On Saturday night, the New York Rangers defeated the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 at Madison Square Garden. They bounced back from Thursday’s 4-1 defeat to the Florida Panthers to improve to 6-1-1. The victory allowed them to move past the New Jersey Devils into first place in the Metropolitan Division. Their 13 points are tied with the Panthers for the most in the Eastern Conference.

It wasn’t overly impressive. It was a methodical win over a younger opponent whose future looks bright. Anaheim wore their throwback jerseys. A cool tribute to the original Mighty Ducks logo. It didn’t help them offensively. They only beat Jonathan Quick once on 33 shots. In his second start of the season, Quick turned in another strong performance by stopping 25 of 26 shots over the final two periods on his way to 32 saves. He won his 395th game. He’s five away from 400.

All of the scoring was done in the third period. That was due to the brilliant play of Ducks starter Lukas Dostal. He was particularly sharp in a busy first period that saw the Rangers outshoot the Ducks 18-7. They generated better scoring chances and spent plenty of time in the Anaheim zone. The 24-year-old who represented Czechia twice at the World Junior Championships has emerged over the past year for the Ducks. With John Gibson still injured, he continues to prove that he deserves to be the number one goalie for Anaheim.

If Dostal was good on one end, so too was Quick on the other end. He was challenged more in a busier second period. The Ducks picked it up by outshooting the Rangers 15-8. Quick made a key stop early to deny Jackson LaCombe on a wraparound. He would deliver multiple stops later on.

Less than four minutes into the second, Sam Carrick was leveled by a clean Radko Gudas hit at the Ducks’ blue line. Adam Fox tried to lead him into the Anaheim zone. Instead, Gudas stepped up and caught Carrick with a hard check that sent him down to the ice. He missed a couple of shifts after going to the locker room. My guess is he was in concussion protocol. Fortunately, Carrick returned later in the period.

During the same shift, Adam Edstrom finished a check on Troy Terry after he was stopped by Quick. Gudas also laid a good hit on K’Andre Miller. The rock’ em sock ’em hockey continued when Filip Chytil got into it with former teammate Ryan Strome during a scrum. Strome got a hit on him earlier in the shift. Chytil then had a backhand denied by Dostal, who got a stoppage. It was nothing more than two players battling hard after the whistle.

The most effective line for the Rangers was the Chytil unit. Along with the gritty Will Cuylle and creative Kaapo Kakko, they continue to establish themselves at even strength. They’re a good forechecking line that creates opportunities off diligent work. In fact, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette played them more at even strength than the struggling Mika Zibanejad line. You have to ride your best players. Eight games into the season, it’s obvious that the third line has outplayed the second line. The top line that features Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere remains their best scoring unit.

With the game still scoreless, Miller took down Terry to put the Ducks on the power play. They were able to get a few good chances. However, Quick stood tall by denying Mason McTavish in the slot and stopping Terry. When the Rangers needed a big save, the future USA Hockey Hall of Famer delivered.

The Rangers applied some pressure before the period concluded. But Panarin was turned aside by Dostal. So was Zac Jones, who played for the first time since Oct. 17. Reunited with Braden Schneider on the third pair, he didn’t show any rust. Jones used his skating to jump into the rush. He and Schneider had a good night playing together.

In the third period, the Rangers got the all-important first goal. It came from an unlikely source. Ryan Lindgren made a good aggressive pinch to keep the puck moving down low for Trocheck, who got it to Panarin behind the net. He then centered a pass in front that Lafreniere tipped out for a cutting Lindgren to bury past Dostal for his first goal of the season at 4:13. It was a superb play. It was a nice reward for a gritty player who doesn’t get many goals.

The game remained 1-0 until the Blueshirts thought they had another one. On a good Kakko clear off the boards to Chytil, he slid a pass for an onrushing Cuylle who gained the Anaheim zone and thought he beat Dostal for a goal with 11:22 left. But Ducks coach Greg Cronin wisely challenged it for offsides. From seeing the first replay, I could tell that Cuylle was just ahead of the puck when it entered the zone. It didn’t take long for them to overturn the call. It marked the second time that Cuylle lost out on a goal. Pretty unlucky.

