5 takeaways from the Rangers' 5-4 OT Loss Against Montreal

In a thrilling matchup, Montreal's Patrik Laine scored 3:20 into overtime and delivered the New York Ranger's an overtime loss on Sunday, Jan. 19th at Centre Bell.

Although it was a loss, Mika Zibanejad tallied his 104th power play goal with the Blueshirts, the fifth most in franchise history. "The Breadman" Artemi Panarin recorded his 341st assist with the Rangers and passed Steve Vickers for ninth place on the franchise’s all-time list. Also en route to their eight-game point streak, veteran Chris Kreider scored his 15th goal of the season and his fourth in his last seven games.

Let's breakdown exactly how the Rangers got their latest loss with five key takeaways from the matchup.

1. Adam Fox's Milestone

Adam Fox has registered his 60th career multi-assist game, surpassing Brad Park for fourth most by a Rangers defenseman. Success and milestone isn't new for Fox, who was voted the winner of the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL in 2020-21. This marked the first Rangers player to win it since Brian Leetch in 1996-97. He is one of two defensemen to win the Norris Trophy in only his second NHL season.

This was also his 10th multi-point game of the season.

2. Braden Schneider Takedown

Montreal's Josh Anderson and Rangers' youngster Braden Schneider had their own dance earlier in the game. Schneider ended up heading to the locker room after cutting his nose on his visor, but was decidedly the winner after plummeting Anderson down to the ice in what was both a brutal and amazing takedown

Schneider signed a two-year contract with the Blueshirts on July 13, 2024, coming off a season when he had 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 82 regular-season games and two assists in 16 Stanley Cup Playoff games. The 23-year-old helped the Rangers win the Presidents' Trophy and advance to the Eastern Conference Final, a six-game loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

3. Alexis Lafreniere Hometown Goal

Canada native Alexis Lafreniere scored the first goal of the matchup in the first period. With his friends and family in the stands, the hometown kid struck first for the Rangers, taking a long shot from K’Andre Miller — which ricochetted off the wall and over the Canadiens’ net — and putting it past Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes (23 saves). 

4. The Point Streak Continues

The Rangers had four separate one-goal leads on Sunday night against the Montreal Canadiens, and though it was enough to force overtime and grab a point in the standings, it was not enough to secure the win and two points. Though the Rangers came out on the losing side of this playoff-like-tense game, they did extend their point streak to a season-high eight consecutive games (5-0-3). They now have 48 points, and sit three points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hold currently the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

5. Matt Rempe vs. Arber Xhekaj

For the first time since serving his eight-game suspension for elbowing and boarding against the Dallas Stars, 22-year-old forward and enforcer Matt Rempe dropped the gloves. Facing off against fellow heavyweight Arber Xhekaj (6'4", 240 pounds), the pair exchanged chirps in the first period before squaring off in the second.

Rempe, 6'9", 255 pounds, dropped his gloves first. The Canadien got in a few punches before "WiFi" also dropped his gloves — allowing an all-out fight to ensue. Both got in good punches and showed their strength. Despite almost being taken down, Rempe showed tenacity in regaining his balances and getting a few more jabs in before being taken down.

Xhekaj was decidedly the winner but it was nice to see Rempe back fighting against for the first time in quite a while. It's worth noting that Rempe earned his first point of the season before engaging in a fight following serving his suspension; he tallied an assist in the game-winning goal while in Las Vegas.