An innocent action from the 13th minute ended with the joy of the Kings and their surprised supporters. Laferriere stared a little too. The 22-year-old forward got the puck after the puck, didn’t wait for anything, and flicked it just beyond the goal line toward the Jets sanctuary. Hellebuyck didn’t underestimate anything, he was glued to the post, he thought he had the situation under control. But the sharp blow licked the back of his helmet and sailed effectively to the far post. Beauty. At least for LA.
“Alex does a lot of dirty work for his linemates and the whole team. You have to watch him really close to appreciate him,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. After all, it was only Laferrier’s third goal in 25 games in the NHL. But definitely the most exceptional. “When you shoot from that angle, you don’t expect to score. But if you don’t throw it, you don’t have a chance,” added McLellan.
Less knowledgeable fans sometimes confuse Laferriere with his near-namesake and peer Alexis Lafreniere of the NY Rangers, who was drafted 1st overall in 2020. The Kings then took the American forward in the third round from the 83rd place.
However, against Winnipeg, the Los Angeles hockey players squandered a two-goal lead and lost 2:5. That alone confirmed the disproportion between home and away results this season. While on foreign ice they are the best of all 32 teams with a record of 11-1-1, in the Crypto.com Arena they are up to twenty-third with 5-5-3. Even Laferrier’s spectacular piece did not improve their position.
2023-12-14 23:09:56
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