Rangers rookies Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller had their first taste of the NHL – and it was bitter.
Igor Shesterkin, who is technically a rookie despite the 12-season regular appearance he had last season, would probably say the same thing about his first night of opening, allowing four goals in Rangers’ defeat to the Islanders at Madison Square Garden on the farm.
But coach David Quinn said he wants his young players to learn from defeats like this, it can only happen much earlier than he thought.
“It’s a great learning lesson for a young player to play against a team like that,” said Quinn in a call from Zoom after the 4-0 defeat. “[The Islanders] summarize what a professional is at this level. It’s not so much to go out and make a big move, it’s to play smart hockey and sometimes you take a turn and nothing happens, it’s a good turn.
“Unfortunately for us now, after one night, this is not how we want to approach it, but I think it was a great lesson for those young people.”
Miller, who made his NHL debut in the second defensive pair with Jacob Trouba, recorded a shot in just under 14 minutes of ice time. He made a comeback early in the second period that left Shesterkin out when Captain Anders Lee of the Islanders converted it into a two-on-one run for the 2-0 score.
“Obviously, the National Hockey League is a difficult league to win,” said Miller. “So I think that this first game alone is a good example of that, that every game will be a battle. You have to play 60 full minutes and hopefully get to the other side. “
Lafreniere had a display similar to Miller, with a goal kick in about 15 ½ minutes of ice time, mostly on the third row with Filip Chytil and Julin Gauthier. In a game where rookie mistakes were being made throughout the lineup, Lafreniere was no exception when he played the puck while making a change and caused the Rangers to be called on to many men on the ice penalty at the end of the first period.
The first general pick of 2020 committed his second penalty of the night when he was called in for hooking at 14:13 of the second period, which led to a power-play goal by Jordan Eberle about 50 seconds later.
“Certainly, a lot of nerves,” said Lafreniere. “After a few shifts, [I] felt better. Trying to work as hard as I can, obviously difficult in the first game. But we will improve and we will work on our game and try to recover on Saturday. “
Rangers were 0 out of 3 in power play, but their eight penalties allowed the Islanders to score two goals in power play.