The Rangers snuff the Penguins

Fox fires twice and the champions burn on

No mercy for champions

The New York Rangers came to PPG Paints Arena holding a share of last season's Gauntlet. On qualification night that bought them nothing: one loss and a flame goes dark. The Pittsburgh Penguins knew that well. They went cold on this same night two years ago against the Florida Panthers, and the Columbus Blue Jackets ended their run in last season's round of 16.

The Rangers struck first while a man down. Juuso Parssinen sat for tripping at 07:17 of the 1st, and at 07:40 Mika Zibanejad buried a short-handed wrist shot, set up by Sam Carrick and Adam Fox.

Fox takes over

Ben Kindel tied it with a wrist shot at 03:04 of the 2nd, from Caleb Jones, 15:24 after the opener. The tie lasted 3:02. Fox, a defenseman, wristed one home off an Adam Edstrom feed at 06:06, and that goal held up as the winner.

Then Kindel's night turned on him. He went off for hooking at 07:42, and Will Cuylle deflected in a power-play goal at 09:25. Kindel sat again at 16:33, for too many men on the ice, and at 16:38 Fox ripped his second, on the power play, from Artemi Panarin and J.T. Miller.

Pittsburgh goes dark

Matt Rempe deflected one in at 05:40 of the 3rd and Taylor Raddysh closed it with a wrist shot at 14:12. Igor Shesterkin stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced, while Arturs Silovs saw 30. The Penguins' candle was doused on night one. Twenty-three flames still burn, and the Rangers' is one of them.