Filip Chytil contributed two goals and an assist, while Kaapo Kakko added a goal and two assists for the New York Rangers, who dominated the Montreal Canadiens with a 7-2 win on Tuesday night. The Rangers scored four times in the first period and remain unbeaten on the road, now holding a record of 5-0-1 overall and 4-0-0 on the road.
Mika Zibanejad got the scoring underway just under a minute into the game, followed by goals from Jonny Brodzinski, Reilly Smith, and Chytil in the first period. Braden Schneider also netted a goal and an assist, while Igor Shesterkin made 21 saves, helping New York outscore opponents 22-5 in away games.
For Montreal, Nick Suzuki scored his first two goals of the season, but the team has struggled defensively, allowing 21 goals during a 0-3-1 stretch. Goaltender Sam Montembeault was replaced after giving up four goals on just 10 shots; his replacement, Cayden Primeau, stopped 32 of 35 shots.
The Rangers’ scoring opened just 54 seconds into the game when Artemi Panarin set up Zibanejad for a quick one-timer. Soon after, Adam Edstrom raced to the puck, passed it to Brodzinski, who scored at 2:05. At 6:40, Smith capitalized on a turnover by Montreal’s Lane Hutson to score unassisted. With 8:55 left in the first period, on a power play, Smith assisted Chytil, who scored from the slot to end Montembeault’s game.
Montreal managed to score with 7:08 left in the first when Josh Anderson set up Suzuki for a slot goal. Suzuki added another power-play goal at 5:35 of the second period, narrowing the score to 4-2. However, at 11:03 of the second, Schneider had a goal, set up by Chytil and Kakko. The scoring concluded in the third period with Chytil and Kakko netting goals just 38 seconds apart, sealing the 7-2 victory.
