Broadway Revival: J.T. Miller Fuels Rangers, Quick Hits 400 in Sweep of Vegas

Jonathan Quick earned the spotlight Sunday night; as the final seconds ticked away and his career win total hit 400, the reactions of the New York Rangers players and fans around him said everything you needed to know about what this meant.

Vincent Trocheck was the first to embrace Quick, wrapping his arms around the goaltender and shoving him back into the net Quick had just defended with 34 saves in a 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at Madison Square Garden — sweeping the season series. 

The night started with the Rangers in a tough spot. Despite the energy brought by the acquisition of J.T. Miller, who scored twice in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden, they were struggling against a strong Vegas squad. Quick was tested early, stopping nine shots in the first eight minutes and keeping the game close as the Golden Knights ramped up their pressure.

It wasn't long before Vegas broke the deadlock on the power play. A constant threat on the puck, Jack Eichel found space as the Blueshirts collapsed too tight to the net and left him wide open. The puck came out to the Boston University alumni who skated into the slot and started "beanpot week" by beating Quick low on the blocker side, giving Vegas a 1-0 lead.

The Blueshirts managed to get even before the first period ended. Adam Fox made a perfect cross-ice pass to Alexis Lafrenière, who buried the feed to tie the game 1-1. Miller's drive to the net away from the puck created space for the shot. It perfectly executed head coach Peter Laviolette's favorite, the "middle-lane drive."

Still, Vegas continued to dominate in the second, outshooting the Rangers and controlling possession.

Eichel, once again, torched the Rangers with his speed, using Trocheck as a screen after the struggling Ryan Lindgren was caught too deep in the offensive zone. He curled into the slot for a top-shelf tally that gave the visitors a 2-1 lead in the middle frame. The hosts had chances but couldn't capitalize. Chris Kreider had a prime opportunity on a 2-on-1, but his shot went wide. Quick denied recent Golden Knights pick-up Brandon Saad on a 2-on-1 the other way.

Through 40 minutes, the Blueshirts were thoroughly outplayed by a Vegas group playing a perfect road game. They were winning the 50-50 puck battles, defending tighter as a group, backchecking harder, controlling the neutral zone, and dictating the pace of play. The Golden Knights had a 29-17 shot advantage, and the ice seemed tilted in New York's zone. 

However, these Blueshirts are different, and their newest member has much to do with that. There's just something about Miller and his relentless, fiery. The man never takes a shift off.

Coach Laviolette saw it, too. 

"We were looking for some pop," he said after the game. "He drove it to the net, got into some scuffles, mixed it up. We needed more of that." And they got it. 

The Rangers came out of the locker room with renewed energy, and during their first power play of the night, Mika Zibanejad capitalized. A shot from Miller snuck through Adin Hill, and Zibanejad was quick to crash the net, poking the loose puck across the line to square the score. It's what GM Chris Drury hoped for when he traded for Miller—to shake up the top six, add a different element, and get Zibanejad going again.

Instead of centering the third line as many expected, Mika plays wing alongside Miller and Artemi Panarin. In their MSG inception, they combined for eight points, none bigger than their third-period surge. Just under two minutes later, K'Andre Miller ripped a one-timer from the left circle past Hill to give the Blueshirts a 3-2 lead, and it was now indeed K'Andre Miller time.

The intensity increased when Will Cuylle delivered a brutal hit on Alex Pietrangelo, sending the Vegas defenseman flying. Maybe that was one Canadian sending a message to another about Pietrangelo bailing on his country for the Four Nations tournament in two weeks. Nicolas Hague took exception and dropped the gloves with Cuylle in a spirited bout. The Garden was buzzing as the Rangers fed off the energy from the scrap, and J.T. Miller quickly tapped Cuylle on the shin pads.

With just 1:41 left in the game, Panarin sealed it, as J.T. Miller, using the four forwards one defenseman spread, found Zibanejad, who hit the Breadman for a man-advantage goal and an enormous insurance marker. 

With his 34-save performance, Quick had made history — becoming the 15th goalie in NHL history to reach 400 career wins and the first American-born goaltender to accomplish that same feat.

Yet as jubilant fans left the Garden, the milestone was evident in their minds, but so was something else: their heroes, fueled by the blend of a new face and familiar stars, had taken another step forward.

After a slow start, the Rangers found their rhythm in the third period. An NHL player wondered aloud if they're back now that J.T. Miller wears his homegrown sweater again. Only time will tell, but he's made a fabulous first impression with two goals, four points, eight shots, and eight hits in 48 hours. Now it's time to see whether this becomes a habit or a dose of short-term pleasure.