James Reimer’s Rangers debut went sideways fast, and the Los Angeles Kings made sure it stayed that way.
Los Angeles rolled to a 6-3 win Monday night at Madison Square Garden, snapping New York’s six-game home winning streak and handing the Rangers their sixth straight loss to the Kings. Reimer, signed by the Rangers on Sunday after one game with AHL Hartford on a PTO, was pulled after the first period following a rough start that saw him allow three goals on eight shots.
The veteran goalie looked out of sync from the jump, and the Rangers didn’t help matters with shaky defensive coverage that started on the opening tally. Dylan Garand took over to begin the second period, but the change in net didn’t stop the bleeding.
Taylor Ward got Los Angeles on the board just 1:15 into the game after taking a pass from Drew Doughty and beating Reimer between the pads. Brandt Clarke made it 2-0 at 4:52 during a delayed penalty sequence, deflecting in a Joel Armia feed after the Kings kept possession with an extra attacker on the ice.
New York finally answered when J.T. Miller scored at 13:01, his shot taking a deflection off Tye Kartye’s skate and slipping in. But the Kings regained control late in the period, with another former Ranger, Artemi Panarin, helping set up the play that led to Doughty’s goal at 17:32 for a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes.
Panarin was a factor all night in his second game back in New York after the Rangers traded him to the Kings just before the 2026 Winter Olympics in February. He finished with a power-play goal and an assist, and his second-period tally came just 14 seconds after Braden Schneider was whistled for tripping Ward.
That goal pushed the Kings ahead 4-1, and they weren’t close to being done. Corey Perry won a faceoff back to Mikey Anderson, who scored at 6:54 to make it 5-1. Clarke appeared to add another at 7:26, but Rangers coach Mike Sullivan successfully challenged for goaltender interference and the goal was wiped out.
The Rangers clawed back a little after Brian Dumoulin was called for slashing, with Adam Fox scoring at 13:05 on a shot through traffic for his first goal of the season. Fox was playing in his 500th NHL game.
New York still couldn’t generate enough pressure to threaten a full comeback. In the third period, the Rangers had only scattered chances while Los Angeles worked to keep play to the outside. Tye Kartye made it 5-3 at 16:08 after Sullivan pulled Garand for an extra attacker, but Joel Edmundson shut the door 29 seconds later with an empty-net goal.
The Rangers’ offense wasn’t the only issue. Their goaltending change didn’t produce the reset they needed, and Garand stopped 15 of 17 shots while taking the loss after allowing the deciding goal to Panarin.
Darcy Kuemper did his part at the other end, stopping 22 shots and improving to 12-4-0 lifetime against the Rangers. The Kings have now outscored New York 24-10 during their six-game winning streak in the series.
For Peter Laviolette, the night was a triumphant return to MSG. The former Rangers coach, dismissed after the 2024-25 season, collected his 849th regular-season win and moved into a tie with Ken Hitchcock for sixth on the NHL’s all-time list.
The Rangers now get five days off before facing the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. They’ve dropped three straight and have allowed at least five goals in each of those losses.
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