As a collective, the Rangers had insisted for two straight days that Alexis Lafreniere was both in the right spot on his unfortunate own goal that ended the competitive portion of Game 1 and that he would get over the moment quickly.
At least on the second of those points, it took a hair over four minutes into Game 2 for Lafreniere to prove his teammates and coach Peter Laviolette right.
That was when Lafreniere created the opening goal of the night by leveling a hit on Carter Verhaeghe that, perhaps, could have been called interference.
But it was not.
So the puck instead leaked to Adam Fox, who hit Vincent Trocheck on the backdoor for a 1-0 lead.
“Just try to be physical and forecheck hard,” Lafreniere said. “Try to generate chances for the line.”
That weight, at least, was off the Rangers’ shoulders early, and so is some of the weight of the series after Barclay Goodrow’s overtime goal gave them a 2-1 victory and sent the conference finals to Florida tied at one.
For a second straight game on home ice, the second line of Lafreniere, Trocheck and Artemi Panarin was the Rangers’ best in Game 2, with the top six as a whole getting its chances while the bottom six struggled for much of the evening.
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The matchup game has not been particularly vital so far, but it is noteworthy that — in general terms — Trocheck’s line has seen a lot more of Anton Lundell’s than Aleksander Barkov’s.
Unless Paul Maurice changes that equation when Florida gets the matchup advantage in Games 3 and 4, that puts the impetus on the second line to produce.
Job done, at least so far. In Game 2, they only held a 95.04 expected goals percentage while on the ice.
And, just as important, there was zero hint of Lafreniere’s confidence being hurt after Game 1.
“I don’t think really that big [a deal], honestly. Those things happen,” captain Jacob Trouba said. “Happens to everyone. Happens to defensemen probably more than forwards. It’s one of those things, obviously an accident, tough break. Rolls off your back.
“He’s been a huge player for us all year, all playoffs. His line’s been great. They were good tonight. I don’t think he’s too worried about it. He usually has a smile on his face. I hope he’s not worried about it ’cause he’s a great player for us.”
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