Sullivan’s Line Changes Spark Rangers’ Comeback Win over Flyers

Posted on November 6, 2026 by Derek

Following a good start, a bad second period threatened to send the New York Rangers to a fifth defeat in their last six games. Instead, head coach Mike Sullivan pushed the right buttons to give the Rangers a boost in a 3-2 comeback win over the Flyers at Madison Square Garden.

Despite being ahead on an early goal from J.T. Miller, which was later changed to Gabe Perreault, the Rangers never got the second goal that could’ve made life easier in their final home game before a four-game road trip.

Even though they carried most of the play throughout the first part of the game, there was a sneaky feeling that the Flyers would find a way to tie it up. Not long after Pavel Dorofeyev hit his sixth goalpost of the season, the Rangers hit a lull, which allowed the Flyers to seize control by a scoring a pair of goals less than two minutes apart to suddenly grab a 2-1 lead.

It happened rather quickly. With the Flyers coming on, they finally drew even thanks to Simon Benoit beating Dylan Garand from long range on a Noah Cates screen in front with 9:50 remaining. A Braden Schneider clearing attempt was intercepted by Tyson Foerster, who set up Benoit for his first of the season.

On another strong forechecking shift that saw the Flyers work the puck from up top to down low, Jamie Drysdale fed Denver Barkey, who then centered for a Noel Acciari finish to make it two straight goals over a 1:59 span. This time, the Rangers third line had a tough time defensively with the Flyers puck movement. Barkey was able to wheel around Vladislav Gavrikov to find Acciari for a 2-1 lead with 7:51 left.

The Rangers tried to respond on the next shift. With a goal later credited to him due to having a Miller deflection of a Marcus Pettersson shot go off his jersey, Perreault had a tip-in stopped by Joseph Woll. Prior to Sullivan deciding to make the line switch for the fateful final period, the Miller line with Perreault and Tye Kartye were making things happen. But they weren’t getting enough help from Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Alexis Lafreniere.

Prior to the second concluding, Sullivan started to shake things up by having Dorofeyev take a shift with Noah Laba and Oliver Bjorkstrand, whose hustle resulted in the Rangers’ first power play. After having his first shot saved, Bjorkstrand got to a rebound and put it back on Woll with Laba crashing the net to draw a Nick Seeler slashing minor.

Instead of regaining the momentum, a flat power play from mostly a disjointed first unit drew some boos from the MSG crowd. Both Dorofeyev and Zibanejad overstayed their shift to allow the Flyers’ penalty killers to get an easy clear that left the Rangers second unit with ample time to work with. All they could muster was a long Adam Fox shot that was turned aside.

Making matters worse, Schneider took down Cates to put the Flyers on the power play with 1:58 left. Fortunately, the Rangers held to stay within a goal as the period concluded.

With not much happening for his top line, Sullivan went back a combination that’s worked. By elevating Perreault back up with Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere, whose game has stagnated, it nearly resulted in the Rangers tying it. Following a Woll save that denied Alberts Smits of his first NHL goal, Lafreniere connected with Perreault for a shot in the slot that Woll handled. That one play demonstrated the chemistry the two have when they’re teamed up with Zibanejad.

Although Dorofeyev has been tried on the big line, he isn’t clicking with Zibanejad or Lafreniere/Perreault. Based on how well they play together, the Rangers are better off keeping Zibanejad, Perreault, and Lafreniere intact. They play well off each other and seem to know their tendencies.

By moving Perreault back up, Sullivan opted to drop Dorofeyev to the third line with Laba and Will Cuylle. In his abbreviated time there, Dorofeyev responded positively by playing a simpler game. On an active offensive shift, he unleashed a pair of heavy shots, including one that Woll made a good save on. A third attempt missed high and wide. For some reason, the energy Cuylle and Laba provide seem to rub off, which definitely got Dorofeyev going.

Desperate for a third period comeback, Sullivan shortened up his bench by going with three lines. That included Bjorkstrand getting bumped up with Miller and Kartye. A combination that worked once before.

Needing something to happen, Kartye gave it to the Rangers by drawing a slashing minor on Barkey for a second power play. Unlike the first one, they connected this time thanks to some persistance. After taking a Fox pass on the wall, Zibanejad stuck with it to make a saucer pass to Dorofeyev that he got all of for an all-important game-tying power-play goal with 6:08 left. It was a big relief for the streaky scorer who’s been a bit unlucky.

Back at even strength, a good defensive sequence led directly to Kartye scoring on a breakaway. After taking a Bjorkstrand feed, Fox looked up and found Kartye ahead with a splendid stretch pass that sent Kartye in for his fifth. A perfect snapshot that went top shelf for the game-winner with 4:39 remaining.He continues to produce in a top six role.

Picked up by the Rangers from the Seattle Kraken off waivers last year, the 25-year-old Kartye has been a great fit with Miller, who he has terrific chemistry with. Now up to a dozen points, he looks like a good candidate for an extension. Following the season, he’ll be a restricted free agent. Only making $1.25 million, Kartye is going to get paid more than double that amount on his next contract. We’ll let Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury worry about that.

After Kartye’s big goal, the Rangers made it stand up by limiting the Flyers down the stretch. Garand was only called on to make three saves. The only close call was when Trevor Zegras sent a slap shot wide in the closing seconds. Garand finished with 23 saves on 25 shots to earn his second consecutive win.

Most importantly, the third period comeback was the Rangers first so far. They improved to 8-2-0 at home.

