Rangers pull away to beat Coyotes as Jonathan Quick nets US goalie wins record
TEMPE, Ariz. — There was a historic individual accomplishment on the line for the Rangers coming into this game against the Coyotes.
And so the Blueshirts immediately swarmed around Jonathan Quick for a team embrace following a chaotic 8-5 win over Arizona on Saturday at Mullett Arena, which saw the 38-year-old netminder surpass Ryan Miller for the most victories by an American-born goalie in NHL history at 392.
It was no walk in the park against one of the worst teams in the NHL, but the Rangers pulled it together for the sake of one personal achievement.
The only reason it was possible, however, was because of myriad other milestones.
“You do everything you can to not think about it, but it’s there,” said Quick, who made 27 saves in front of a predominantly New York-favored crowd that let the home team know they were there every 10 minutes with Rangers chants.
“It’s kind of a good feeling to get it done and over with. Focus on what’s really important and trying to win the division here and win the conference, right?”
The Rangers continue to strut toward those aforementioned goals after becoming the first NHL team to reach 50 wins this season.
Aside from Quick’s ascension into U.S. hockey history, the Rangers made it happen on the backs of other notable accolades:
- Alexis Lafreniere registered the first five-point night and hat trick of his career.
- Chris Kreider notched the 300th goal of his 12-year Rangers tenure.
- Adam Fox picked up his 300th career point with an assist on the final win-sealing empty-net goal.
“I think it was [an important win],” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “I thought we played a pretty good first and a pretty good third. I thought we lost our way a little bit defensively in the second period.”
There was a 3-3 tie to be broken at the start of the third period, and the Rangers ultimately had the edge in the final period with five goals to the Coyotes’ two.
But it was far from a pretty win for the Rangers, who seemed to sit back every time they generated a substantial lead.
Despite three straight goals from Kreider, Zac Jones and Barclay Goodrow (shorthanded), the Rangers let Arizona score two in a row to make it a one-goal game at the 14:26 mark of the final frame.
Artemi Panarin’s fifth empty-net goal of the season and Lafreniere’s third goal of the night, also an empty-netter, gave the Rangers the cushion they needed to finish out the game.
Ten different Rangers ended up on the score sheet, a testament to the team’s offensive effort.
Even Ryan Lindgren posted three points for the second time in his career.
The 26-year-old defenseman said the whole team was aware of how Quick was on the precipice of history, and there was no need to talk about it beforehand.
The postgame team meeting was longer than usual as pucks wrapped in tape, labeled with each feat, were passed around the locker room.
Hollers and cheers poured out into the golden-hour Arizona sunshine.
Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” blasted in the background.
“We’ve been doing this all year,” Quick said. “It’s a fun team to be a part of. These guys work hard every day. They push each other. That’s what you need. You need that. Every great team has that.”
