Jonathan Quick shutout leads Rangers to convincing 4-0 win against Predators
In a game the New York Rangers had to win Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, they did in convincing fashion, shutting out the woeful Nashville Predators 4-0.
Playing his 800th NHL game, Jonathan Quick earned his 63rd career shutout and third this season. The 39-year-old goalie finished with 35 saves, including a whopping 20 in the third period.
Artemi Panarin and J.T. Miller each had a goal and assist for the Rangers (30-26-4), who’ve won three of their past four games and six of nine. Mika Zibanejad extended his point streak to six games with two assists and defenseman Calvin de Haan picked up an assist in his Rangers debut after he and Juuso Parssinen were acquired from the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
K’Andre Miller and Brett Berard scored New York’s other goals.
With the win, the Rangers are now tied for ninth in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second eild card, with a game in hand.
The Predators (21-32-7) have lost four of five and are 3-10-0 in their past 13 games.
Justus Annunen didn’t get much help from his teammates but was solid in goal, finishing with 30 saves.
Related: Rangers trade grades after acquiring Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen from Avalanche
New York Rangers 4 – Nashville Predators 0
At one point this season, the Rangers and Predators were in a neck-and-neck race to be the most disappointing team in the NHL. But the Rangers righted themselves after the New Year and are in thick of the playoff chase in the Eastern Conference. However, the Predators continue to be stunningly bad, incredibly with the third-worst record in the NHL.
The difference between the teams now was clear Sunday night. The Rangers were better in every facet of the game, right from the opening puck drop. If not for Annunen, this one could’ve been an early blowout for the Rangers.
What stood out in a big way was how the Rangers’ stars so completely outplayed the Predators best players, especially the first two periods. It began in the first period, when Panarin scored the game-opening goal and had numerous other prime chances included with his four shots on goal. It continued in the second when Miller and Zibanejad each had two points and Panarin added two more shots on goal and a primary assist.
Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O’Reilly were ghosts, except for one two-shot sequence by Marchesseault late in the second when he charged the Rangers net and was denied twice by Quick.
Panarin’s goal in the first period was a beauty, aided and abetted by a brutal defensive sequence by the Predators, who had four players on one side of the ice and another stuck in the offensive zone, when Panarin raced up right wing and uncontested hammered a booming slap shot over Annunen’s glove at 8:32. It was his 24th goal of the season and first in seven games. He also reached 60 points for the fourth consecutive season.
Alexis Lafreniere made a gorgeous cross-ice pass that sprung Panarin. And de Haan picked up an assist in his Rangers debut, starting the play with a takeaway in his own end followed by a quick outlet to Lafreniere.
The Rangers outshot the Predators 15-6 in a first period likely best remembered for a rousing fight between Matt Rempe and Andreas Englund at 4:07. Rempe got in on the forecheck and flattened Nick Blankenburg with a high elbow. Englund jumped in for his shaken teammate and the 6-foot-4 defenseman went toe to toe with the 6-foot-9 Rempe in a spirited fight. Each landed some heavy blows and Rempe ended up with a bloody mouth and nose. Englund was cut on his nose.
Rempe received two minutes for elbowing and five for fighting. Englund accumulated 17 minutes in penalties for being the instigator.
J.T. Miller made it 2-0 with a power-play goal 1:02 into the second period. Panarin stared down Annunen, faked a shot and made a pretty pass to Miller for an easy tap-in.
The other Miller, K’Andre, finished a rush with J.T. at 3:25 to make it 3-0. It was a smooth sequence, starting with a Zibanejad pass out of his own end to spring J.T. Miller. It continued with a soft touch feed to K’Andre Miller. And ended with a brilliant finish when Miller roofed an in-tight backhand shot at full speed for his fifth goal of the season.
Late in the second period, the Rangers nearly made it 4-0, but Jonny Brodzinski was robbed by Annunen on a 2-on-1 break.
Quick had to make a pair of sensational acrobatic saves to preserve the shutout early in the third, first against Blankenburg in the opening minutes and later with a scorpion save against Marchessault.
With 4:09 to play, Quick robbed Marchessault again, flashing his right pad to deny a point-blank putback.
Berard, recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Saturday, made it 4-0 at 16:56 with his fourth goal in 20 games with the Rangers this season. Sam Carrick won a puck battle in the left-wing corner, then sent a pass to Berard between the circles, and the rookie wired his shot past Annunen.
Quick brought it home from there, moving within one shutout of tying Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist (64) for 17th place in NHL history.
Igor Shesterkin will be back in goal, though, when the Rangers have a quick turnaround and host the Islanders at MSG on Monday.
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