Hughes scored 34 seconds into the game, taking a pass at the left point, passing defenseman Jacob Trouba in the slot and scoring on a backhand that beat Shesterkin’s blocker to make the score 1–0.

Zibanejad made it 1-1 at 2:31 by deflecting K’Andre Miller’s point shot from the left circle and catching Silovs sliding the other way.

“We played a really good first period, maybe one of our best,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “We could have done a few things differently that might have helped prevent (the first goal), but to come right back and score, that’s important to me.”

Cuylle got behind the Canucks defense on a substitution and made it 2-1 at 2:38 with a breakaway wrist shot over Silovs’ glove.

“The puck was spinning like crazy, so I didn’t want to hang on to it much because you never know how it’s going to behave when it’s spinning like that,” Cuylle said. “So I just tried to let it do its own thing and then hit it hard.”

Kiefer Sherwood tied the score at 2–2 at 5:39 p.m., taking a cross-ice pass from Pettersson and scoring on a wrist shot from the right face-off spot.

Kakko put New York ahead 3-2 at 8:45 of the second period when Cuylle’s ice pass deflected off defenseman Carson Soucy’s skate and found Kakko, who tucked it into the open net.

“Kind of lucky,” Kakko said. “I just went to the net, found the puck and tried to shoot, that’s all.”