Rangers get their Fil in Seattle, down Kraken 4-1
Filip Chytil was the offensive catalyst in Seattle for the New York Rangers, as he brewed up a career-high three point game to beat the Kraken 4-1.
Meanwhile, his line mates were the beneficiary of his play with Artemi Panarin tallying twice and Alexis Lafreniere once. Jonathan Quick also won his first start as a member of the Blueshirts turning aside 18 of 19 shots.
“There was a lot of looking in the mirror,” Peter Laviolette explained about his team’s strong performance after a bad loss to the Nashville Predators.
“I thought the response from our team was really good, but I thought Fil took charge tonight. He showed leadership in the way he played the game. His line was strong. Laf was strong. Bread was really strong. It was a really good effort by their line.”
Related: Importance of a good road trip
New York Rangers 4 vs Seattle Kraken 1
After a long delay due to a lighting issue in the Rangers end, the Blueshirts came out strong playing effective hockey in all three zone.
Despite the excellent start, it was the Seattle Kraken that broke the ice on a one-timer off the stick of Justin Schultz at the 8:41 mark. On the score, it appeared that Quick actually overplayed his angle to get beat glove side.
That likely sent some seeds of doubt in the minds of Rangers’ fans, who recalled a very difficult preseason for the 37 year-old veteran goalie. They would quickly realize (pun intended), that those concerns would be unfounded.
“You always want to start the season with a win and build from there,” Quick smiled afterwards. “They were awesome in front of me and my job easier.”
Artemi Panarin would knot the score at 1 by converting a brilliant Filip Chytil feed just 3:34 later. Off a strong forecheck from Alexis Lafreniere, the Kraken defender turned over the puck to Chytil, who saw a sea of Kraken defenders on his side of the ice and Panarin all alone near Philipp Grubauer.
The Rangers really won this game in the second period, where they scored twice and outshot the Kraken by a 9-2 margin. However, a lot of momentum was generated off the penalty kill that was a perfect 3-3, including 18 seconds of a two-man advantage early in the frame.
At the 13:02 mark, Kaapo Kakko registered the 100th point of his career by muscling his way to the net putting behind a Jacob Trouba slap shot that Grubauer couldn’t cobble up. K’Andre Miller would record the other assist. For Kakko, it was his first goal of the year.
“We all know the last game wasn’t what we wanted,” Kakko said. “I didn’t think about (100 career points). It feels good, and it was the first goal of the season.”
Less than five minutes later, Lafreniere would bang home his second goal of the season after Chytil found him alone in the slot. This was undoubtedly the best game for both these young players to date.
Seattle made their push in the third period, but even then the Rangers really kept them in check. When they didn’t, Quick came up big with some pretty saves.
Panarin would put this game out of reach just a little over five minutes in by corralling a bouncing puck and snapping by Grubauer. Once again, it was Chytil finding an open man in a prime scoring position. Miller would register his second helper in the contest.
“Even after the last game (against Nashville), I’m keeping my head up,” Chytil stated. “I’m just playing my game, creating chances and shooting. Even if it’s a bad game, nothing changes. I know I can play hockey and how good I can be. It’s the most important thing for me, and what I’m focusing on.”
Rangers Notes
- Kaapo Kakko notched his first goal of the season and 100th career point
- Jonathan Quick wins his first Rangers start stopping 18 of 19
- Filip Chytil registered his first career 3-point game (all assists), he was a +3
- Alexis Lafreniere scored once and was a +3
- Artemi Panarin’s two goals was his second multi-point game of the season
The New York Rangers now head to Calgary to take on the Flames this Tuesday with a 9:45 p.m. ET puck drop.
Before they get on a play to Alberta, they will hold practice on Monday at the Kraken Community IcePlex (1:30 p.m. ET).
More About:New York Rangers Features New York Rangers Games