THREE STARS

3rd Star Pavel Dorofeyev notched game-tying power-play goal (5) with 4 SOG in 15:02

2nd Star Tye Kartye scored game-winning goal (5) at 15:21 in 3rd, +2 in 20:06

1st Star Adam Fox 2 assists (18, 19) in game-high 25:28

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Rangers Place Reimer on Waivers and Durzi on IR

Posted on November 5, 2026 by Derek

In an unsurprising roster move, the Rangers placed James Reimer on waivers. Reimer will still serve as the backup for tonight’s game against the Flyers.

As expected, Dylan Garand makes his 12th straight appearance when he gets the start for the Rangers. If he can follow up a strong 32-save effort in a 3-1 victory over the Blues on Nov. 5, that could help the Rangers finish 2-2 on a four-game homestand, which began with losses to the Kings and Oilers.

Reimer was signed out of necessity due to the team’s issues in net. He made one start against the Kings and gave up three goals on eight shots before being chased after one period on Oct. 26. Since then, he’s been the backup the past two games. Thursday night could mark his third and final appearance in that capacity.

Korpisalo Due Back for Rangers

Following a start for the Hartford Wolf Pack in which made 34 saves on 37 shots during a 4-1 loss to the Hershey Bears last night, Joonas Korpisalo is due back soon for the Rangers. He’s expected to join the team this weekend during their four-game road trip that begins on Saturday against the Kraken on Nov. 7.

In the meantime, Korpisalo could get another tuneup with the Wolf Pack visiting the Rochester Americans tomorrow night.

Durzi Placed on Injured Reserve

In another move that didn’t come as a surprise, the Rangers placed Sean Durzi on the injured reserve retroavctive to Oct. 26.

Acquired in the offseason from the Mammoth as part of the Vincent Trocheck trade that also netted 20-year-old center Cole Beaudoin, Durzi had been paired up mostly with Marcus Pettersson. In 14 games together, they had a 46.86 Corsi rating and were on for six goals for and seven goals against over 187:28 per Natural Stat Trick.

Durzi was playing through an injury before Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan finally sat him out for the last two games. Taking his place in the lineup has been Scott Morrow. So far, he’s played well by picking up his first assist of the season and being on for two goals. If he continues to show improvement from 2025-26, it could force Sullivan to make a tough decision when Durzi returns.

“Of course there is. Performance matters. Guys that make an impact — a positive impact on the game — are going to be in the conversation for being in the lineup. We have these discussions before every game as a coaching staff. Which 12 forwards and six defensemen give us the best chance to win tonight, and why? I always start with that question. I know it sounds simplistic. We drill into a whole lot of detail after that, but that’s the question that we’re trying to answer every single day,” Sullivan told reporters earlier today.

The Rangers have gotten better play from Braden Schneider over the last two games. A potential candidate to come out of the lineup for Morrow, he’s stepped it up while playing with Pettersson on the second pair. Schneider had one of his strongest showings on Tuesday finishing with five hits, a blocked shot, and six attempts in 22:10, which included some stellar work while shorthanded (5:43).

Sullivan Looking for More from First Line

For the second straight game, Sullivan will stick with the same lineup. That includes the newly formed first line, featuring Pavel Dorofeyev alongside Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. He’s looking for more from the line as a whole to keep them together.

“There’s more there. We’re hoping that they can establish some chemistry. We rely on those guys to produce offensively for us on a consistent basis. I think that line has the makings of being a line that can make an impact for us. We’re trying to be patient with them. We’ll wait and see how it goes, but I do think there’s more there.”

Dorofeyev had just one shot and two attempts in 13:15, including 9:54 at 5-on-5 while working with Zibanejad and Lafreniere. As a line, they had a 66.67 CF but were outshot 5-3. Despite creating several scoring chances, including two high-danger chances, they didn’t factor into the scoring.

The Rangers will need more from all three later tonight.

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Rangers Loan Korpisalo to Wolf Pack for Conditioning Stint

Posted on November 4, 2026 by Derek

A day following their first victory in five games, the New York Rangers loaned Joonas Korpisalo to the Hartford Wolf Pack for a conditioning stint that’ll begin tonight against the Hershey Bears.

Acquired in the offseason from the Boston Bruins, Korpisalo was expected to serve as the Rangers backup goalie behind starter Igor Shesterkin. However, plans dramatically changed when Shesterkin suffered a season ending right knee injury against the Washington Capitals on Oct. 9.

Korpisalo didn’t start the season on time due to a foot infection that’s kept him out of action for five weeks. While he’s been sidelined, the Rangers have been forced to rely on rookie Dylan Garand in the net. As expected, he’s been up and down due to the much heavier workload in the NHL. After permitting 13 goals in his previous three starts, he was superb in making 32 saves in a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Due to the sudden lack of goaltending depth, Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury signed free agent goalie James Reimer as insurance. In his only start against the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 26, he allowed three goals on eight shots in the first period before Garand replaced him in what amounted to a 6-3 loss.

Since then, Reimer’s served as the backup. With the Philadelphia Flyers in town to visit Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, there’s little doubt that will be the case again with Garand set to make his 11th start in 12 games. He gives the Rangers the best chance to win for the time being.

With Korpisalo finally ready to play his first game for the Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League, that’ll hopefully go well enough for him to return in time for a tough four-game Northwestern swing that begins against the Seattle Kraken this Saturday. The road trip will also include a rematch with the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 9, the Calgary Flames Nov. 11, and conclude at the Vancouver Canucks Nov. 13.

