This edition of “Remember When” revisits the first NHL goals scored by current New York Rangers players. In this inaugural edition, we highlight two players who are not only well-known to each other but also beloved by Rangers fans.
Let’s look back at Adam Fox‘s first NHL goal. On October 19, 2019, the Rangers faced the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden. Filip Chytil, making his season debut, scored the tiebreaking goal, and the Rangers netted three goals in just over six minutes late in the third period to secure a 4-1 victory over Tampa Bay.
Ryan Strome contributed a goal and an assist, while Kaapo Kakko and Adam Fox also found the back of the net for New York, which had struggled with a 1-5-1 record in its previous seven games. Alexandar Georgiev made 29 saves to keep the game close for the first 53 minutes, with both goalies delivering key stops.
The breakthrough came when Pavel Buchnevich threaded a pass through traffic to a streaking Chytil, who tipped the puck past Vasilevskiy with 7:14 remaining. Fox then extended the lead to 3-1 by knocking in a rebound off a shot by Chris Kreider, marking his first NHL goal with 2:36 left on the clock. Ryan Lindgren, called up from Hartford the previous day, assisted on the play, earning his first career point.
Speaking of Ryan Lindgren, just a few games later, he added his name to the scoresheet with his first NHL goal. On November 10, 2019, the Rangers faced the Panthers at Madison Square Garden. Lindgren opened the scoring at 5:06 of the first period with a short-side wrist shot that beat Sam Montembeault.
The 21-year-old defenseman initiated the play by pinching into the offensive zone, allowing New York to maintain possession. Ryan Strome then set up the goal with a cross-ice pass.
In that game, Kaapo Kakko scored the lone shootout goal and added a power-play goal, while Strome and Artemi Panarin each notched two assists. Despite Henrik Lundqvist making 30 saves in his third consecutive start, the Rangers’ two-game win streak ended.
The Panthers received goals from Dominic Toninato and Brian Boyle. The Rangers saw goals from Lindgren, Filip Chytil, Brady Skjei, and Chris Kreider, who capped a six-goal second period with a power-play tally at 18:35, giving New York a 5-4 lead.
However, the Panthers tied the game for the third time at 7:01 of the third period when Boyle redirected a slap shot from former Ranger Keith Yandle. Future Ranger Vincent Trocheck scored the shootout winner, leading the Panthers to a 6-5 victory over the Rangers.
More About:Players