Daily Report – 3/11/26
Rangers
Alexis Lafrenière’s NHL career has been far from perfect. But ever since the Rangers returned from the Olympic Break, he has been playing some of the best hockey of his career. Not to say Artemi Panarin held Lafrenière back, but ever since the Rangers traded him, their former first-overall pick has been far more productive on the ice.
In four games since March 3, when JT Miller was placed on LTIR, Lafrenière has registered eight points. Last night, he netted his second career hat trick as the Rangers shut out the Calgary Flames 4-0 on Garden ice.
“Just playing with a little more confidence,” Lafrenière said. “Holding onto pucks a little more and obviously Mika [Zibanejad] and Gabe [Perreault] have been making some really nice plays. I wanted to have a strong finish after the [Olympic] break.”
After going 101 days without a regulation win at home, the Rangers ended the streak against Toronto on Friday. By some miracle, they have strung together consecutive home regulation wins for the first time all season. They have now earned points in six of the seven games they have played since the Olympic break.
If the post-Panarin era on Broadway has revealed anything about this Rangers team, it’s that it has a lot more talent than meets the eye. Lafrenière isn’t the only Ranger who has stepped up his game in recent weeks.
Any shred of confidence this Rangers team can draw from this disastrous season will only prove valuable as they continue to retool. Remember, the NHL uses a lottery system to determine its draft order, which discourages tanking.
Head coach Mike Sullivan has said his team’s objective for the rest of the season is to win as many games as possible, which is the best way for his players to approach their current situation.
Since March 5, Lafrenière, Perreault, and Zibanejad have combined for 20 points. Perreault has four points in that span, and Zibanejad has eight. Tye Kartye, with a three-game point streak, has also become a strong waiver wire pickup for New York, and rookie Jaroslav Chmelar became a factor with his first career goal on Friday night.
“The way [Lafrenière] has been, and even [Perreault], I feel like, I don’t think the mistakes get to them when you have that confidence,” said Mika Zibanejad, who scored his 800th career point yesterday with the 75th multi-assist game of his career. “The last goal is a perfect example. One shift before, it’s a turnover and almost leads to a goal […], but for them to keep playing, I think that’s a good sign.”
Lafrenière signed a seven-year, $52.15 million contract extension two Octobers ago. Perhaps that contract will finally prove worthwhile as its recipient begins to prove his value on Broadway. He hasn’t been as impressive as recent first-overall picks across the league, like Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, or Matthew Schaefer. He isn’t as talented as they are, either.
But he is ours. And he needs to continue playing like a first-overall pick.
“One of the things that we tried to encourage [Lafrenière] to do a little bit more of was finding ways to create offense in different ways,” Sullivan said. “He’s a dangerous player off the rush because he has great offensive instincts. […]
But I think he’s adding a dimension to his game, and that’s – we’ll call it the ‘grind game.’”
Lafrenière was the Rangers’ best player yesterday, but perhaps his achievements were exceeded by those of Jonathan Quick. The 40-year-old goaltender stopped each of the 21 shots he faced. His 65th career shutout passed Henrik Lundqvist, of all netminders, for the 17th-most in NHL history.
“Any time you’re mentioned with Hank’s name with anything, it’s special,” Quick said. “I know what he means to this city, this organization, and what he’s done for goaltenders everywhere, a lot of young guys looking up to him. So, just being in the same conversation with him with anything, any stat, or anything like that, it’s humbling.”
For the first time this season, the Rangers are rolling. And it is a good thing. They will try to continue winning games tomorrow night when they visit Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets.
Schedule
6:35 PM: 2026 Grapefruit League Baseball – NYY vs. TOR; YES, Gotham Sports
9:00 PM: NYK at UTA; MSG, Gotham Sports
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Rangers/Jared Silber/Getty Images
