Rangers finally win at Madison Square Garden, scoring six goals vs. Predators

No one thought the Rangers would go an entire season without winning a game at Madison Square Garden. They were bound to win a game at home eventually.

“Eventually’’ was Monday night.

The Rangers had been shut out in their previous two home games and in five of their previous seven at the Garden, but they were bolstered Monday by the  return of center Vincent Trocheck and the addition of prospect winger Gabe Perreault,  and the floodgates finally opened for them.

Artemi Panarin had two goals and Mika Zibanejad, Vladislav Gavrikov, Alexis Lafreniere and Will Cuylle also scored  in a 6-3 victory over the struggling Nashville Predators. 

“They’ve been pressing for this for a number of games now,’’ coach Mike Sullivan said. “I thought the guys did a great job. We didn’t try to do too much.’’

Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves. The Predators’ Matthew Wood had a hat trick with two goals on the power play and a third in the game’s final minute with the result already assured.

The Rangers (8-7-2) had been 0-6-1 at home, and the six goals they scored Monday matched their total in their first seven home games combined. With the puck finally having gone in, maybe it will continue to do so the rest of the way.

“Yeah, hopefully,’’ said Lafreniere, who also had two assists and seemed to be flying and making plays all night. “Hopefully we can keep scoring. You know, today it was good. We can be happy with it, but we’ve got to keep going. We’ve got a lot of work to do still.’’

Trocheck, who missed 14 games with an upper-body injury, returned to his old spot centering the second line between Panarin and Lafreniere. He said he felt great in his return, although his wind wasn’t quite where he’d hoped it would be. He ended up playing 17 minutes, 26 seconds and had two assists and two minor penalties.

“I don’t know if I felt 100%,’’ he said with a laugh. “My wind was taking some time to get back. You can’t simulate a game. I’ve been [skating hard] for a couple of weeks now, and it’s not the same. It’s just getting out there and battling and stuff like that. So hopefully the next games I feel a little bit better.’’

Sullivan said Trocheck’s return and Perreault’s presence gave the team a lift.

“They brought us some juice,’’ he said. “Troch is such an important player for this team — just his presence alone, from a leadership standpoint, his demeanor [helps]. And then you know, obviously, his talent and what he does on the ice . . . But his presence alone, I think, was a huge boost for the group, especially given the circumstance at home here.’’

Perreault, who had been leading AHL Hartford in goals, assists and points   when he was recalled Sunday,  skated on the top line with Zibanejad and J.T. Miller. He had an assist, his first NHL point.

Zibanejad opened the scoring midway through the first period when he took a pass from Adam Fox in the neutral zone, burst up the middle, splitting two defensemen, and went forehand-backhand-forehand against Juuse Saros for the goal at 10:39.

It was the Rangers’ first goal at the Garden since Taylor Raddysh scored his third goal of the game to force overtime in the 6-5 overtime loss to San Jose on Oct. 23. In the six home games the Rangers had lost in regulation, they had been outscored 17-1.

Nashville (5-9-4) tied the score at 16:16 on Wood’s first power-play goal, but the Rangers retook the lead on Gavrikov’s goal at 18:07. He took a pass from Trocheck above the circles and whipped a shot through traffic that got past Saros for his second goal of the season.

The Rangers scored three goals on four shots in the second period. Lafreniere started it with a power-play goal at 1:23, taking a pass from Perreault and driving to the net before slipping a backhander between Saros’ pads for his third goal of the season.

Panarin made it 4-1 at 7:51 with his first goal on a one-timer through traffic off a pass from Lafreniere. Cuylle scored his fourth goal of the season with 9.6 seconds left in the period, taking a pass from Noah Laba on a three-on-two rush.

Saros, who allowed five goals on 12 shots, was replaced by Justus Annunen to start the third period.

Wood scored his second power-play goal with 12:48 left in the third, but Panarin’s second goal, a cheeky shot from behind the goal line that banked in off the skate of Annunen, made it 6-2 at 13:30.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.