A few minutes later, he wouldn’t be denied. On another strong shift from the third line, Chytil set up a Kakko shot that went right to Cuylle in front. He had the puck go off his skate and in. Cronin again challenged for a kicking motion. But the replay showed that Cuylle moved his skate into position as he tried to get his stick on it. It wasn’t a kick. So, it counted. He had his second of the season to give the Rangers a two-goal lead with 8:07 left.

Kakko is playing much better. He is making confident plays with the puck in the offensive zone. He’s looking to shoot more. So far, he has good chemistry with Chytil and Cuylle, who creates all kinds of space for his linemates. Cuylle makes things happen. He’s the sandpaper. Chytil has the explosive speed and skill. Kakko is strong on the wall. It’s becoming a dependable line.

Following the goal, Edstrom hit Alex Killorn from behind. He was going to get the only penalty for boarding. But an incensed McTavish took up for his teammate. He got a roughing minor to negate the power play. It was understandable why McTavish defended Killorn. Edstrom made a dangerous hit. It wasn’t violent. But it was one of those plays he has to avoid. The even up penalties led to four-on-four.

It was the Ducks who took advantage of the open ice. On a play in transition Terry got the puck up for Carlsson into the Rangers’ zone. He then made a nice move around Miller to center a pass for a cutting Zellweger to finish in front. That cut it to 2-1 with 7:22 left. Zellweger beat Adam Fox for the goal. As good as Fox is at providing offense, with his eight assists fourth among NHL defensemen, he’s had some struggles in coverage so far. He and Miller can’t be a defensive pair. Laviolette needs to move Lindgren back to the top pair.

On the same four-on-four, the Ducks came close to tying it. Frank Vatrano flew into the Rangers’ zone searching for the equalizer. But Schneider made a crucial block to deny his bid. If he hadn’t, who knows what happens. Fortunately, he was back in the right position to pick up Trocheck and Panarin.

With the Ducks applying pressure, Cam Fowler came around the Rangers’ net and thought he had one. But Quick came out to deny him. That save was the biggest one he made of the game. He’s been nothing but brilliant since signing in the summer of 2023. Another move Chris Drury gets credit for. Quick earned the game’s first star.

Light Week Ahead

It’s a light week ahead. The Rangers only have one game remaining in October. They’ll visit the surprising Washington Capitals this Tuesday, Oct. 29.

The Caps are off to a 5-2-0 start. They don’t score as much but defend well. That’s how coach Spencer Carberry plays. It’s basically been Tom Wilson and Connor McMichael leading the way. Wilson has five goals and McMichael is up to eight points (3-5-8). Dylan Strome leads them in scoring with nine points (3-6-9).

John Carlson remains their top defenseman. Alex Ovechkin is crawling to the finish line. His two goals have been easy ones. He needs 4o more to pass Wayne Gretzky for the record. He isn’t the same player. The skating has declined. It’s easier for opponents to mark him. There’s little chance that Ovechkin will set the record this season.

Charlie Lindgren remains the Capitals starter. Logan Thompson is the backup. It remains to be seen if the goaltending will hold up.

Following Tuesday’s visit to D.C., the Blueshirts will return home to host the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, Nov. 1. It’ll be their 10th game of the season. If Jimmy Vesey is ready, he can be activated off LTIR on Nov. 3 against the New York Islanders. Vesey hasn’t been cleared for full contact yet.

Leschyshyn Called Up

When Matt Rempe was sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack, that meant the Rangers had to make another roster move. They called up Jake Leschyshyn. He’s an extra. That’s it. Leschyshyn will remain up until Vesey’s ready.

Berard Continues Hot Start

Brett Berard continued his hot start for the Wolf Pack. In a 4-3 overtime win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, he scored his team-leading fifth goal and added an assist. Berard set up the overtime winner from Benoit-Olivier Groulx. In five games, Berard has five goals and three assists for eight points, which lead Hartford in scoring. He remains a player to watch.

With Brennan Othmann out with a wrist injury, the 22-year-old Berard is on the Rangers’ radar. The Wolf Pack take on the Springfield Thunderbirds later today at XL Center in Hartford.