A Road Unkind

So far, the road has been unkind for the Rangers. The last time they were away from MSG, the Rangers suffered ugly defeats to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. They allowed 12 goals in the two losses with Garand in for each. The defensive structure broke down, leaving Garand exposed.

The Blueshirts have only won once in seven away games. That came back on Oct. 2 when Garand recorded his first shutout in a 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. He finished with 22 saves to pick up his first win of the season.

That feels like a lifetime ago with the Rangers’ goaltending situation entirely different. They’re hoping the more experienced Korpisalo can help lessen the pressure on Garand, who’s done about as good a job as could’ve been asked. He’s 5-6-1 with a 2.57 goals-against-average and .905 save percentage.

We’ll see how things go for Korpisalo on Wednesday night

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Rangers Snap Losing Streak Behind 32 saves from Garand

Posted on November 3, 2026 by Derek

Finally, there was a reason to smile again for the Rangers. Thanks to some stellar work from Dylan Garand, they snapped a four-game losing streak by earning a much deserved 3-1 win over the Blues at MSG.

Garand finished with 32 saves to earn the game’s first star. That included some critical early ones when the Blues started quickly. He was particularly sharp in the first part of the opening period, which included a nice stop on Mason McTavish after he got around Alberts Smits on a delayed high-sticking minor on Scott Morrow.

With the Blues on the first of six power plays due to the Rangers taking mostly undisciplined stick infractions that drew the ire of head coach Mike Sullivan, Garand continued his strong start by denying Robert Thomas on a deflection. He had to be good with the parade to the penalty box that allowed St. Louis to get most of their 10 shots early in the first period.

Following a good penalty kill of a Jaroslav Chmelar hooking minor, the Rangers finally started to get some traction. Alexis Lafreniere was taken down by Theo Lindstein to put the home side on their first power play.

After the new top unit that included Gabe Perreault didn’t get much done, it was a different second unit that created better opportunities. With captain J.T. Miller shifted down while linemate Tye Kartye replaced the ineffective Eeli Tolvanen, they nearly hooked up for a goal. Following Joel Hofer making a pair of saves on Will Cuylle, Kartye was all set up in the slot but he missed the net. The second unit produced four shots without getting the desired result.

Another welcome change was the return of Matt Rempe, who joined the recently recalled Chmelar and Noah Laba on an effective crash line. Throughout most of their shifts, they spent more time on the forecheck in the offensive zone. If Sullivan was looking for an injection of energy, they provided it.

Despite starting slowly, the Rangers were outshot 10-9 in the first. The momentum they grabbed over the second part continued into an inspired second period that saw them dictate most of the terms at 5-on-5.

Before the period was two minutes old, they grabbed the lead thanks to a heads up play from Kartye. After taking a Miller feed, Kartye gained the offensive zone and pulled up to make a smart back pass for a quick Adam Fox shot that beat Hofer for a 1-0 led. It was Fox’s second of the season.

The Rangers continued to play well afterward. They were more connected in all three zones. Sullivan’s gamble of shifting Cuylle to center paid off. The new third line that included Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand were effective throughout the game. Bjorkstrand nearly increased the lead to two on a strong shift. Eventually, he’d get rewarded later on for his effort.

Despite the teams combining for 26 shots (15-11 Rangers) in the second, only one goal was scored due to the goaltending. While Garand held up his side with some strong work, Hofer made some tough stops, including an acrobatic recovery to deny Mika Zibanejad.

For a goalie who took over the Blues crease from Jordan Binnington, Hofer is a bit unorthodox, but gets the job done. St. Louis isn’t a great team by any stretch of the imagination. But if you have a chance to see them, it should be reserved for Hofer, who made 28 saves in a losing effort.

Following yet another successful kill of a mind-numbing stick infraction (Zibanejad for hooking) in the third period, Bjorkstrand finally got the all important second goal thanks to some great teamwork from Cuylle and Tolvanen. After batting a puck out of midair, Cuylle made a nice pass across for Tolvanen, who fed an open Bjorkstrand in front for his sixth to make it 2-0.

A few minutes later, Perreault came close to increasing it to 3-0. However, a video review overturned a goal due to him kicking the puck in. Initially, Perreault made a nice hand-eye coordination play by batting the puck towards Hofer. But the replay showed that it was a distinct kicking motion to negate the goal. He was a bit more noticeable while playing with Miller and Kartye on the second line. Hopefully, Perreault can get it going when the Rangers host the Flyers on Thursday night.

With Hofer on the bench for an extra attacker, Fox made a nice defensive play up for Miller, who found Tolvanen at center ice for the empty netter to seal the victory.

Unfortunately, Garand’s shutout bid was spoiled with just under a minute left on a Pius Suter shot that took an unlucky bounce and went in. Despite the late goal, it didn’t ruin what was a good win. The Rangers attacked better and defended more like a five-man unit to make it easier on Garand, who made his 11th straight appearance.

THREE STARS

3rd Star Will Cuylle secondary assist, 3 SOG, +1 in 18:19

2nd Star J.T. Miller 2 assists, 4 SOG, 15 and 6 on faceoffs, +2 in 20:10

1st Star Dylan Garand 32 saves on 33 shots

Durzi Sits Out Again

For the second straight game, Sean Durzi sat out due to an injury. Matthew Robertson was recalled from Hartford and was a healthy scratch. Luke Glendening also was a scratch due to the lineup changes.

