Kakko's late goal lifts Rangers past Canadiens 4-3

NEW YORK (AP) — Kaapo Kaako scored a power-play goal with 24 seconds left, and the New York Rangers stopped a five-game slide by topping the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Saturday.

Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad also scored for the Rangers, who got their first win since a 4-3 victory at Vancouver on Nov. 19. Adam Fox had two assists, and Jonathan Quick made 25 saves.

With Montreal’s Kirby Dach serving a four-minute, high-sticking penalty, Kaako got his fourth goal of the season.

The Canadiens trailed 3-1 after two periods. But Cole Caufield scored his 14th goal 4:16 into the third and Nick Suzuki tied it at 14:07.

Trocheck tipped the puck past Montreal goaltender Sam Montembeault at 19:56 to put New York ahead after Panarin and Montreal’s Mike Matheson scored earlier in the first.

Panarin put the Rangers ahead at 9:02, scoring on a 5-on-3 for New York’s first power-play goal since Nov. 12 at home against Winnipeg.

Matheson tied it at 11:47.

Montembault made 24 saves for Montreal.

Canadiens: dropped to 3-7-1 on the road.

Rangers: Forwards Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil returned to the lineup. Kreider missed three games with an upper-body injury while Chytil was out for seven after colliding with teammate K’Andre Miller on Nov. 14. Reilly Smith and Jonny Brodzinski were scratched.

Seeking an early spark, New York captain Jacob Trouba fought Montreal’s Josh Anderson 1:58 into the contest. It appeared to give the Rangers a collective jolt that was missing in recent games.

The Rangers are 11-1-0 when scoring first. It was the 1,700th home win in franchise history.

The Canadiens visit the Boston Bruins on Sunday. The Rangers host the New Jersey Devils on Monday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

New York Rangers center Adam Edstrom (84) passes the puck around Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) shoots in front of Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette looks on in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson (17) fights New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson (17) fights New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson, left, is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)