Filip Chytil had two goals and an assist while Kaapo Kakko recorded one goal and two helpers for the New York Rangers, who scored four times in the first period and remained undefeated on the road with Tuesday night’s 7-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
Mika Zibanejad opened the scoring less than a minute into the contest while Jonny Brodzinski, Reilly Smith and Chytil also scored in the first for the Rangers, who are 5-0-1 overall and 4-0-0 on the road.
Braden Schneider also had a goal and an assist and Igor Shesterkin made 21 saves for New York, which has outscored opponents 22-5 away from home.
Nick Suzuki scored his first two goals of the season for Montreal, which has yielded 21 goals during its current 0-3-1 rut. The Canadiens’ Sam Montembeault was pulled after allowing four goals on 10 shots, then teammate Cayden Primeau stopped 32 of 35 shots.
Just 54 seconds into the contest, New York’s Artemi Panarin dropped the puck on trailer Adam Fox to send over for Zibanejad’s successful one-timer. Shortly after, New York’s Adam Edstrom won a race to the puck, then, from just behind the net, dropped it for Brodzinski to convert at 2:05.
At 6:40 of the first, Smith stripped the puck from Montreal’s Lane Hutson at the blue line, then skated in alone and beat Montembeault. With 8:55 left in the period and on a power play, Smith found a pushing Chytil, who converted from the slot to end Montembeault’s night.
Montreal scored with 7:08 remaining in the opening frame when Josh Anderson centered the puck for Suzuki to send in from the slot. Suzuki made it 4-2 when he moved his way through the slot and beat Shesterkin for a power-play score at 5:35 of the second.
However, with 11:03 left in the second, Schneider, set up by Chytil and Kakko, went over the shoulder of Primeau for his second goal of the season. Chytil and Kakko scored 38 seconds apart in the third for the 7-2 final.
–Field Level Media
