The New York Rangers‘ second line, consisting of Alexis Lafreniere, Vincent Trocheck, and Artemi Panarin, was dominant in the regular season.
Each player recorded career highs in points as Lafreniere had 57 (28 goals and 29 assists), Trocheck had 77 (25 goals and 52 assists), and Panarin had 120 (49 goals and 71 assists). Not only were they the Rangers’ best line, but they were also one of the best lines in the league.
This trio has continued to produce in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. They have once again been the team’s best line and have shown that no moment is too big for them.
While Panarin was the big point-producer in the regular season, Trocheck is the one who is tied for the team lead in points in the playoffs. As of this writing (Thursday night, May 9), he has 12 points on five goals and seven assists.
His biggest goal occurred in Game 2 of the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Trocheck scored in double overtime to give his team a two games to none series lead.
Trocheck also played well in Game 3 on Thursday night as he had two assists. His soft pass to Panarin led to Lafreniere scoring in the third period to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead and then in overtime, he threw the puck towards the net and Panarin deflected it past Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov to give his team a three games to none series lead.
Panarin has flipped the script in terms of not being a playoff performer. He is tied for third on the team with nine points on four goals and five assists.
All four goals that Panarin has scored this postseason have been game-winning goals. The big goal was the overtime winner in Game 3 on Thursday night.
Lafreniere continues to show that his performance in the regular season was not a fluke. He is tied for third on the team with nine points on three goals and six assists.
He continues to do the things that made him successful in the regular season. Lafreniere is going hard to the net, is putting himself in a position to create scoring opportunities, and is playing an aggressive style of hockey.
Overall, this line is playing the game the right way. They create scoring chances, produce, play well on the other side of the puck, and come through in the clutch.
If this trio continues to play at a high level when it matters most, the Cup will be within reach.
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