Brief

Rangers defeat Lightning 4-1 as Lafrenière nets two goals

Alexis Lafrenière’s early goals and Dylan Garand’s strong goaltending powered New York to its fifth straight home win.

By Felo News Desk · Published Wed, 14 Oct 2026 14:26:24 GMT

Alexis Lafrenière scored twice and rookie goaltender Dylan Garand made 25 saves as the New York Rangers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 on Tuesday night, Oct. 13, 2026, according to the Associated Press.

What happened

Lafrenière opened the scoring 62 seconds into the game, beating Lightning net‑minder Andrei Vasilevskiy with a close‑range effort. He added a second goal at 12:47 of the first period, his seventh of the season, with Ty Kartye assisting on both strikes. Tampa Bay’s Zemgus Girgensons answered late in the first to make it 2-1. In the second period, Will Cuylle redirected a Sean Durzi point‑shot for a third Rangers goal. Mika Zibanejad capped the third period with an empty‑netter at 17:16. Vasilevskiy recorded 19 saves for the Lightning.

What the reports add

The AP story notes that the Rangers have now won five straight home games to start the season, a feat matched only in 1983‑84 (six straight) and 1990‑91 (eight straight). It also mentions that Garand’s performance came after starter Igor Shesterkin was declared out for the season following an injury on Oct. 12.

What was said

Fans in the arena chanted “Dylan, Dylan” after Garand’s key third‑period saves, the report says.

How it came about

New York’s home‑opening win over the Lightning on Oct. 1 ended Tampa Bay’s early‑season streak, and the Rangers have built on that momentum. Garand’s recent start follows his first NHL shutout against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 3, as covered in Felo’s earlier article.

Key facts

Alexis Lafrenière scored two goals for the Rangers. (winnipegfreepress.com)
Dylan Garand made 25 saves in the win. (winnipegfreepress.com)
The final score was Rangers 4, Lightning 1. (winnipegfreepress.com)
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves for Tampa Bay. (winnipegfreepress.com)
The win marked the Rangers' fifth straight home victory to start the season. (winnipegfreepress.com)