Rangers 4, Mammoth 2: New York wins a third straight behind a late-game push
Three third-period goals, one of them an empty-netter, gave the Rangers a 3-1 start and left Utah 2-1.
The New York Rangers beat the Utah Mammoth 4-2 at Madison Square Garden on October 4, winning their third consecutive game and improving to 3-1 on the young season. Utah fell to 2-1.
How the scoring went
Vladislav Gavrikov put the Rangers ahead in the first period, and Utah's Nick Schmaltz tied it on the power play. The game then stayed level until the third, when New York pulled away in two stages.
Gabe Perreault gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead early in the third, scoring off a rebound according to NHL.com's game recap. J.T. Miller made it 3-1 later in the period, with the goal coming after a Gavrikov point shot, per the same recap. Utah's Andrew Peeke cut it to 3-2, but Eeli Tolvanen sealed the win with an empty-net goal late. Igor Shesterkin earned an assist on that empty-netter, according to Blue Shirt Banter's account.
Both Schmaltz and Tolvanen have been producing early. NHL.com notes Schmaltz has scored in each of Utah's first three games, and that Tolvanen has a goal in each of the Rangers' first three.
Notable details
Blue Shirt Banter reports that Joe Veleno left the game with an injury in the first period, and that Will Cuylle and Utah's Jack McBain fought early in the third. Torch has not seen an official update on Veleno's status; any injury news should be confirmed with the team before it is repeated.
The Rangers have now won both of their home games this season. NHL.com's recap attributes the third-period turnaround partly to composure, with coach Mike Sullivan saying afterward that a big part of closing games is staying in the moment. Utah coach Andre Tourigny, per the same recap, said his team did not sustain its play in the third period.
What it means
Early-season sample sizes are small, so a 3-1 record says less than it will in November. Still, the way the Rangers got there is encouraging: they were tied entering the third and won the period convincingly, a pattern that matters more than a single result. For Utah, the loss is a reminder that a competitive first two periods are not enough, and that its early scoring has so far been concentrated in a few players.
Torch has deliberately left out shot and save totals, because the two recaps reviewed did not agree on them.