Rangers 6, Canucks 2: Kartye breaks the tie, New York opens it up

Tye Kartye gave the Rangers the lead twice. The second one held. His goal at 18:25 of the second period broke a 2-2 tie, and New York added three more in the third to beat Vancouver 6-2 Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Kartye had opened the scoring just 27 seconds into the game. Jake DeBrusk tied it late in the first. Will Cuylle put New York back ahead at 2:09 of the second, but Vancouver defenseman Elias Pettersson answered with a shorthanded goal at 16:56. That left the Rangers with a tie game and a missed opportunity on the power play.

Kartye's response came 89 seconds later. Alexis Lafreniere made it 4-2 on the power play at 1:04 of the third, with assists from Gabe Perreault and Mika Zibanejad. Perreault scored at 5:57, and Cuylle added his second goal at 15:22.

Dylan Garand stopped 19 of Vancouver's 21 shots. New York finished with 25 shots. Kartye and Cuylle supplied four of the six goals; Lafreniere and Perreault each had a goal and an assist. J.T. Miller and Zibanejad each contributed two assists. The final NHL record confirms a completed regulation game.

The turning point was the answer to Vancouver's shorthanded equalizer. New York recovered the lead before intermission, then used a power-play goal early in the third to create breathing room. Four unanswered goals turned a close game into a comfortable final. That response is more informative than the margin alone.

The Rangers' official schedule lists Tampa Bay at the Garden on Tuesday, October 13, at 7:15 p.m. Eastern. Sunday's result gives New York a strong finish to build on, with Garand's completed performance recorded separately from any prediction about his next start.