The 22-year-old forward scored his 14th career game-winning goal on Monday night against the Colorado Avalanche, en route to a career-high in shots, goals, and points.
New York Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere scored the overtime-winning goal against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night.
It was his third career overtime goal and the most by any player on the Rangers since the 2020-2021 season. He now has 14 career game-winning goals.
The 22-year-old forward now has 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 50 games this year. The 2020 first-overall pick is on track to record a career-high in shots, goals, and points this season.
According to NHL Edge, Lafreniere ranks in the 89th percentile in shots on goal this season, in the 54th percentile in shooting percentage, and 96th percentile in even-strength offensive zone time.
He sits just nine points away from his career high of 39 points in 2022-2023 and has 32 games to break that total.
A notable change in his game is that he has been shooting more, with nine shots in the last three games and 129 total shots in 50 games.
Despite all of those statistics, he was not looking to shoot first in the extra frame on Monday.
"Not really. I was trying to see if anyone was open but I couldn't see much so I just tried to cut into the middle for a shot" said Lafreniere following the victory.
"It was big against a really good team in this league and we played better [defensively] ...It was a big win for us coming out of the break."
Mika Zibanejad assisted the overtime-winning goal, but the influx of shooting is due to the regular shifts he skates with Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin.
The trio ranks as a top three 5-on-5 unit in the entire NHL this season, generating a firestorm of offense off the rush.
Together, they have skated in 41 games this season, scoring 27 goals combined on 321 shots, which is the most by any Ranger line this season. They have produced 174 more shots than the other two consistent lines (H/t Natural Stat Trick)
His ability to efficiently carry the puck this season has led to symbiotic growth with Panarin and Trocheck's game; further, his finishing ability has helped the club to a 12-0-0 record when he scores.