How did the New York Rangers win their first game of the season?

MONTREAL (AP) — Alexis Lafreniere snapped a third-period tie with a power-play goal in his first NHL game back home, and the New York Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Saturday night for their first victory under new coach Gerard Gallant.

Lafreniere, the top pick in the 2020 draft, grew up about an hour from Montreal in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. He scored for the Rangers (1-1-1) just 26 seconds after Jonathan Drouin pulled Montreal (0-3) even.

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The 6-foot-2 left wing, who turned 20 on Monday, also needed stitches to close a cut on his chin sustained in the game.

“It was just really special to score, especially in Montreal,” Lafreniere said. “The building was electric, it was pretty fun and I got a couple of stitches tonight so it’s worth it.

“I’ve been dreaming about it for a while, but to live (it) and to be able to score is the cherry on top of the sundae.”

With the Bell Centre crowd still buzzing over Drouin’s goal, Lafreniere took a pass from Mika Zibanejad and beat goalie Jake Allen, who had no time to make the save.

Gallant believes Lafreniere is learning a lot playing with Zibanejad and Chris Kreider on New York’s top line.

“He is getting better. He’s playing a better two-way game and we’re really happy with the progress we’ve made,” the coach said.

Gallant was happy to see Lafreniere enjoy success on a day he had circled on his calendar for a long time.

“He deserves it,” Gallant said. “He’s had a really good training camp, he’s a really good kid and he’s playing really well for us.

“Obviously, he’s an emotional kid and I think he felt pretty good about scoring in this building and it means a lot to him, so it was fun.”