Kings vs. Rangers: Drew Doughty's Three-Point Night Hands New York Its First Home Loss

James Reimer had been a New York Ranger for roughly a day when he took the crease at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. The Los Angeles Kings scored on their first two shots against him, chased him after 20 minutes and never let the Rangers breathe.

Drew Doughty scored once and set up two more as Los Angeles rolled to a 6-3 win, handing New York its first home loss of the season. For a Kings team that did not win any of its first six games, this road trip is starting to look like a hostile takeover.

"Yeah, that was nice," Doughty said, per NHL.com. "I haven't had a night like that in a minute."

Two Shots, Two Goals, One Rough Debut

The Kings did not waste time. Taylor Ward, playing in his first game of the season, slipped behind the New York defense and took a pass from Doughty in stride, then beat Reimer on a breakaway just 1:15 in. At 4:52, with a delayed penalty coming, Brandt Clarke tipped home his third goal of the season for a 2-0 lead. According to NHL.com, it was the first time since Feb. 7, 2021, that the Kings scored on their first two shots of a game.

Ward made sure the credit went around. "It was just a great breakout by (Trevor Moore) and Drew," he said.

Reimer's backstory makes the night even rougher. The 38-year-old played one game this fall before New York called, a 35-save American Hockey League shutout on Saturday, and the Rangers signed him on Sunday. Monday he gave up three goals on eight shots and was replaced by Dylan Garand to start the second period. That is less a debut than a fire drill.

Mike Sullivan took the blame himself. "I put him in a tough spot and that's on me," the Rangers coach said.

The Answer That Broke New York

The Rangers did get a crack in the door. At 13:01 of the first, a Tye Kartye shot hit J.T. Miller's right skate and found its way past Darcy Kuemper, cutting it to 2-1. For about four and a half minutes, the Garden had something to believe in.

Then Doughty killed the vibe. At 17:32, he wound up for a one-timer from the point and buried it for his first goal of the season, restoring the two-goal cushion. Doughty knew exactly what that goal meant.

"If we give up a goal, we can't deflate, we need to go and get the next one," he said. "That's what the best teams I've ever played against, or on, do."

That goal is the hinge of the whole night. Instead of carrying a one-goal deficit and a fresh goalie into the second period, the Rangers opened the middle frame chasing two goals, and the Kings smelled it.

Artemi Panarin welcomed Garand to the game just 90 seconds into the second, threading a power-play shot from the left circle for his team-leading seventh goal. Doing it against his former team at the Garden only added flavor. At 6:54, Mikey Anderson won a puck off the draw and blasted a slap shot past Garand for his first of the season, and it was 5-1.

"We played the game fast and we made good decisions," Kings coach Peter Laviolette said, "and we attacked."

Doughty, Panarin and a Very Balanced Bill

Doughty finished with a goal, two assists and a plus-3 in 21:37. It was his first three-point game since Feb. 22, 2025, and the 17th of his career, tying Rob Blake for the second-most by a defenseman in Kings history behind Steve Duchesne's 19. He also passed Dustin Brown for seventh on the franchise's all-time scoring list with 713 points.

Panarin added an assist to his goal, Alex Laferriere had two helpers, and Joel Edmundson had a goal and an assist. Ward, Anderson and Edmundson all scored their first goals of the season. NHL.com noted that all 18 Los Angeles skaters were on the ice for at least one Kings goal, which is the hockey version of everyone getting a participation trophy, except they actually earned it.

Kuemper made 23 saves on 26 shots for his third win of the season. Garand stopped 15 of 17 in relief.

New York's Late Pushback

The Rangers chipped away. Adam Fox scored from the point on a power play at 13:05 of the second, his first goal of the season in his 500th NHL game. Kartye made it 5-3 with the net empty and the Rangers skating 6-on-5 at 16:08 of the third. That was as close as it got. Edmundson iced it into the empty net 29 seconds later.

Miller was blunt about the bigger picture. "We weren't playing Rangers' hockey and that has been the case lately. It's an issue we need to fix," he said.

Stats That Matter

• 2 for 2: the Kings' first two shots, both goals, inside the first five minutes.
• 26-26: an even shot count. This one was about finishing.
• 18 to 15: New York's giveaways against Los Angeles', a lot of free pucks for a team that does not need gifts.
• 713: Doughty's career points, now seventh in Kings history.
• 18 goals: what the Rangers have allowed across their three-game losing streak.

Kings Rising, Rangers Sliding

Los Angeles improved to 3-5-2 with eight points and has won three of its last four, all on the road, after going 0-4-2 to start. The Kings are 3-1-0 on this five-game trip, which wraps in Chicago on Tuesday. Laviolette framed the stakes clearly. "You know, 4-1 on the road trip and a 10-game segment, one point under .500 for the start that we had, there's a lot to play for tomorrow and I think the guys know that," he said.

New York dropped to 7-6-1 with 15 points and has lost three straight, after a 5-4 loss in Toronto and a 7-4 loss in Ottawa. The Rangers were unbeaten at the Garden until Monday, and they trailed at home for the first time all season. Sullivan put it on preparation. "We've got to fix that fast," he said. New York hosts Edmonton on Sunday.

The Closing Take

Every Hollywood comeback needs a scene where the underdog walks into the big city and takes over the room. The Kings, buried at 0-4-2 just nine days ago, just did it at the most famous arena in hockey, with a veteran defenseman throwing out modern slang and a former Ranger scoring on his old rink.

Doughty might not have had a night like that in a minute. Los Angeles, suddenly, is having a moment.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes from NHL.com's game recap; additional details as reported by the Associated Press and NHL.com.