The Los Angeles Kings made goaltender James Reimer’s debut with the New York Rangers a nightmare and their season-opening six-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden a memory. L.A. scored three times against Reimer in the first period on the way to a 6-3 victory on Monday night, their sixth straight win over the reeling Rangers.

Reimer, who signed a contract with the Rangers earlier in the day after one game, a 2-0 shutout, with AHL Hartford on Friday after inking a PTO, looked like a rusty goaltender who wasn’t used to the speed of the NHL. The 38-year-old allowed three goals on nine shots. Admittedly, his teammates were little help — the Rangers’ defensive coverage was awful, especially on the game-opening goal by Taylor Ward.

While the Rangers’ 6-0-0 streak at home ended abruptly and Reimer’s first game was one to forget, former Blueshirts’ coach Peter Laviolette was all smiles in his return to MSG after being fired following the 2024-25 season. It was Laviolette’s 849th regular-season win, tying him with Ken Hitchcock for sixth on the all-time NHL list.

Another ex-Ranger who enjoyed the Kings’ lone visit to the Garden this season was forward Artemi Panarin, who had a power-play goal and an assist. It was his second game in New York after the Rangers traded him to the Kings just before the 2026 Winter Olympics in February.

Four defensemen — Brandt Clarke, Drew Doughty, Mikey Anderson and Joel Edmundson — also scored for the Kings, who haven’t lost to the Rangers since a 4-1 defeat at the Garden on Dec. 10, 2023. Los Angeles has outscored the Rangers 18-7 (before Monday) in the six wins.

J.T. Miller, Adam Fox and Tye Kartye scored for the Rangers, who’ve lost three straight and allowed at least five goals in each loss. Reimer surrendered three goals on eight shots in his one period of action. Dylan Garand replaced him to start the second period and allowed 15 goals on 17 shots. Garand wound up with the loss after allowing what proved to be the winning goal to Panarin.

Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper continued his career-long success against the Rangers. He finished with 22 saves and improved to 12-4-0 lifetime against New York.

The Rangers have a much-needed five-day break in the schedule that should give them some time to get Reimer up to speed and work on plugging their defensive holes. They’d better tighten up — their next opponent is the Edmonton Oilers, led by NHL scoring leader Connor McDavid, who come to the Garden on Sunday.

Kings rout Reimer, end Rangers’ home winning streak with x-x win

The Rangers had allowed just two first-period goals while winning their first six games at the Garden. But the Kings, who came into this game having scored just 21 goals in nine games, scored twice before the game was five minutes old and led 3-1 at intermission.

Ward, playing his first game of the season with the Kings after being recalled from Ontario of the AHL on Oct. 17, put Los Angeles up 1-0 just 1:15 after the opening face-off. The son of former NHL forward Dixon Ward, who finished his NHL career with the Rangers in 2003, took a pass from Doughty that sent him in alone for a shot that beat Reimer between the pads.

It became 2-0 at 4:52 when Clarke scored during a delayed penalty. Noah Laba was set to be called for holding, but the Kings controlled the puck while Kuemper was replaced by an extra attacker. Joel Armia carried the puck below the right face-off dot and threw it toward the net; Clarke came unchecked from the left side and deflected the puck past Reimer.

Two shots and two goals by the Kings. One nightmare for Reimer and his new teammates.

The Rangers managed just one shot on Kuemper through the first 12-plus minutes. Miller did hit the post, but then got back to the front of the net and picked up his fourth goal of the season when Kartye’s pass hit his skate and deflected into the net at 13:01.

New York began controlling the tempo during the next few minutes, but the Kings found their game again and regained their two-goal lead on a play started by Panarin.

The Breadman controlled the puck along the left wall, worked his way toward the middle and fed Edmundson. He fed defense partner Doughty, whose long straightaway slapper beat a heavily screened Reimer at 17:32 to make it 3-1.

The Kings outshot the Rangers 9-5 in the opening 20 minutes and out-attempted them 27-19. New York’s defenders blocked 10 shots; the attackers missed the net on 10 of their 19 attempts.

If the Rangers and their fans thought the goaltending change to begin the second period would provide a spark, they were sadly mistaken. Braden Schneider was called for tripping Ward at 1:16, and the Kings needed just 14 seconds to capitalize.

Panarin played catch with another ex-Ranger, defenseman Erik Gustafsson, before firing a high shot from the left circle that went off Garand’s arm and into the net to make it 4-1.

It became 5-1 at 6:54 when Corey Perry won a left-circle draw back to Anderson, who beat Garand cleanly for his first goal of the season. Clarke appeared to score his second of the game at 7:26 when he took a rebound away from Garand and shoveled the puck into the net. But Rangers coach Mike Sullivan successfully challenged for goaltender interference, and the goal was waved off.

The Rangers failed on their first power play after Doughty was sent off for holding at 8:20, but they capitalized on their second, a slashing call against Brian Dumoulin at 12:40, to cut the deficit to 5-2.

Fox, who was playing in his 500th NHL game, scored at 13:05 when his straightaway wrister from just inside the blue line sailed through traffic and past Kuemper. It was his first goal of the season to go along with 16 assists.

The Rangers managed only occasional bursts of offense in the third period, while the Kings were content to try to keep them to the outside. Sullivan lifted Garand for an extra attacker with 5:30 remaining, and Kartye cut the Kings’ lead to 5-3 at 16:08.

But all that did was pin the loss on Garand (who allowed the game-winner) instead of Reimer; Edmundson ended any hopes of a miraculous comeback 29 seconds after Kartye’s goal when his lob from behind the Kings’ net sailed down ice and into the empty net.