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NEW YORK – Gabe Perreault got the full New York Rangers experience on Wednesday.
Just 72 hours after playing his final NCAA game for Boston College, the freshly signed 19-year-old made his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden.
It was an eventful occasion, for a variety of reasons.
Perreault had a few moments that reminded everyone why he’s considered one of the best playmaking prospects in the game, including a nifty no-look pass on his second shift that even caught linemate Alexis Lafrenière off guard. And then there were hiccups, most notably an accidental tip for an own goal toward the end of the first period.
It seemed like a perfect fit for the up-and-down Rangers, who continued this season’s roller-coaster ride with a winding 5-4 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild.
Vincent Trocheck had the winner 24 seconds into the extra period, giving the Rangers (36-32-7) only their third OT win in 10 tries this season.
The results are what matter most at this time of year, with the victory moving New York into a tie with Montreal for the Eastern Conference’s second and final wild card. The Canadiens have a game in hand, though, and could retake the lead Thursday when they host the bumbling Bruins.
Perreault has areas to clean up, particularly on the defensive end, but he mostly looked like he belonged.
The pass to Lafrenière encapsulated everything we've been hearing about the 2023 first-round pick − patience, vision and timing.
Perreault came flying on for his second shift and attacked the middle of the ice with the puck on his stick. He deked Mats Zuccarello and cut to the left, leaving the former Ranger twisting as he fell to the ice. A desperate stick wave from Zuccarello just barely deflected the pass, and while it still made it through, the slight change in direction caused Lafrenière to slip and fall as he was attempting to get the wide-open shot off.
There were a few other passes that showed Perreault's savvy with the puck, with his placement on a line with Lafrenière and J.T. Miller allowing him to play in the offensive situations he's been asked to play his entire life.
The 5-foot-11, 178-pounder didn't look overwhelmed by the physicality of the NHL game, either, which was an encouraging start. Of course, it will take time to find the balance between asserting himself and avoiding costly mistakes.
Perreault recorded three shots on four attempts while finishing with a pair of giveaways and an own goal, which occurred when he tipped a Brock Faber shot to put the Wild ahead, 2-1, with five minutes remaining in the first period.
The game itself was a bit of role reversal for the Rangers.
They've played several games this season in which they were outshot by wide margins, yet somehow found a way to keep the score close. That's resulted in at least a few wins they frankly didn't deserve, but on Wednesday, it was the Blueshirts who controlled multiple stretches of play and didn't get the bounces.
They outshot Minnesota, 38-24, including an 18-7 advantage in the first period. But that volume didn't always lead to enough quality, and the defensive breakdowns that have plagued them all season showed up at critical moments.
The first came instance came on a Wild power play nine minutes into the game. K'Andre Miller's stick broke, and when he went to retrieve a new one from the bench, it left one side of the ice completely unattended. Marcus Johansson took advantage by finding a wide open Gustav Nyquist at the far post, staking Minnesota with a 1-0 lead.
The two teams would trade goals from there, with Braden Schneider scoring on a rebound to get the Rangers on the board before Perreault tipped Faber's shot later in the period.
K'Andre Miller tied the score early in the second by roofing a tremendous wrist shot from a tough angle, then Chris Kreider gave New York a 3-2 lead with a backhander at the 7:21 mark.
Johansson tied the game for the third time with a shorthanded goal following a brutal neutral-zone turnover from Vincent Trocheck, but Artemi Panarin put the Rangers back on top, 4-3, with a breakaway to end the second period.
The dizzying pace continued in the third, where Marco Rossi intercepted a D-zone pass from K'Andre Miller and turned it into the fourth tie of the evening.
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Postgame takeaways: NY Rangers win in OT in Gabe Perreault's debut
Continue reading...
Just 72 hours after playing his final NCAA game for Boston College, the freshly signed 19-year-old made his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden.
It was an eventful occasion, for a variety of reasons.
Perreault had a few moments that reminded everyone why he’s considered one of the best playmaking prospects in the game, including a nifty no-look pass on his second shift that even caught linemate Alexis Lafrenière off guard. And then there were hiccups, most notably an accidental tip for an own goal toward the end of the first period.
It seemed like a perfect fit for the up-and-down Rangers, who continued this season’s roller-coaster ride with a winding 5-4 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild.
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Vincent Trocheck had the winner 24 seconds into the extra period, giving the Rangers (36-32-7) only their third OT win in 10 tries this season.
The results are what matter most at this time of year, with the victory moving New York into a tie with Montreal for the Eastern Conference’s second and final wild card. The Canadiens have a game in hand, though, and could retake the lead Thursday when they host the bumbling Bruins.
Ups and downs for Perreault
Perreault has areas to clean up, particularly on the defensive end, but he mostly looked like he belonged.
The pass to Lafrenière encapsulated everything we've been hearing about the 2023 first-round pick − patience, vision and timing.
Perreault came flying on for his second shift and attacked the middle of the ice with the puck on his stick. He deked Mats Zuccarello and cut to the left, leaving the former Ranger twisting as he fell to the ice. A desperate stick wave from Zuccarello just barely deflected the pass, and while it still made it through, the slight change in direction caused Lafrenière to slip and fall as he was attempting to get the wide-open shot off.
There were a few other passes that showed Perreault's savvy with the puck, with his placement on a line with Lafrenière and J.T. Miller allowing him to play in the offensive situations he's been asked to play his entire life.
The 5-foot-11, 178-pounder didn't look overwhelmed by the physicality of the NHL game, either, which was an encouraging start. Of course, it will take time to find the balance between asserting himself and avoiding costly mistakes.
Perreault recorded three shots on four attempts while finishing with a pair of giveaways and an own goal, which occurred when he tipped a Brock Faber shot to put the Wild ahead, 2-1, with five minutes remaining in the first period.
A role reversal
The game itself was a bit of role reversal for the Rangers.
They've played several games this season in which they were outshot by wide margins, yet somehow found a way to keep the score close. That's resulted in at least a few wins they frankly didn't deserve, but on Wednesday, it was the Blueshirts who controlled multiple stretches of play and didn't get the bounces.
They outshot Minnesota, 38-24, including an 18-7 advantage in the first period. But that volume didn't always lead to enough quality, and the defensive breakdowns that have plagued them all season showed up at critical moments.
The first came instance came on a Wild power play nine minutes into the game. K'Andre Miller's stick broke, and when he went to retrieve a new one from the bench, it left one side of the ice completely unattended. Marcus Johansson took advantage by finding a wide open Gustav Nyquist at the far post, staking Minnesota with a 1-0 lead.
The two teams would trade goals from there, with Braden Schneider scoring on a rebound to get the Rangers on the board before Perreault tipped Faber's shot later in the period.
K'Andre Miller tied the score early in the second by roofing a tremendous wrist shot from a tough angle, then Chris Kreider gave New York a 3-2 lead with a backhander at the 7:21 mark.
Johansson tied the game for the third time with a shorthanded goal following a brutal neutral-zone turnover from Vincent Trocheck, but Artemi Panarin put the Rangers back on top, 4-3, with a breakaway to end the second period.
The dizzying pace continued in the third, where Marco Rossi intercepted a D-zone pass from K'Andre Miller and turned it into the fourth tie of the evening.
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Postgame takeaways: NY Rangers win in OT in Gabe Perreault's debut
Continue reading...
