Lafreniere registered his second career hat trick, continuing to produce in a post-Artemi Panarin world. Lafreniere may not be a generational talent, but he is playing like a first overall pick. We will need to see this continue for more than a few games, but the difference this time is he's far more engaged.
It's been a minute since the Rangers dropped a 7 spot on an opponent, and while a small sample, it's clear this team missed Vincent Trocheck. His line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere has been the Harlem Globetrotters on ice. Maybe we deeply underestimated just how much of a skilled glue guy he is for this team. The line scored four of the seven goals, including multi point nights for Panarin (1-3-4) and Trocheck (2-0-2).
Igor Shesterkin is simply the best at what he does. Much to the chagrin of many crab people, he is compensated accordingly for that skillset. This obviously will not sustain, but a .985 save percentage in 2 games is a helluva way to start a season for the former Vezina winner. After a pretty down year statistically, it's clear Shesterkin wanted to get this year off on the right foot.
