NEW YORK — Lesson No. 1 for any and all rebuilding teams coming into Madison Square Garden to play against the Rangers this season:
Stay out of the penalty box.
The rebuilding Anaheim Ducks, with ex-Rangers Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano leading the way, gave the Rangers four power plays in their visit to the Garden Monday and the Rangers punished them by scoring three power play goals, two of them by Mika Zibanejad, on the way to a 6-4 victory that lifted the Blueshirts’ record on the young season to 3-1.
Zibanejad (two goals and two assists) and Artemi Panarin (one goal and three assists) each had four points as the Rangers handed the Ducks their second loss in the New York area in three days, following their 7-1 thumping at the hands of the Islanders on Saturday. Vincent Trocheck, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere had the other goals for the Rangers.
Still, Rangers coach Gerard Gallant is not likely going to be very pleased that his team suffered a few breakdowns that allowed the Ducks to score four goals. And goalie Igor Shesterkin, who stopped only 18-of-22 shots on goal, won’t likely be happy with himself, either.
The game started on a great note for the Rangers, who got an early power play in the first period, courtesy of a delay of game penalty taken by Anaheim’s Mason McTavish, who shot the puck over the glass. The Rangers’ man advantage unit moved the puck around and peppered Anaheim goalie John Gibson until Zibanejad sent a diagonal pass through a maze of bodies to Vincent Trocheck, near the right goalpost. Trocheck tapped the puck into the yawning back side of the net and the Rangers were up, 1-0, at 7:34 of the first period.
Anaheim took a second penalty, this one a hooking call against Derek Grant, and the Rangers’ power play struck again, this time with Trocheck feeding Zibanejad for his first goal, at 13:10.
It was starting to look like a runaway at that point, but Vatrano whipped a shot from the left wing over Igor Shesterkin’s catching glove for his second goal of the season, at 15:48. Trevor Zegras then tied the game, 2-2, at 1:34 of the second period, jumping up on the left wing to turn a two-on-two break into a three-on-two. Troy Terry fed Zegras and he cut in to the net and slipped a shot under Shesterkin for his second goal of the season.
But Kaapo Kakko, who was having a solid game at that point, untied at 9:34, getting the shaft of his stick on a shot from Zibanejad to deflect it past Gibson and put the Rangers up, 3-2. The goal was initially announced as belonging to Zibanejad, but the scoring was officially changed early in the third period.
That goal, and another Anaheim penalty, opened some separation on the scoresheet for the Rangers. Former Ranger, and New Rochelle, N.Y. native Kevin Shattenkirk, was penalized for tripping Sammy Blais, who was making his season debut after missing the first three games with an upper body injury. The Rangers didn’t score on the ensuing power play, but they kept the pressure on and eventually scored just after it expired, with Alexis Lafrenière banging home a feed from Filip Chytil to make it 4-2 at 17:39.
Then, just before the period ended, Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren intercepted a stretch pass by Anaheim’s John Klingberg and sent a pass to Adam Fox, who relayed it to Panarin. Panarin then whipped a wrist shot over the catching glove of Gibson with 34 seconds remaining in the period to make it 5-2. Gibson, who had been taken out of the goal after two periods on Saturday, was taken out again after two periods, and replaced by Anthony Stolarz.
