Quick sets record, Rangers top Coyotes for 5th straight victory

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Jonathan Quick made 27 saves for his 392nd NHL win, surpassing Ryan Miller for the most ever by a United States-born goaltender, and the New York Rangers became the first team to 50 wins this season with an 8-5 victory against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena on Saturday.

“You do everything you can to not think about it, but it’s there,” Quick said. “It’s a good feeling to get it over with and get it done and focus on what’s important -- winning the division and winning the conference.”

New York defenseman Ryan Lindgren said: “It’s an honor to play with him and it’s an honor to be part of a night like this. We didn’t help him out a whole lot, but it’s really cool for him to get that record.”

Alexis Lafreniere scored his first NHL hat trick and had two assists, Artemi Panarin had a goal and three assists, and Chris Kreider scored the go-ahead goal in the third to begin a five-goal period for the Rangers (50-20-4), who won their fifth in a row and seventh in their past eight games. Lindgren had a goal and two assists.

“What an amazing career for [Quick], and Lafreniere continues to play really well; five points, three goals and his line was dangerous the entire night,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said.

The Rangers, who staged comebacks to win their previous three games, scored the first three goals in the third to take a 6-3 lead after Arizona tied it 3-3 with back-to-back goals in the second period. New York leads the NHL with 104 points and is three points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes for first in the Metropolitan Division.

“Whether we're up a couple or down a couple, whatever the situation is, we have that confidence that we've won similar types of games throughout the year,” Quick said., “Today it's up a couple and they tie it up and you get feeling it could go either way, but we found a way.”

Nick Bjugstad, Logan Cooley and Matias Maccelli each had a goal and an assist for the Coyotes (31-38-5), who had won two straight and five of seven. Karel Vejmelka made 24 saves.

“Their pushback, the third period was frustrating,” Arizona forward Lawson Crouse said. “We go in tied and [to] allow them to score three goals is no good. Against the top team in the League, you can’t do that.”

Quick is 17-5-2 this season with four straight wins and eight in his past nine as the backup to Igor Shesterkin.

“He’s been so good for so long, for him to get that milestone is pretty unbelievable,” Lafreniere said.

Kreider gave the Rangers a 4-3 lead at 5:45 of the third, scoring in front after having an apparent goal in the second period overturned. It was his 300th NHL goal.

Zac Jones scored 1:31 later to make it 5-3 at 7:16 before Barclay Goodrow’s unassisted short-handed goal at 9:33 made it 6-3.

“Today it was back and forth, a little up-and-down game, but they've got a good young team,” Laviolette said. “Sometimes you look at the standings and you can get fooled. So, I was happy with the fact we came out in that third period and we got the job done.”

Crouse’s power-play goal at 12:21 cut it to 6-4, and Cooley scored at 14:26 to make it 6-5.

“We generated enough offense, but we had some major breakdowns, we had some mental mistakes,” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. “That’s frustrating. The game was there for us [in the third period].”

Panarin’s empty-net goal at 17:35 extended it to 7-5, and Lafreniere also scored into an empty net with 15 seconds remaining to complete his first hat trick for the 8-5 final.

“It’s good to get that first one,” said Lafreniere, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft by New York. “I’m just playing my game and playing with confidence.”

Lafreniere gave New York a 1-0 lead at 14:15 of the first period after Panarin’s touch pass at the red line created a 2-on-1.

Lindgren extended it to 2-0 at 1:59 of the second, scoring from the low slot off Adam Fox’s pass from the corner.

Maccelli cut it to 2-1 at 6:27. Josh Doan’s secondary assist gave him five points (two goals, three assists) in his first three NHL games.

Lafreniere’s second goal 18 seconds later at 6:45 pushed it to 3-1. Vincent Trocheck, who had two assists, turned the puck over on the forecheck before setting up Lafreniere in front.

Clayton Keller cut it to 3-2 at 11:06 before Bjugstad tied it 3-3 at 19:18.

Rangers captain Jacob Trouba, a defenseman, returned after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. He had 22:29 of ice time with three shots on goal, four blocked shots and five hits.

“He was trying to battle, he was trying to compete,” Laviolette said. “Guys go out for a month. I think it takes a minute to get back up to where you were. But I have no doubt he’ll continue to get better.”

NOTES: Miller, who played for the Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks, had 391 NHL wins. … New York is 22-5-2 in its past 29 games. … Panarin has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) during a five-game point streak.… Rangers defenseman Adam Fox’s two assists gave him 300 for his career. … Keller has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) during an eight-game point streak.