Phoenix 4, NY Rangers 1
When: 10:00 PM ET, Thursday, October 3, 2013
Where: Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees:
Tom Kowal, Ian Walsh
Linesmen:
Mike Cvik, Kiel Murchison
Attendance:
17125
By SportsDirect Inc.
Coyotes 4, Rangers 1: Radim Vrbata recorded his fifth career hat trick and Mike Smith turned aside 23 shots as host Phoenix spoiled the New York coaching debut of Alain Vigneault.
Kyle Chipchura also tallied and Martin Hanzal notched a pair of assists for the Coyotes, who emerged victorious in their first game under new ownership.
After registering a hat trick in the 2012-13 regular-season finale, Vrbata continued his scoring frenzy on Thursday. The Czech gave Phoenix a 2-1 lead at 7:05 of the second period by skating past defenseman Dan Girardi and cleaning up a rebound in the slot. Vrbata scored on a blast from the point during a power play at 1:10 of the third before capping his natural hat trick 6:13 later by tapping a loose puck over Henrik Lundqvist (28 saves) from the doorstep.
Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson pinched in to keep the puck in the New York zone, leading to Chipchura depositing Rob Klinkhammer's centering feed past Lundqvist to open the scoring at 3:36 of the first period.
The Rangers forged a 1-1 tie 3:38 into the second as Rick Nash skated into the offensive zone and fed defenseman Marc Staal, who wired a shot from the left faceoff circle past a sprawling Smith.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Vigneault replaced John Tortorella, who was fired after 4 1/2 seasons with the Rangers. Ironically, Tortorella replaced Vigneault in Vancouver after the latter was bounced following a pair of first-round losses. ... Phoenix LW Paul Bissonnette served the first contest of a three-game suspension for leaving the bench for a fight in the preseason. ... Lundqvist fell to 4-1-0 in his career versus the Coyotes. ... The Rangers open the season with a nine-game road trip as Madison Square Garden undergoes renovations.
Top Game Performances
| NY Rangers |
|
Phoenix |
|
Marc Staal 1 |
Points |
Radim Vrbata 3 |
|
Marc Staal 1 |
Goals |
Radim Vrbata 3 |
|
Rick Nash 1 |
Assists |
Martin Hanzal 2 |
|
Marc Staal 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Radim Vrbata 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Henrik Lundqvist .875 |
Save Percentage |
Mike Smith .958 |
|
Henrik Lundqvist 28 |
Saves |
Mike Smith 23 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| NY Rangers
|
24 |
1 |
1-4 |
2-3 |
18 |
22 |
| Phoenix
|
32 |
4 |
1-3 |
3-4 |
30 |
26 |
Upcoming Games
-
Phoenix will play their next game on the road against San Jose. The Coyotes have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
-
NY Rangers will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Rangers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.