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Garand stops 27 for first NHL win as Rangers down Blackhawks 6-1

By ALLAN KREDAโ€ขYahoo Sports

NEW YORK (AP) โ€” Jonny Brodzinski scored twice, Adam Sykora scored his first goal and Dylan Garand made 27 saves for his first NHL win as the New York Rangers downed the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1 on Friday night. J. T.

Miller, Matthew Robertson and Alexis Lafreniere also scored as the Rangers snapped a six-game losing streak. The 23-year-old Garand, who made his debut Sunday at home against Winnipeg, a 3-2 shootout loss, allowed only a goal by Chicagoโ€™s Nick Lardis late in the first period. Chicago has lost four of its last five.

Lardis finished off a passing play with Tyler Bertuzzi and Alex Vlasic late in the first. But Miller tied it less than a minute later with his 15th goal of the season. Sykora, who debuted in Wednesdayโ€™s 4-3 loss at Toronto, beat Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom cleanly at 8:20 of the second.

The 21-year-old Sykora was a second-round pick in 2022. Brodzinski scored 16:07 into the second period, then added his second of the game with 4 minutes left. The victory was just New York's fifth home win in regulation.

New York is 10-18-7 at the Garden. Defenseman Drew Fortescue also made his Rangers debut. The 20-year-old defensemen โ€” a third-round pick in 2023 โ€”- assisted on Brodzinski's second goal.