BUFFALO, NY – Draft pick # 1 Alexis Lafreniere scored his first career goal at 2:47 in overtime, leading the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over Buffalo Sabers on Thursday night.
Artemi Panarin scored and prepared the opening goal for Ryan Strome, and the Rangers lost 0-3-1 to win a second time this season.
Igor Shesterkin stopped 37 shots for his first victory since taking over after Henrik Lunqvist left the season.
Sam Reinhart scored a goal and an assist and Jack Eichel also scored for Buffalo who dropped to 3-3-2. Linus Ullmark finished with 22 saves in a game in which the Sabers were defeated 24-9 in two periods and 39-25 overall.
Lafreniere, the first-time striker in Quebec, had to wait four months before being selected first in the draft, which was postponed until October because of the coronavirus pandemic. And he had to wait until his seventh career game to register his first point.
The goal came after Eichel turned the puck in its own zone. Colin Blackwell picked up the loose puck and drove on the right side before throwing a pass through the middle to Lafreniere, who once scored the puck inside the nearby post.
Rangers finally won a one-goal game after making 0-3-1 in the last four matches.
New York coach David Quinn maintained his optimism in the youngest NHL squad by noting that the last four Rangers games have been defeated by a goal.
“I like the pace with which we play, how we compete and we have often been the best team,” said Quinn before the game. “It means nothing if you are not winning, but we are certainly encouraged by the progress of our young players. … I have no doubt that we will get out of this. “
Sabers recovered to earn a point in a game that overcame two deficits in one goal.
The game ended in favor of the Sabers in the third period, starting with a Ullmark kick from his right block to stop Lafreniere, who was raised alone on the left post in the opening minute.
Buffalo then equalized with Reinhart’s power-play goal 20 seconds after Ryan Lindgren was penalized for crossing Kyle Okposo on the final plates of the Rangers zone. Reinhart was left alone on the left post, where he redirected Victor Olofsson’s pass from the right circle.
Okposo briefly went up the tunnel before returning to the bench after appearing to have injured his left ankle.
Ullmark was even more accurate when he stopped six shots during a Rangers power-play in the middle of the third period, with Jeff Skinner prevented from delaying the game.