With Durzi remaining out, Morrow joined Smits on the third pair for another game. While Smits had some tough moments, Morrow had another solid night finishing plus-2 with two shots in 13:07. So far, so good for him. He hasn’t looked out of place. If only there was a way to keep him in the lineup.

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Poor Starts Hurting Rangers

Posted on November 2, 2026 by Derek

It’s all well and good for Mike Sullivan to emphasize the positives out of the Rangers’ 4-1 loss to the Oilers like he did following last night. However, he’s wrong when he indicated that he didn’t think his team started slowly against the well oiled machine led by Hart frontrunner Connor McDavid.

“Just from an energy standpoint or even a momentum standpoint, I felt like the guys had the right intentions. The first goal is a tough one. McDavid is a unique player. He ramps up speed like that, he’s hard to stop. Other than that, I thought for the most part, I don’t feel like the start was the reason–the start of the scoreboard was, but I don’t necessarily agree that it was a lack of being ready when the puck drops. I didn’t feel like that was the case tonight.”

How else would he describe McDavid turning on the afterburners to leave Vladislav Gavrikov in the dust to score a highlight reel goal at 50 seconds into the game? It was another McDavid moment where he does something spectacular that leaves those who are lucky enough to cover the sport speechless.

There hasn’t been a more physically gifted superstar in the NHL since the legendary Mario Lemieux. At 29, McDavid shows no signs of slowing down. His torrid start that’s seen him put up video game numbers has McDavid with a league-leading 30 assists and 39 points in only 15 games.

He would later help set up a power play goal from Evan Bouchard, who’s off and running by leading all defensemen with 26 points. Bouchard had a goal and two assists to help improve Edmonton an NHL best 11-2-2 under Mike Babcock. The Oilers are playing a different brand of hockey under the demanding Babcock, who has them more committed defensively.

Despite having journeyman Matt Tomkins in net, the Oilers did a good job playing in front of him to limit the Rangers offensively. The frustrating aspect is that by not being ready at the outset, they did themselves no favors. For the fourth straight game, an opponent scored first. In fact, the only time over the last seven games that the Rangers didn’t trail was in a 5-2 win over the Ducks on Oct. 19. Since a 6-2-0 start to the season, they’ve lost six of seven (1-5-1).

The slump coincided with their first meeting against the Devils. A 7-1 humiliation that was never close back on Oct. 15. Defensively, the Rangers have had too many lapses the past three weeks. While it’s true that they needed a save from Dylan Garand on a Colton Dach shot that made it 2-0 Oilers on Sunday, it’s a lot to put on an unproven first-year goalie who didn’t even know where he’d wind up before the start of the season. Garand went from being on waivers to becoming the first option for the Rangers due to a season-ending injury to Igor Shesterkin and a foot infection to Joonas Korpisalo.

With the 24-year-old netminder coming back to earth, there’s been a lot of unfair criticism of him from frustrated fans. These are the same people who couldn’t understand why he was put on waivers. Now, their tone has changed from Garand deserved to make the roster to him not being an NHL goalie.

The lack of patience from a fan base that wants instant gratification isn’t realistic. It’s still too early for anyone to draw any conclusions on the former 2020 fourth round draft pick selected by the Rangers 103rd overall. The truth is that he’s appeared in every game since Shesterkin went down against the Caps on Oct. 9. That isn’t an ideal situation for a rookie goalie who only had three career starts entering 2026-27.

Korpisalo’s injury has hurt the Rangers’ depth. Perhaps that explains why Chris Drury made the move to acquire the veteran backup from the Bruins in exchange for a fourth round pick in 2028 and prospect Kalle Vaisanen on July 1. You can never have enough goaltending in this league. What might’ve felt like an unnecessary trade due to Garand having to go on waivers now looks much more logical. It isn’t like he was picked up by the other 31 teams.

In fact, only two goalies were claimed. Remi Poirier went from the Stars to the Devils, and Clay Stevenson went from the Caps to the Jets before the season. The latter became the backup behind Stuart Skinner in Winnipeg due to Connor Hellebuyck refusing to report to training camp. We know how that turned out. He was dealt to the Devils over a week ago and has since won his first two starts.

The Rangers’ situation is totally different from most teams. They lost their best player less than six games into the season, which suddenly made Garand going unclaimed crucial. The problem was that they didn’t have a good enough emergency backup if their top two goalies were out.

Garand made every start due to the organization not trusting journeyman Spencer Martin. Following consecutive defeats in which he struggled against the Leafs and Senators, Garand was expected to get a night off. However, they rushed veteran James Reimer after signing him. The result was the Kings chasing him by scoring three times in the first period, which forced Garand back into action. He wasn’t any better giving up two early goals that put the Rangers in a 5-0 hole they couldn’t climb out of. Ultimately, they lost the game 6-3 for their first loss at MSG.

Even a five day break wasn’t enough time for him to reestablish himself. Following the defeat, he was very critical of his own performance. “I just felt like I was overthinking it a little bit there. Honestly, I felt really good in the second 30 minutes, and I thought my first 30 minutes was awful. Let the guys down. Pretty disappointing, put that loss on me.”

It’s commendable that Garand is so accountable. However, that doesn’t explain why his teammates didn’t come out of the gate more quickly. They knew what they were up against. Even with it being the second of a back-to-back for the Oilers following a 4-0 shutout over the Islanders, the Rangers weren’t sharp enough to take advantage. It’s unacceptable.

