Alexis Lafreniere scores twice as Rangers beat Lightning 4-1
New York Rangers' Alexis Lafrenière, right, celebrates his second goal of the night during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
Alexis Lafreniere scored twice and Dylan Garand made 25 saves as the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight home win.
Will Cuylle and Mika Zibanejad also scored for the Rangers, who snapped Tampa Bay’s four-game winning streak. The Lightning hadn’t lost since falling to the Rangers 5-1 in New York’s home opener on Oct. 1.
Lafreniere scored 62 seconds into the game, beating Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy from in close.
The 25-year-old Lafreniere, the first pick in the 2020 NHL draft, scored again at 12:47 of the first, his team-leading seventh goal.
Ty Kartye assisted on both of Lafreniere's goals. Kartye also scored twice in New York’s previous game, a 6-2 home win over Vancouver.
Tampa Bay’s Zemgus Girgensons narrowed the deficit to 2-1 with his first goal of the season late in the first.
Cuylle made it 3-1 late in the second, redirecting a shot by Sean Durzi from the point past Vasilevskiy for his third goal.
Zibanejad had an empty-netter at 17:16 of the third.
Lafreniere, who had a hat trick in a 5-2 home win over the Islanders on Oct. 6, has goals in four straight games. His career high in goals was 28 in 2023-24.
It's just the third time the Rangers have won five straight home games to start a season. They won six straight in 1983-84 and eight in a row to begin the 1990-91 campaign.
Garand won his second straight since starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin was injured last Friday at Washington and declared out for the season the next day.
The 24-year-old was serenaded with chants of “Dylan, Dylan,” after he made several key saves in the third period.
Vasilevskiy made 19 saves.
