Olen Zellweger scored a third-period goal but the Ducks could not find a late equalizer in tonight's road trip opener, a 2-1 setback to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
The loss dropped Anaheim to 3-3-1 on the season and 1-2-1 on the road.
Zellweger scored the lone goal for the Ducks, cutting the visitors' deficit in half with seven minutes to play. Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry collected assists. Lukas Dostal stopped 31-of-33 New York shots in his sixth start of the season.
Ryan Lindgren and Will Cuylle scored for the Rangers, who improved to 6-1-1 and reclaimed the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Veteran netminder and longtime King Jonathan Quick earned his 395th career win with 29 saves.
After a scoreless first period, Dostal kept the game level early in the second with a blocker stop on a breakaway chance for New York's Filip Chytil.
Quick answered later in the period with his best stop of the first 40 minutes, robbing Mason McTavish on a one-timer from the slot.
So despite a combined 48 shots on the board through two, the night's first goal would not come until just over four minutes into the third, when an errant passed intended for Alexis Lafreniere instead found Lindgren, who slammed it home for the eventual game-winning goal.
The goal was the 11th of Lindgren's six-year NHL career. With the primary helper, Panarin extended his season-opening point streak to eight games. Now in his sixth season with New York, Panarin co-leads the NHL in scoring with Minnesota's Kirill Kaprizov and Colorado's Cale Makar.
Cuylle first appeared to double the host's lead with 11 minutes to play, but the goal was quickly wiped out by a successful Anaheim offside challenge. The Ducks are now 2-for-2 on offside challenges this season.
The centerman would get a second chance though and this time convert for real, redirecting the puck with his foot into the net amidst a scramble in the Anaheim crease. The goal would be reviewed for a potential kicking motion but was ultimately upheld.
Down two late in the third though, the Ducks kept skating and finally broke through to get back within a goal as Zellweger snuck behind the defense at 4-on-4 and tipped home Carlsson's centering attempt.