Aside from the play of the fourth line, the rest of the forwards didn’t get going until the second period. That included the new first line that I suggested a week ago, with Pavel Dorofeyev joining Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. As a unit, they spent a lot of time in the offensive zone, which resulted in Dorofeyev scoring his fourth goal to cut it to 3-1. The trio held a 10-3 edge in shots and were a 66.67 Corsi (16-8) for the night. Hopefully, that’s something they can build upon when the Blues visit MSG tomorrow.

A costly penalty from Noah Laba in the offensive zone led directly to Bouchard rifling in a power-play goal that gave Edmonton a 3-0 lead prior to the Dorofeyev tally. It was a rough night for Laba, who took a needless holding minor on Connor Murphy to put the dangerous Oilers on the man-advantage which they cashed in on. Laba and Will Cuylle started with Gabe Perreault before Sullivan switched Oliver Bjorkstrand onto the third line. They were unable to establish much, combining for only a single shot while allowing six in an uneven performance.

As hard as he plays, with exceptional work on the penalty killing unit, Laba isn’t bringing enough to the table offensively. In 15 games, he doesn’t have a goal yet despite getting 14:44 of ice time. He’s a reliable defensive center whose work in the dots (58.7 percent) is impressive for a second-year player. But the lack of production is a legitimate concern. What if the Rangers had a more skilled center who could provide offense that would benefit Cuylle and Bjorkstrand? Laba is better suited as a fourth line checking pivot.

Making matters worse, Perreault struggled once again to establish himself. After being elevated to the second line with J.T. Miller and Tye Kartye, the trio posted an anemic 28.57 CF (4-10) and were outshot 5-2. Normally, Miller and Kartye are at the top of the chart due to their relentless forecheck. At the very least, it’s a small sample size. If they remain intact with the more creative Perreault, that has to improve.

Sullivan made one other change in the third period. With his team trailing 3-1 and on the power play, he gave Perreault a shift with the top unit over Miller. They were able to generate more with Lafreniere getting robbed by Tomkins on a good Zibanejad pass in front. It makes sense to keep Perreault on that nunber one unit and move Miller down to the second unit for Tuesday night.

Based on today’s practice, it looks like Sullivan is going to do just that and see if it works. As a team, the Rangers are 8 for 40 (20.0 percent) and rank 18th so far. It hasn’t been clicking enough lately. Sticking Perreault on the top unit should provide a boost. Of his seven points, three have come on the power play.

Morrow Impressive in Season Debut

With Sean Durzi ruled out before the game due to an injury that he’s been nursing, that meant Scott Morrow made his season debut. After patiently waiting for his chance, he made the most of it by picking up the primary assist on the Dorofeyev goal.

He skated with rookie Alberts Smits on the third pair. In particular, Morrow was very active in the neutral zone, using his speed to help create offense in transition. In 15:02, he finished with three shots and eight attempts. Given how well he skates, it’s worth finding out more for the next game.

According to Mollie Walker of the NY Post, Durzi missed practice, which meant the defensive pairs remained the same. That included Braden Schneider working with Marcus Pettersson on the second pair.

Changes A Coming?

It could be more changes a coming for tomorrow’s game. During Monday’s morning skate, Laba was moved down to the fourth line with Taylor Raddysh and Matt Rempe.

Cuylle was featured at center with Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen on the third line. Over his five-year career, Cuylle hasn’t played much center. In fact, he’s only taken 171 draws in 264 games, going 76 and 95 (44.4). In limited time on faceoffs, he’s won more than he’s lost (21-18) this season.

If they believe putting Tolvanen up with Cuylle and Bjorkstrand can create more offense for the third line, it’s worth a shot. Bjorkstrand’s scored five goals despite it mostly coming from the fourth line. Cuylle has four goals, including three at even strength. Tolvanen has three goals but two are empty netters. He is capable of contributing secondary scoring.

We’ll see if Sullivan actually goes with this new look, which would signal the return of Rempe to the lineup. He’s only played in two games thus far, with the last coming in a win over the Lightning on Oct. 13.

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Slumping Rangers Should Consider Sending Smits Down

Posted on October 27, 2026 by Derek

Following the latest disappointment in the form of a 6-3 loss to the Kings that marked the first time they dropped a home game, the Rangers finally get a much needed break in the schedule.

With five days off, they should consider sending Alberts Smits down. The 2026 fifth overall pick has been okay so far with the Rangers. In 14 games so far, he’s still without a point with a minus-4 rating while averaging 14:41 of ice time. A superb skater, the first-year defenseman has made more mistakes lately. However, that’s going to happen with a young player who doesn’t turn 19 until December 2.

There’s no downside to letting Smits get into some more game action in the American Hockey League. It might prove beneficial for Smits to get into some games with the Wolf Pack this week. He could then receive top minutes for Hartord while being able to regain some traction. With the Wolf Pack playing this Thursday, Saturday, and on Sunday, it probably makes the most sense for his development.

With Connor McDavid and the explosive Oilers next up at Madison Square Garden on November 1, the Rangers could recall Matthew Robertson and have him play on the third pair instead. Smits could then come back up when the Rangers host the Blues in a week on Election Day. Two days later, they’ll then take on the Flyers at MSG on November 5.

Rangers Continue to Struggle Defensively

In losing a season high three consecutive games, the Rangers have struggled defensively. In all three defeats to the Leafs, Senators, and Kings, they’ve fallen behind early. Outside of coming back to grab a 4-3 lead in Toronto on Oct. 24, they’ve been chasing the game.

