Rangers' Conn Smythe favorite, torturing his former team on the ice and in the alley. The Steven MacDonald Extra Effort Award winner has recorded 12 points (five goals, seven assists) leading the Rangers in playoff goals.
The line has combined for six goals this postseason, tied for first with the Vancouver Canucks Joshua-Lindholm-Garland line.
They finished the season with the most goals by any line with 54 tallies in 74 games. That bested the 46 goals created by the Nashville Predators Forsberg-O'Reilly-Nyquist line.
The Rangers boisterous antics have heightened in the last two months. The debut of Matt Rempe in the Rangers Stadium Series game on Feb. 18th elevated the teams grit, an element of the club that has been criticized in years past.
The no-fear mentality was fully displayed when the Rangers and New Jersey Devils engaged in an opening draw line brawl on April 3rd resulting in 166 total penalty minutes.
The Rangers lead the Hurricanes 3-0 in the 2024 ECSF, with game four scheduled for 7:00 PM on Saturday, May 11 at PNC Bank Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.