NEW YORK — For most of the season, Gerard Gallant has had to figure out where exactly to put Alexis Lafreniere. On Wednesday, that place ended up being the bench — the first healthy scratch of Lafreniere’s career. On Saturday, it was the highlight reel.
The 2020 No. 1 overall pick came back from his load maintenance day and put on a show: scoring two goals, including a between the legs deke that beat Thomas Greiss and got the Madison Square Garden crowd to its feet as the Rangers defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 4-0.
The Rangers did, however, lose Kaapo Kakko to a lower-body injury in the first period — the reason for Lafreniere’s increased ice time.