Simply put, there hasn’t been enough time spent in the offensive zone. With the lone exception of the second line anchored by captain J.T. Miller, who scored for the third time in the last four games, it’s been a lot of one and done for the top line. Mika Zibanejad has struggled lately to establish much along with slumping second-year forward Gabe Perreault (1-0-1 in last seven games). They’ve been too reliant on Alexis Lafreniere, who picked up an assist on an Adam Fox power-play goal late in the second period.

Perhaps it’s time for Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan to consider making a change. He had Pavel Dorofeyev play exclusively with Noah Laba and Will Cuylle on the third line on Monday night. Despite Cuylle setting up Dorofeyev for his third goal in the third period against Ottawa, there was no carryover with the third line finishing with a dismal 34.78 CF rating while being on for a goal against and outshot 6-2.

Dorofeyev, who once again had a shot go off the goalpost – would be better off being moved up to play with Lafreniere and Zibanejad. A combination that hasn’t been tried by Sullivan yet. That would require moving Perreault down to the second line where he could play with the cohesive Miller and Kartye, who continues to be a pleasant surprise.

With Dylan Garand on the bench, he scored a nice goal to pull the Rangers within 5-3 before Joel Edmunson banked in an empty netter from his own end to seal the deal.

Reimer Day to Day with Upper Body Injury

In his first start of the season, it was a night to forget for James Reimer. The first shot he saw came on a breakaway from Taylor Ward, who beat him five-hole at 1:15 for the Kings’ first goal.

It didn’t get any better, either. The 38-year-old Reimer allowed three goals on eight shots in a tough first period that saw the Rangers completely out of sorts. That included a Brandt Clarke deflection that made it 2-0.

After Miller got the Rangers within one, Reimer couldn’t pick up a Drew Doughty point shot that went stick side to make it 3-1. It looked like he was a bit slow to react due to not enough reps. The NHL game speed is very different from the AHL, which unfortunately showed for Reimer. Perhaps getting some extra time to work on things in practice will help sharpen up the veteran.

It was revealed earlier today that Reimer is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Hopefully, the extra time off will allow him to fully recover in time for this weekend.

Garand’s Slump Continues

Called upon in relief, Garand wasn’t much better. Similar to Reimer, the second shot he saw went in, when former Ranger Artemi Panarin was able to beat him glove side with a wrist shot on the power play 90 seconds into the second period.

While he couldn’t be faulted for that one, following an untimely Braden Schneider tripping minor, Garand let in a long Mikey Anderson shot to beat him to put the Rangers behind 5-1. He didn’t do a good enough job picking it up. The Rangers needed a save in that spot, which he was unable to provide.

The Kings nearly made it 6-1 moments later. Clarke thought he had his second of the game when he put in a loose puck that Garand didn’t seem to have control of. However, Garand felt that he was interfered with, which led to Sullivan challenging for goalie interference. Despite the replays indicating that he never had it completely underneath his equipment, they reversed the call on the ice due to Clarke pushing it in.

Had it counted, it would have been another example of Garand not fully controlling a rebound. An area he’ll have to improve on when the Rangers resume play. At the very least, he settled down to make 15 saves on 17 shots in relief.

Sullivan Changes Defensive Pairs

Due to their recent play coming down, Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi were split up by Sullivan during the second period. On the Kings’ first goal, Durzi didn’t recover in time following a pinch to prevent a Doughty pass that allowed Ward to find enough gap space to break in and score his first of the season.

With that pair having been out of sync lately, Sullivan felt it had been coming for a while. He mixed up the defense by trying Smits with Durzi while Pettersson worked with Schneider. Vladislav Gavrikov also took some turns with Durzi, who’s been banged up lately.

Whether or not the defense remains changed won’t be known until the weekend.

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Hellebuyck Trade Should Solidify Devils

Posted on October 26, 2026 by Derek

When Sunny Mehta indicated to reporters that he preferred not to invest significant assets to upgrade the goaltender position a few months ago, it was all a smokescreen by the new Devils team president and general manager.

Instead of remaining status quo in net, Mehta pulled off the unthinkable last Friday, Oct. 23 by acquiring Connor Hellebuyck from the Jets in a shocking power move that should solifify the Devils as a serious player this season.

Due in large part to the disgruntled Hellebuyck putting Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff in a tough situation, he wasn’t able to get good enough value back for the three-time Vezina winner.

That meant agreeing to trade the former Hart winner for a package that was highlighted by Dawson Mercer. A versatile two-way forward, the former Devils 2020 first round pick has scored at least 20 goals in three seasons. Nicknamed Merc Dawg by former teammates, he made his Jets debut in the Heritage Classic for Winnipeg on Sunday in a 2-1 loss to the Canadiens outdoors.

From a Devils vantage point, Mehta only subtracted a top nine forward, injured checking center Nick Bjugstad and backup goalie Nico Daws off a roster that looks pretty deep. He also included recent 2026 first round pick Alexander Command, a 2029 second round pick, and a 2027 seventh round pick to get the franchise altering deal done.

On paper, it was a no brainer. By adding a proven number one goalie who can carry most of the workload, Mehta addressed the Devils’ biggest weakness. Since entering the league, the 33-year-old Hellebuyck has been one of the game’s best goalies who ranks among the elite with rating Vezina winner Andrei Vasilevskiy, injured Rangers starter Igor Shesterkin, and Islanders backstop Ilya Sorokin.

A player who’s won over 40 games twice, including an NHL-leading 47 two years ago when he captured both the Hart and Vezina thanks to a 2.00 goals-against-average, .925 save percentage, and eight shutouts, Hellebuyck is capable of stealing games.

