SEATTLE — The Rangers’ season-high five-game road trip got off to a strange start Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena. Issues with poor lighting inside the building caused a delay early in the first period and created a situation in which the teams were forced to switch ends in the middle of all three periods in an attempt to even up the effects of the uneven lighting.
The Rangers managed to overcome any adversity caused by the lighting issues and got the trip off to a winning start, beating the Seattle Kraken, 4-1.
“Some of the discussion was they were thinking about playing it tomorrow, so it was like, no, we were all dressed here, let’s play,’’ Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick said. “I mean obviously, that was a little odd. But at the end of the day, everyone’s dealing with it, right? So I’m just glad it worked out the way it did.
“Right off the bat, like I noticed it was a little darker,’’ Quick said. “I didn’t know — like it’s Climate Pledge Arena, right? I didn’t know if they’re using something like energy-efficient bulbs or something. That’s literally what I was thinking.’’
Artemi Panarin had two goals and Filip Chytil had three assists for the Blueshirts (3-2). Their linemate, Alexis Lafreniere, also had a goal, giving the line three goals and six points.
“For me, I want it darker so it’s harder for goalies,’’ Panarin joked. “That’s why I scored two.’’
Kaapo Kakko scored the Rangers’ other goal and Quick, making his first start as a Ranger after signing with the team as a free agent over the summer, made 18 saves to earn the victory.
The game was stopped 1:09 into the first period because of the lighting problem and play resumed about 10 minutes later. With 9:50 remaining in the period, the teams changed ends.
The Kraken led 1-0 at that point, as defenseman Justin Schultz beat Quick with a one-timer from the left-wing circle at 8:41.
“It was kind of crazy, to be honest with you…
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