Jonathan Quick brilliantly got best of former team to help Rangers get right in win

This was one that Jonathan Quick circled in red on the calendar when the schedule was released over the summer.

This is one that the Rangers’ netminder and his team turned into a blue, red and white celebration at the Garden with Sunday’s impressive 4-1 triumph over the Kings, the team of course with which Quick built his Hockey Hall of Fame résumé over 16 years, 370 victories, two Stanley Cup championships and one Conn Smythe Trophy.

“I mean obviously, yeah, it’s special, right? It’s a game when this summer, when the schedule comes out, you know you’re playing them,” the 37-year-old netminder said after his 25-save performance boosted his record to 8-0-1. “The effort from the guys in front of me, slowing them down in the neutral zone, blocking shots, the way we played defensively, it was tremendous.”

If Quick had some added motivation, so did his teammates, who rallied around No. 32 as if he’d been a member of the family for generations. The fans were in full throat in support of the Connecticut native who broke their hearts in 2014. All seems to have been forgiven.

“It’s a long day. You’re thinking about it. You just want the game to start,” said Quick, who lowered his GAA to 2.20 while elevating his save percentage to .922. “Having never played them before, the way it ended there, you’re kind of replaying a lot of memories through the day.

“Once you get out there, it’s a hockey game, and you’re kind of fully focused on that.”

There are those folks who believe the Rangers treated Henrik Lundqvist disrespectfully by buying out the King following the 2019-20 season. In fact, that liberated Lundqvist to seek a new start after he had been demoted to third-string the second half of the season.

When Quick’s game declined the last couple of years, and seemingly dramatically so last season, LA did not wait until the end of the season to officially cut ties with their legendary netminder, even as he was on the final year of the club-friendly, 10-year, $58 million contract extension he’d signed a couple of weeks after the first Cup.

Instead, the Kings sent No. 32 to Columbus with a first-rounder for goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (a rental who later signed with Ottawa as a free agent) and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov on March 1.

A day later, the Jackets flipped Quick to Vegas, where he was part of an injury-necessitated three-goaltender setup before serving as backup/third goalie for the Golden Knights’ playoff run that culminated with his third Cup ring.

By the way, would you know Quick’s last game as an LA King? That would have been last Feb. 26 at the Garden against the Rangers. It was rather an ignominious farewell appearance with Quick pulled at 3:37 of the second period after allowing three goals on seven shots in the Blueshirts’ 5-2 victory.

This was an important one personally for Quick, who was spry in his movements, repeatedly flashed his glove with a flourish and was mighty feisty in net when the Kings crashed the blue paint, as they did repeatedly in a third period that was filled with emotion after a low-event opening 40.

But this was also a pretty important one for the Rangers, whose level had slipped over the fortnight in splitting six games while being outscored 25-16 and losing three times by four goals. For the first time, the club was on notice.

“We didn’t play our best game and you want to try and give a great effort to win a game,” said Quick, whose 383 career victories rank second among U.S.-born goaltenders, eight shy of Ryan Miller. “At the end of the day, we wanted to bounce back as a group.

“That’s the focus and obviously you have other stuff filtering through your head throughout the day. If this gave the guys a little more motivation, great, we obviously responded and played a terrific game.”

The Blueshirts matched the Jimmy Vesey-Barclay Goodrow-Tyler Pitlick unit and the Jacob Trouba-K’Andre Miller defense pair against LA’s top line that featured Anze Kopitar, Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe. The quintet did a masterful job — Goodrow returning after a one-game absence with a full shield and added jaw protection after taking a puck to the face on Tuesday—within this match in which the Rangers buckled down for the full 60.

Vincent Trocheck was splendid. Adam Fox had his best night since returning from LTI on Nov. 29. The power play was electric. Structure returned in this victory over an LA team that entered the night with a 16-4-4 record. The Rangers exited 19-6-1. Quick exited with a significant notch in his belt.

“I think players are aware and they recognize when a player has a career like that and success in one city and he’s facing his team for the first time,” said an emotive head coach Peter Laviolette. “And then to come in here and play as well as he has for us and now to see that matchup against his old team, everyone was pumped about that.

“I thought it was fantastic.”