It was earlier this year that he was superb in leading USA to its first Olympic gold medal in men’s ice hockey since 1980. He finished with 41 saves in a memorable 2-1 overtime victory that’s remembered for current Devils star Jack Hughes scoring the golden goal on Feb. 22. Now, the two American stars are reunited in New Jersey.

While Hughes has gotten most of the attention since the Devils selected him with the first pick in 2019, he’s never gotten them past the second round in his career. Despite teaming with captain Nico Hischier and linemate Jesper Bratt, the Hughes era has been disappointing so far with only two postseason appearances and one series win that came over the Rangers in 2023.

In fact, the Devils have only made the playoffs three times since appearing in the 2011-12 Stanley Cup Finals. When ownership decided to make a necessary change by replacing Tom Fitzgerald with Mehta, it was with restoring the franchise’s previous success that included winning three Stanley Cups over a nine-year period.

Under Hockey Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello, the Devils were one of the most successful NHL teams for better than a decade. Built around all-time great Martin Brodeur, whose NHL records in victories (691) and shutouts (125) will probably never be broken due to the philosphical change in goaltending, they were constructed from the goal out.

That included Hall of Famers Scott Niedermayer and captain Scott Stevens. Due to how tough they were defensively and in the net, those Devils teams were hard to deal with. Their championship rosters also prominently featured Claude Lemieux, John MacLean, Stephane Richer, Neal Broten, Ken Daneyko, Bruce Driver, Brian Rafalski, Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora, Jason Arnott, Scott Gomez, Alexander Mogilny, Bobby Holik, Randy McKay, and Sergei Brylin.

Sunny Focused on Making Devils a Winner

A former high stakes poker player who grew up in Wycoff, New Jersey and graduated from Ramapo High School, Mehta received his master’s in data science from the City University of New York.

Astonishingly, he went from playing professional poker and authoring books to doing statistical analysis of NHL games and publishing articles about it. Eventually, he became the Devils director of hockey analytics, which he ran from 2014 until 2017.

In 2020, he was hired by the Panthers as vice president of hockey strategy and intelligence. Eventually, he got promoted to assistant general manager and head of analytics in 2023. What soon followed were consecutive Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025. While he wasn’t the architect behind all of their success, with Bill Zito in place as the GM, Mehta was a key part of the organization.

Now, he’s gotten the chance to run the team he rooted for while growing up in New Jersey. Already, Mehta has been able to move off of Jacob Markstrom, who ironically was traded to the Panthers in exchange for key depth forwards Evan Rodriguez and Jesper Boqvist. Rodriguez has fit in nicely as the Devils third center while Boqvist has been a solid addition to the fourth line, which includes Cody Glass and Amadeus Lombardi, who Mehta acquired from the Red Wings last summer.

Despite a relatively slow start to the season for Hughes, he still has 12 points in 11 games. However, it’s been the strong improvement from second-year forward Arseny Gritsyuk that’s given a boost to the Devils top scoring line. He’ll bring a career-high five-game goal streak into tomorrow’s matchup versus the Stars.

One of Mehta’s best moves was trading for Luke Evangelista from Nashville and extending him for $7.25 million over the next six years starting in 2027-28. Although he missed three games due to battling an illness, Evangelista has seven points in eight games. His addition has helped improve the Hischier line that also includes Timo Meier. While both are scoring, Meier remains an enigma with only one goal so far.

Anthony Mantha was signed for one year with the anticipation that he could provide scoring help in the top six. However, after finding no chemistry with Hughes, he fits better on the third line with Rodrigues and Connor Brown.

When he was congratulated by a reporter for acquiring Hellebuyck, Mehta didn’t take any credit for the poker move. Instead, he was focused on his main objective.

If there’s one thing that’s easy to respect about Mehta, it’s his honesty when he speaks to the media. Unlike Fitzgerald, who hid from cameras, he’s usually available and gives well thought out responses to questions.

For the fans that root for the Devs, it’s a welcome change.

A Clearer Goalie Picture

Before the big Hellebuyck acquisition, the Devils had a lot of questions about how strong they were in goal. Veteran Jake Allen was still the starter while Daws backed up.

They also had Remi Poirier, who was claimed from the Stars on waivers before the beginning of the season. The 25-year-old goalie remains on the roster despite having not started a game.

With Hellebuyck slated to make his Devils debut sometime on the current road trip that includes stops in Colorado and Vegas later this week, it looks like Allen might remain the starter for Tuesday night at Dallas. Head coach Sheldon Keefe hasn’t indicated who will play yet.

By adding Hellebuyck, Mehta has his guy in net for the foreseeable future. He currently has four years remaining on a deal with an $8.5 million cap hit. The contract doesn’t expire until the conclusion of 2030-31. His full no-movement clause becomes a modified 10-team list starting next season.

With Hellebuyck the clearcut number one in Newark, Allen can go back to being the backup.

Hellebuyck Must Shed Playoff Label

The only thing missing from his career is a Stanley Cup. Hellebuyck has only reached the Conference Finals once way back in 2018, when the Jets fell to the Golden Knights in only his third season. Since then, he’s only been past the first round twice. However, he hasn’t performed well in the playoffs historically.

For a great goalie who’s won 345 games while posting a 2.58 GAA, .916 save percentage, and 45 shutouts during the regular season, Hellebuyck must perform better in the postseason. His 24-34 record with a 2.90 GAA and .903 save percentage is much worse for a goalie of his stature.

