Familiar face Jonathan Quick shuts down the Kings in 4-1 win by Rangers
NEW YORK — Mika Zibanejad and Jimmy Vesey scored second-period goals, Jonathan Quick made 25 saves against his former team and the New York Rangers downed the Kings 4-1 on Sunday night.
The Kings lost their second straight road game after winning an NHL-record 11 consecutive games away from home to start the season. The Kings lost 3-2 in overtime to the New York Islanders on Saturday.
Vincent Trocheck had three assists, and Jonny Brodzinski and Will Cuylle also scored for the Rangers, who had lost two straight for the first time this season.
Quick, who improved to 8-0-1, made an acrobatic glove save on Carl Grundstrom at 13:38 of the third, eliciting cheers from the crowd.
Kings forward Phillip Danault ruined Quick’s shutout bid at 6:37 of the third with a power-play goal. Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar assisted. Danault left the game midway through the first after he was accidentally struck in the face with a puck shot into the Kings’ zone by Zibanejad. He returned wearing a cage as extra facial protection.
Brodzinski scored on a power play at 11:32 of the third to put the Rangers ahead 3-1.
Jonathan Quick led the Kings to two Stanley Cup championships, but for them to contend again the front office needed to make changes.
Cuylle made it 4-1 with his fifth at 15:24.
Zibanejad put the home team on the board with a power-play goal at 8:27 of the second when he one-timed a pass from Trocheck past Kings goaltender Pheonix Copley.
Artemi Panarin also assisted on the goal and has points in 21 of 26 games this season.
Vesey made it 2-0 at 17:27 of the second, sliding a backhand through Copley’s pads. Copley had 23 saves.
Quick played parts of 16 seasons for the Kings, with 370 wins and 2.46 goals-against average. In addition to winning Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, he was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2011-12 and 2015-16.
He finished last season with Vegas after he was traded to Columbus but didn’t play a game for the Blue Jackets. Quick signed a free-agent contract with the Rangers last summer.
The Rangers have won four straight against the Kings and five of their last six meetings with Los Angeles.
New York improved to 10-2-1 against teams from the Western Conference and 6-0-0 against Pacific Division teams.
