The Rangers were looking for a bounce-back Sunday night in the wake of their first back-to-back losses of the season and got it in a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in a meeting of two of the NHL’s best teams at Madison Square Garden.
Goalie Jonathan Quick, facing the team he won two Stanley Cups with for the first time since he was traded last season, made 26 saves for the Rangers. Mika Zibanejad, Jimmy Vesey and Jonny Brodzinski scored for the Blueshirts, who were wearing their third jerseys for the first time this season.
Both the Rangers and Kings were playing the second of back-to-back games and both were coming off losses. With the quick — no pun intended — turnaround, there was no time to wallow for the Rangers, who were facing what could have devolved into their first extended stretch of less-than-terrific play the entire season.
Their coach, Peter Laviolette, said before the game that he was looking to see how they responded to consecutive losses. He had to be pleased, even if the Rangers started sluggishly, at least on offense.
Takeaways
– The 37-year-old Quick played for Los Angeles from 2007-23 and is the team’s all-time leader in wins (370) and shutouts (57). He’s been terrific for the Rangers as Igor Shesterkin’s backup, notching an 8-0-1 record, including Sunday night’s win. Quick entered Sunday with a 2.34 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. Quick made several sparkling saves in the third period, including a glove save on Jordan Spence, who had an open look coming down the right side. A few moments later, Quick stopped Pierre-Luc Dubois with his left skate and left pad on rebound tries. He made another glove save with 6:22 left on an open look for Carl Grundstrom. The Kings finally scored on Phillip Danault’s tap-in on the power-play with 13:23 left in the third.
– The Rangers, who gave up a combined 10 goals in their losses to Ottawa and Washington, tightened up their defense in a scoreless first period but mustered only four shots on goal to nine for the Kings. The Rangers’ penalty kill, ranked seventh in the NHL entering the game, squashed one LA power play chance after Artemi Panarin was called for high sticking with 12:20 left in the period. Initially, the Rangers thought they were going on the power play when an infraction was signaled — Quick even began skating toward the Ranger bench so an extra attacker could get on the ice. But it was Panarin who was guilty.
– The Rangers’ attack got going in the second period, outshooting the Kings, 12-2. The Blueshirts took a 1-0 lead at the 8:27 mark of the second as their power play, ranked third in the NHL entering the night, converted. Zibanejad smacked a one-timer past LA goalie Pheonix Copley off assists from Vincent Trocheck and Panarin. Later in the second, they went up 2-0 on a backhander by Vesey, his sixth goal of the season. That score was set up by a deft backhanded pass from Nick Bonino toward the middle and Vesey’s shot trickled past Copley.
– With about seven minutes gone in the second period, Jacob Trouba probably saved a goal with a nifty play in front of the net. With Quick sprawling and sliding out of the crease, Trevor Moore corralled the puck and was transferring it to his backhand for a try at an open swath of net. But Trouba swatted the puck off Moore’s stick and then the two collided, effectively ending the play.
– The game got chippy in the third period and turned into a bit of a penalty-fest. The Kings got a power play goal out of it and so did the Rangers. New York upped its lead to 3-1 on a power play that came when Adrian Kempe and Alexis Lafreniere tussled. Kempe was given a double-minor for roughing and Lafreniere only got two minutes for roughing. Brodzinski scored his first goal of the season at the 11:32 mark of the third.
– Will Cuylle added his fifth goal of the season when he put in his own rebound with 4:36 left in the game.
– Barclay Goodrow, who had missed Saturday’s loss in Washington after getting hit in the face with a puck Tuesday, was back in the lineup. Goodrow, a game-time decision, skated with a full shield and took the opening faceoff centering a line with Vesey and Tyler Pitlick.
Highlights
What’s next
The Rangers (19-6-1) remain at MSG for Tuesday’s 7 p.m. game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
