Rangers hand Panthers first regulation loss MORE:
Chris Kreider and Adam Fox each had a goal in the first period before K’Andre Miller and Ryan Strome scored 30 seconds apart in the second as New York built a 4-0 lead.
Despite the victory against a top team, New York coach Gerard Gallant wasn't happy with his team's 60-minute effort. “We weren’t as sharp as we’d like to be. We were casual early in the game, out of sync on different facets of the game," said Brunette, who took over when Joel Quenneville resigned last week. ”We got what we deserved tonight for sure."
Fox scored short-handed at 19:54 of the first, sending the Rangers off to rousing cheers with a 2-0 advantage even though the Panthers outshot the home team 11-9. With the teams playing 4-on-4, Miller went end-to-end at 12:48 for the defenseman's first goal of the season.