LOS ANGELES—Quinton Byfield scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New York Rangers 2–1 on Saturday night, Jan. 20, spoiling Rangers’ goaltender Jonathan Quick’s return.
Kevin Fiala also scored for the Kings, who won for only the second time in 11 games. David Rittich stopped 22 shots.
Quick made 24 saves in his first game in Los Angeles since being traded by the Kings to the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 1 last season.
Quick eventually wound up with Vegas and picked up a third Stanley Cup ring before signing with the Rangers during the offseason.
The Kings honored Quick with a 2-minute tribute on their videoboard during the first period.
“Obviously that ceremony and acknowledgement was really important for a lot of people in that locker room. It was emotional for a lot of our guys and very deserving,“ Kings coach Todd McLellan said. ”He deserved an extra five minutes. It’s too bad we couldn’t stop the clock.”
Quick, who beat the Kings in a Dec. 10 game at Madison Square Garden, tried to deflect the attention he received and the significance of the return to Los Angeles.
“No, they play videos all the time. Just another video,” he said of the tribute. “It was a hockey game, road game, trying to get two points. Came up a little short.”
Chris Kreider scored for the Rangers. New York had a power play for the final 1:39 of the game after Trevor Moore was called for high sticking, but the Kings killed it off.
It was the 25th time in the last 26 chances the Kings have not allowed a goal on the power play.
“I didn’t like the start. Start was no good, we were outworked,“ coach Peter Laviolette said after the Rangers lost for the sixth time in eight games. ”I thought the second and third period we turned it around, but in a tight game like that, you give up that goal in the first and can’t get back in.”
Quick, who turns 38 on Sunday, backstopped the Kings to their Cup titles in 2012 and ’14. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2012 after recording three shutouts in 20 starts.
A third-round pick by the Kings in 2005, he holds the franchise records for goalies in games played (743) and shutouts (57).
“Obviously wanted to win for him. He played incredible,” said Kreider of Quick. “We’re not finding the net right now.”
Four minutes after Kreider tied it, Byfield crashed the net to put the Kings back on top 2–1.
Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s backhand went off Quick’s left shoulder and down his back, but didn’t cross the line. After a rush in front of the net, Byfield was there to bury the rebound at 18:13 for his 13th of the season.
“I just went in there and cleaned it up. That was all Jaret reading the play, making a good move to the net. It was all him and I got rewarded for it,” Byfield said.
Fiala snapped a six-game goal drought with 34.4 seconds remaining in the first period. Moore made a nice pass near the crease to Fiala, who waited for Quick to commit and then fired it into a near-open net after Quick was sprawled on the ice.
Kreider evened it at 14:39 of the second when he redirected Adam Fox’s pinpoint pass into the net and beat Rittich on his short side. Not only was it Kreider’s 21st this season, but it was his 136th road goal with the Rangers, tied for fourth-most in team history.
Alexis Lafrenière took a puck to the face on a shot by the Rangers’ Artemi Panarin with 8:48 remaining in the third period but returned less than two minutes later.
Rangers: Remain in Southern California to face the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night.
Kings: Host the San Jose Sharks on Monday night.
