Lafreniere registered his second career hat trick, continuing to produce in a post-Artemi Panarin world. Lafreniere may not be a generational talent, but he is playing like a first overall pick. We will need to see this continue for more than a few games, but the difference this time is he's far more engaged.
New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist in his native Sweden's 5-2 win over Italy on Wednesday in the first day of the men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Zibanejad assisted on Gabriel Landeskog's goal at 9:06 of the first period to tie the game at one, as he found Sweden's captain with a cross-seam pass late in a first-period power play.