The Rangers put out the Canadiens

Rangers torch Montréal with four in the first

Fifty-four seconds in

Qualification night lights all 32 candles, and the Montréal Canadiens' wick had barely caught when Mika Zibanejad snapped one home 0:54 into the game, with Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin assisting. The stakes were the Gauntlet's simplest: lose and go dark. Montréal knew that ending too well. The New Jersey Devils doused the Canadiens on qualification night a year earlier. The New York Rangers came in having finished 1st of 32 last season. Montréal had finished 28th.

Four before the midpoint

Jonny Brodzinski's wrist shot followed 1:11 later. At 6:40 Reilly Smith snapped in the winner, unassisted. Filip Chytil then tipped in a power-play goal at 11:05, set up by Smith and Kaapo Kakko. Samuel Montembeault's night ended with 6 saves on 10 shots, and Cayden Primeau stopped 32 of the 35 he faced after him.

Nick Suzuki answered twice: a tip-in at 12:52 of the first, then a power-play backhand at 5:35 of the second. Braden Schneider, a defenseman, replied with a wrist shot at 8:57 to make it 5-2.

Gloves off, lights out

At 7:11 of the third, Mike Matheson and Jacob Trouba fought, and Matheson picked up an instigator minor and a 10-minute misconduct on top of his five. Chytil snapped in his second at 15:41, and Kakko scored 0:38 later. Igor Shesterkin made 21 saves on 23 shots. For a second straight Gauntlet, the Canadiens went cold on qualification night. The Rangers burn on, one of 26 flames still lit.