The Los Angeles Kings beat the New York Rangers 6-3 at Madison Square Garden on Monday, riding a three-goal first period and a three-point performance from defenseman Drew Doughty. Doughty finished with a goal and two assists as Los Angeles improved to 3-5-2, while New York fell to 7-6-1.
Los Angeles jumped ahead with goals from Taylor Ward, Brandt Clarke and Doughty in the opening 20 minutes, building a 3-1 cushion after J.T. Miller answered for the Rangers. Artemi Panarin and Mikey Anderson extended the lead to 5-1 early in the second period before Adam Fox got one back on the power play.
Tye Kartye and Joel Edmundson traded third-period goals to settle the final margin at 6-3. Kartye led the Rangers with a goal and an assist for two points, but New York could not complete the comeback.
Key Moments: How The Kings Pulled Away
Los Angeles controlled the first period from the opening minute. Ward scored on a snap shot just 1:15 in, assisted by Doughty and Trevor Moore, then Clarke tipped in a shot 4:52 into the frame with helpers from Scott Laughton and Joel Armia. Miller cut the deficit to 2-1 on a deflection before Doughty beat Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand with a snap shot at 17:32, assisted by Edmundson and Panarin, to make it 3-1 after one.
The Kings kept pushing in the second. Panarin scored just 1:30 into the period off passes from Erik Gustafsson and Alex Laferriere, and Anderson followed at 6:54 to put Los Angeles up 5-1. New York’s lone power-play chance of the night produced Fox’s goal at 13:05, pulling the Rangers within three heading to the third. Kartye scored at 16:08 and Edmundson answered 29 seconds later at 16:37 to close out the 6-3 final, with Doughty and Laferriere picking up assists on the last goal.
Top Performers
Doughty’s three-point game led all skaters, with his goal and two assists pushing his night total to a team-high mark among Kings defensemen. Laferriere finished with two assists, three shots on goal and three hits. Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves on 26 shots (.885) for Los Angeles to earn the win. James Reimer took over in relief and allowed three goals on eight shots.
For New York, Kartye’s goal and assist made him the Rangers’ game leader in points. Garand stopped 15 of 17 shots before being replaced by James Reimer, who allowed one goal on five saves in relief. Adam Fox logged 24:25 of ice time and added a power-play goal to his line.
What It Means
The Rangers went 1 for 1 on the power play while the Kings finished 1 for 3, but New York was outscored 5-2 at five-on-five. Los Angeles won the special-teams exchange despite the Rangers winning 36 of 61 faceoffs. The loss drops New York to second in the Metropolitan Division standings behind Carolina, while the Kings remain seventh in the Pacific Division with eight points. The season series now sits 1-0 in favor of Los Angeles.
What’s Next
Both teams return to action with new matchups still to be set on the schedule following Monday’s result. The Kings next look to build on their offensive output after scoring six goals on 26 shots, while the Rangers will look to shore up a penalty kill that allowed a short-handed opportunity to turn into a deficit. For more on the Kings’ recent stretch, see the Devils’ 3-1 win over Los Angeles and the Kings’ earlier matchup covered in the Kings vs.
Islanders preview. Los Angeles also beat the Islanders in a recent outing detailed in Panarin’s performance against the Islanders.
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