NEW YORK — Jonathan Quick had to wait a month between wins No. 399 and 400, and he made sure he earned the milestone Sunday. Quick outplayed the Vegas Golden Knights’ Adin Hill, whom he had backed up in 2023 en route to his third career Stanley Cup, making 34 saves in a 4-2 win for the New York Rangers.
Teammates mobbed Quick at the final horn, and the public address announcer told fans of the accomplishment over the speakers. Quick is the 15th goalie ever to reach the milestone and the first American.
HISTORIC HUGS. pic.twitter.com/apaFTjGYYq
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 3, 2025
“It means he’s been really good for a long time,” coach Peter Laviolette said after the game. “If you watch him on a daily basis, it’s not hard to figure out why he’s reached that number. It’s his work ethic, it’s the teammate that we get to see on a daily basis.”
“Just grateful,” Quick said.
Vegas controlled the expected goal share (72.7 percent at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick), but Quick saved 1.34 goals more than expected, pacing his Rangers teammates while on the second half of a back-to-back. Across the ice, Hill let in four goals, even though the Rangers generated only 2.19 expected goals in all situations.
The win was more than just a feel-good moment for Quick. It was a step for the Rangers getting back in the playoff picture. They made up ground on the Islanders and Blue Jackets, who are both higher in the standings but lost Sunday. New York also hopped Montreal with the win.
Here are takeaways from the game.
Golden Knights happy for former teammate despite loss
Quick wasn’t with Vegas for long. He came to the team at the deadline, then played only 10 regular season games. He didn’t appear in a postseason contest with the club, though he backed up Hill after Laurent Brossoit went down with an injury.
His lack of playing time didn’t change how beloved he was on the Golden Knights. Zach Whitecloud said he was “incredibly happy for the guy,” even if win No. 400 came at Vegas’s expense.
“If you ask a lot of people who have shared a locker room with Quickie, you’ll hear the same thing: a good person first and good teammate first, and then obviously the legend that he is (on the ice),” Whitecloud said. “He was incredibly valuable to our team at that time and brought in a sense of leadership in our goalie department that I think was valuable, not just for that department but just everyone as a whole.”
Whitecloud said Quick is valuable wherever he goes. Now the Rangers are the benefactors. Laviolette raved postgame about how much he helps young players, including Matt Rempe, who lives with the goalie.
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy caught up with Quick after the game.
“He played games and helped us win, but he was around more for the other goalies in the playoffs: Brossoit, then Hill,” Cassidy said. “I think he had a big effect on calming them down. … That tells you what type of guy he is right there.”
Cassidy wasn’t sure whether Quick would keep playing after the 2023 Stanley Cup, but is glad to see he has. Quick is from Connecticut, so he’s near his family and hometown as part of the Rangers.
“It worked out really well for him,” Cassidy said. “We were certainly pleased to have him.”
The appreciation is mutual. Quick has a Golden Knights logo tattooed next to the Stanley Cup on his side.
New acquisition J.T. Miller picked up a pair of assists in the third period. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Both Millers big in strong third
The Rangers are still more than a J.T. Miller trade away from fixing their roster. The Golden Knights outplayed them the first two periods but struggled to finish, allowing the Rangers to hang around. General manager Chris Drury will probably need more forward upgrades at the trade deadline if New York is going to make the playoffs, let alone be a true contender.
Still, Sunday’s third period showed why the Rangers still won’t be easy to play against with Miller in the fold. Goaltending can keep them in games, as Quick did against Vegas, and New York has enough top-end talent to put together quality stretches of hockey. The Rangers outshot the Golden Knights in the third period and capitalized on both their power plays. They scored three unanswered goals in the period, which Laviolette called a great response to close out the game.
“We know the position we’re in and we know every point matters,” K’Andre Miller said. “Everybody just pulled on the rope a little harder tonight.”
Miller — K’Andre, not J.T. — scored the game-winning goal. Vegas failed to get the puck out of the defensive zone midway through the third, and Artemi Panarin kept it in at the blue line. That led to a chance moments later. Mika Zibanejaad got the puck behind the net and fed Miller at the faceoff circle. The defenseman blasted a puck past Hill and dropped to a knee in celebration. Laviolette trusted the defenseman throughout the night, playing him a team-high 21:55.
New York tightened up defensively on the other end of the ice, keeping the Golden Knights to only seven shots in the third.
“We weren’t able to generate,” Cassidy said. “A couple of looks here and there, but not enough to tie the game.”
J.T. Miller, playing in his second game since Friday’s blockbuster, picked up a pair of assists on the power-play goals in the third period, and Laviolette said he helped drag the Rangers into the game as it went on. K’Andre Miller praised J.T. for the way he makes sure everyone is on the same page as he adjusts to his new club.
“He’s been a great teacher,” K’Andre Miller said. “He hasn’t been here for that long, but just his communication on the ice, off the ice, and (he’s) just doing everything he can to get familiar with the guys as soon as possible.”
Power plays click
The Rangers and Golden Knights were a combined three-for-three on the power play. Jack Eichel, who scored both Vegas goals, made New York pay for a Ryan Lindgren trip late in the first. The Golden Knights won the opening faceoff and controlled the entire power play, which also included Shea Theodore hitting a post. Eichel finally scored, walking into the slot and beating Quick.
Fortunately for the Rangers, that was the last power play they allowed. Will Cuylle got sent to the box for fighting Nicolas Hague after a monster hit on Alex Pietrangelo, but there were offsetting penalties resulting in neither team getting a man advantage.
New York capitalized on both their third-period chances. Zibanejad had a great shift on the first power play, managing to keep a Eichel clearing attempt in the offensive zone. Shortly after, J.T. Miller put a puck on net that snuck through Hill, who had trouble freezing the puck a few times over the course of the game. Zibanejad crashed the crease and put the puck over the line to tie the game. The center was playing in his 900th career game and kept the goal puck as a keepsake.
The power play came through again to ice the game. Chris Kreider drew a hook driving to the net, and brilliant passing set up a goal. J.T. Miller found Zibanejad with a cross-ice pass, and Zibanejad fed Panarin. The winger beat Hill with Kreider screening. He raised his arms above his head in celebration.
The Rangers celebrate Artemi Panarin’s power-play goal late in the third period to ice the game. (Danny Wild / Imagn Images)
Other notes
• Adam Edström (lower-body injury) was out for his first missed game of the season. Laviolette said the team is evaluating him. Jimmy Vesey drew in in his place, playing his first game since Jan. 11 — coincidentally the Rangers’ last game against the Golden Knights.
• Adam Fox followed up a pair of minus-three games with a productive day against Vegas. He found Alexis Lafrenière with a slick pass in transition to set up the Rangers’ first goal.
• Matt Rempe played a season-high 10:08. Laviolette played him throughout the third period, and Rempe rewarded him by drawing an interference penalty ahead of Zibanejad’s goal.
• Zibanejad led all Rangers forwards with 21:03 of ice time, his most since Dec. 2. He’s playing on the wing with J.T. Miller at center.
“I thought it was good yesterday, I thought it was better today,” said Zibanejad, who noted the Rangers still haven’t practiced since Miller’s arrival. “So far, so good.”
(Top photo of Jonathan Quick: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
