Players of the Rangers had Alexis Lafrenière's back following his unfortunate own goal in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Despite tipping the puck into his own net during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final which paved the way for a Florida Panther’s victory, players of the New York Rangers are rallying around Alexis Lafrenière.
Down 1-0 in the third period, Lafrenière unintentionally tipped Carter Verhaeghe’s shot past Igor Shesterkin, folding any hopes for a Rangers comeback.
The disappointment from Lafrenière was evident as he was shaking and burying his head on the bench long after the own goal occurred.
Following the game, nobody blamed Lafrenière for what happened, but instead they really tried to bring up his spirits.
"He was in the right spot. He worked so hard to get back to that spot, stop in the crease, that's what we want," Chris Kreider said. "He's the low guy, it's a bad bounce, but that's hockey. We know the kind of player he is, we said a couple of things to him, but he'll respond, he'll pick himself up, and we'll pick him up, too."
Every player has to deal with at least one unlucky play similar to Lafrenière’s, so there is nothing for him to be ashamed of. Also the Rangers didn’t lose because of the own goal, there were a multitude of factors that led to their demise on Wednesday night.
"Everyone's probably been in that situation - I mean, every defenseman has," Jacob Trouba said. "Just a tough bounce, obviously, not what he was trying to do. It's nothing to even worry about. It should be out of his head already by now. Just one of those unfortunate breaks."
The 22-year-old forward has had a phenomenal playoffs thus far, recording four goals, six assists and 10 points in 11 games.
The whole team knows how valuable Lafrenière truly is, so they will need the young rising star to be confident and at the top of his game if they want to have a fighting chance in this series.
"I don't think anyone's looking at him for that play... He's been a huge part of the team all year," Jimmy Vesey said. "He's played great in the playoffs. As a team, we're looking to respond next game."