EDMONTON, Alberta — It cut into the minutes he’s trying to increase every night, but Brendan Lemieux’s first career Gordie Howe hat trick Monday came fairly close to his ideal game.
“I’m not going to fight every night, but yeah, it shows physicality and scoring ability,” Lemieux said after recording a fight, a goal and an assist to help the Rangers come back before falling to the Oilers 3-2 in overtime at Rogers Place.
Leon Draisaitl scored the winner 35 seconds into the extra period, sinking the Rangers (28-28-13) to 1-9 in overtime and negating the work they had done to get there.
After the Rangers fell behind 2-0 in the first period, coach David Quinn was looking for passion and Lemieux helped deliver a serving of it. The winger dropped the gloves with Jujhar Khaira and got in a few right hooks, and shortly after serving his penalty, he cut the deficit in half when he took a pass from Kevin Shattenkirk and rifled one through to make it 2-1 at 11:29.
“He plays with passion and he’s helped us from Day One, but anytime that happens, it can ignite your team,” Quinn said. “I thought we were playing well leading into that anyway, and then to have him come back and get the goal, it was fitting.”
Lemieux later assisted on Brett Howden’s equalizer in the third period while finishing with 11:53 of ice time. He is in line for bigger minutes if he can improve his conditioning on the fly over the final stretch of the season.
Before coming to the Rangers as part of the Kevin Hayes trade two weeks ago, Lemieux averaged just 7:25 per game on the fourth line for the playoff-bound Jets. In his new home, there is more opportunity, especially the way his hard and fast game fits in with the style that Quinn wants to play.
“Playing the way I do requires a ton of energy, just because that extra two-three strides to hit a guy, two-three strides back into the play, that’s a ton,” said Lemieux, who came into the night averaging 12:21 with the Rangers. “Even the hit itself is a lot of energy. Being a physical guy and then having to be able to play a lot, you gotta be in really incredible shape. The only way to do it — as hard as you push in the gym, the only real way to get in that shape is by playing games. And I just haven’t played that many games with a substantial amount of ice [time].”
Over the final month of the season, with practice time at a premium, Quinn believes the best way Lemieux can get in top shape is by working on it in games.
“The thing I love about him is that when he comes to the bench, he’s exhausted because he’s out there trying and that’s the only way to get in shape,” Quinn said.
The 22-year-old — 23 on Friday — has made his impact felt in seven games with the Rangers. While the team dropped to 1-2-4 with him in the lineup, he has delivered a jolt of energy on the ice and quickly become a presence within the locker room.
With 13 games left on the schedule, Lemieux planned on making the most of each one. It’s not that he wants to prove himself to his new coaching staff, he said, but instead to his teammates as they build toward next year.
The more he plays, the more he will get the chance to do just that.
“That’s what I’ve loved about being here is I’m playing when the game counts,” Lemieux said. “I feel like the trust is there, it’s just managing my minutes.”