New York Rangers Hang a Touchdown on the Montreal Canadiens in 7-2 Stomping

Your high-flying New York Rangers continue to soar to start the 2024-25 season. A 7-2 win at the Bell Centre and a dominant display for the Rangers cements the Blueshirts as a team that wishes to retain their crown at the top of the Metropolitan Division standings. Only the Winnipeg Jets remain above the Rangers. A .917 points percentage through the first six games, with the only blemish being that OT loss to Utah, is a great start.

New York opened the scoring after Igor Shesterkin made a ten-ball stop. The kick out from the netminder found Artemi Panarin who got the puck to Adam Fox, who started the rush up the ice. Fox found a pass to the trailer, Mika Zibanejad, and the big Swedish center ripped it home past Samuel Montembeault inside the first minute to get the Rangers off to a perfect start in this original six clash.

New York would then be on the right end of a little controversy. Braden Schneider ices the puck, but Adam Edstrom is deemed to win the race down the ice to the puck behind Montembeault. Montreal expected a whistle and didn't get it, but Edstrom got the puck to Jonny Brodzinski out in front, and he snapped it home as Montembeault had guessed the puck would come around the other side of the net to make it 2-0.

A third would get added, as Reilly Smith did everything himself. As the Canadiens try to fly their zone, Smith gets off a poke check on Lane Hutson to force the puck into the Canadiens zone again. Smith beats the turning defensemen in behind to it and snaps it home past Montembeault, who has not been at fault for any of these, but the Rangers are running riot at the Bell Centre.

A powerplay marker would make it four halfway through the first period as the Rangers broke out the fancy passing. Filip Chytil carried the puck up the ice. As he enters the offensive zone, he drops it for Kaapo Kakko. Kakko snaps it over to Smith, and Smith sends it back to Chytil, who kept driving towards the net as the triangle passing play allows Chytil the freedom of the slot to snap that puck over the pad, and a lesser spotted powerplay goal from the second unit makes it 4-0.

Montreal would get one back with seven minutes to go in the first. Josh Anderson, behind the net, has all the time in the world to pick a pass, and the Rangers lose the captain of the Montreal Canadiens, Nick Suzuki, who was able to beat Shesterkin. Igor never got set to the puck because of the pass speed into the shot, and it's 4-1. New York is still in a commanding position but not shut out for Igor today.

In the second period, Suzuki would tally again in a beautiful fashion. On the powerplay, he beats Ryan Lindgren to enter the zone before getting it off to Kirby Dach. Dach hands it to Mike Matheson before sending it back to Suzuki, who drives the net. He beats Lindgren again, and Igor tries a sprawling save, but Shesterkin cannot stop the backhand into the top of the net, and it's 4-2. New York had to switch on again because this wouldn't be the laughter they hoped for.

Halfway through the period, the Rangers would extend their lead. Chytil found a cross-ice passing lane to Schneider, who was free to walk in on goal. No one pressures him, and he uses that heavy wrister to beat the glove of the Montreal netminder. Will Cuylle and Kakko were both in the vicinity for a deflection if things had gone wide, but the puck found twine, making it 5-2 Rangers.

With some of the pretty goals scored tonight, the Rangers' sixth was a lot more of the ugly stuff. Jacob Trouba fired one on, and it bounced around the slot. Will Cuylle and Sam Carrick were there trying to smack the puck home, but it bounced out to Chytil, who wired it home to give the Rangers a commanding 6-2 lead on the night—a sensational scoring outburst from the Rangers here.

A seventh would see Victor Mancini send the puck up the ice to Kaapo Kakk. Kakko lets a wrister fly that bounces through when it should not have. It squeaks under the blocker and slides into the net. The Finnish winger definitely needed a slice of luck, and the Rangers were now up 7-2 in the final minutes of this game. They responded to Montreal's fight back by putting them to the sword. New York moved to 5-0-1 and looks ahead to the clash with Florida on Thursday.