Hellebuyck frequently fared better at home than on the road with Winnipeg in the playoffs. His road struggles continued two years ago in a six-game second round series loss to the Stars. The difference was that the Jets lost all three games on the road, including a 2-1 overtime defeat in Game 6 on May 17, 2025.

Although he played better overall by posting a 2.20 GAA with two shutouts and a .903 save percentage, it wasn’t good enough for him to advance. Jake Oettinger outdueled Hellebuyck by posting a 2.02 GAA and .929 save percentage.

If it’s going to work in New Jersey, Hellebuyck will need to be better when the playoffs roll around. Assuming the Devils return for the first time in two years, they’ll need to get past the Hurricanes to get out of the Metropolitan Division.

The defending champs still look like the best team in the East despite going with a tandem of Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov in the net. Despite losing captain Jordan Staal and recently placing Taylor Hall on injured reserve, the Hurricanes are off to a fast 9-2-2 start due to the improvement from younger stars Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven. With Seth Jarvis finally returning, they look like a handful.

If the Devils can beat out the Capitals for second in the division, that could give them an edge. That’s assuming the Rangers don’t fall out of it completely now that Dylan Garand has fallen back to earth. It’s too early in the year to accurately predict what will happen. Last year, the Pens shocked many by edging out the surprising Flyers for second in the Metro. It could be a different story this time around.

Whatever happens, the Devils expect to be more competitive now that Hellebuyck is in the fold. We’ll see if he can deliver the goods in Newark.

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Reimer to Get First Start As Ranger

Posted on October 26, 2026 by Derek

When the Rangers return to Madison Square Garden to host the Kings later tonight, it’ll be with a new goalie in the net.

James Reimer will get his first start as a Ranger. Following a pro tryout in which he pitched a shutout by making 35 saves for the Hartford Wolf Pack in a 2-0 shutout against the Providence Bruins last Friday night, the Rangers signed Reimer for one year, $850,000 yesterday.

When he debuts against the Kings, he’ll wear number 47. As I previously noted, it’ll officially be Reimer’s ninth NHL team. The Rangers are his 10th stop due to having two different stints in San Jose.

We’ll see if he can provide them with a capable backup who can be trusted. They refused to play journeyman Spencer Martin before sending him down to Hartford.

With Reimer all set for tonight’s game, that’ll provide a much needed break for Dylan Garand. After playing extremely well early on as the Rangers’ new number one goalie, he’s cooled off considerably. Garand has allowed 10 goals on 47 shots over the last two games, which translates to a 5.04 goals-against-average and .787 save percentage.

It hasn’t all been his fault. In each loss on the road at Toronto and Ottawa, the Rangers didn’t play well in front of him. They made a lot more mistakes defensively and with puck management. Key areas that haven’t been issues on home ice, where they’ll bring a 6-0-0 record into Monday’s game against the Kings.

On the road, they’ve been a mess. In three of the five losses away from MSG, they’ve given up five goals or more. That included allowing seven to the Devils on Oct. 15, five to the Maple Leafs on Oct. 22, and seven to the Senators on Oct. 24. When they finally have a four-game Western swing next month, they’ll have to figure it out.

With only two games on this week’s schedule, the Rangers get to play at home where they’ve been more comfortable. So far, they’ve outscored opponents 29-10. Aside from handling the disappointing Ducks last week and the lowly Canucks two weeks ago, they’ve beaten the Lightning twice, the Mammoth, and the Islanders at the Garden.

After the Kings visit, the competition picks up when the Oilers come to town this Sunday to start November. If they beat the Kings, they’ll be a perfect 7-0 entering that showdown against the otherworldly Connor McDavid, who’s putting up video game numbers thus far by leading the league with 33 points in 11 games. That’s 10 more than teammate Leon Draisaitl. Evan Bouchard ranks first among NHL defensemen with 21 points.

For now, they can focus on stopping former Ranger Artemi Panarin, who’s still producing at a point-per-game clip on the low scoring Kings. Panarin leads LA with nine points (3-6-9) in nine games. Following a slow start to the season, he had five points in road wins over the Capitals and Islanders. The Bread Man was shut down by the Devils over the weekend in a 3-1 loss this past Saturday.

The Kings don’t have much around him. However, Adrian Kempe remains an overlooked star. A two-time 30-goal scorer the past two seasons, his eight points rank second behind Panarin. An exceptional skater with a good release, Kempe can score and set up teammates.

Former Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette returns to MSG for the first time as the Kings bench boss. He indicated that Mats Zuccarello is out with an injury. However, they’re hoping Quinton Byfield can return to the lineup.

Darcy Kuemper is expected to make the start for the Kings. The veteran netminder is 2-3-1 with a 3.55 GAA and .890 save percentage.

Dorofeyev to Remain On Third Line

As expected, Pavel Dorofeyev will remain on the third line for the start of tonight’s game.

After struggling to establish anything with J.T. Miller or Tye Kartye against the Senators, he was moved down to play with Noah Laba and Will Cuylle. With the Rangers trailing Ottawa 5-3, Dorofeyev buried a one-timer on a nice feed from Cuylle to score his third goal.

Head coach Mike Sullivan wants to see what it looks like. He’s hoping that Dorofeyev can improve in some key areas while not overthinking too much.

“Simplify your game. Keep shooting. Take some of the thinking out of it, but maybe place the focus off of that element of your game, and just staying in the moment and playing the right way — winning puck battles, being strong on the wall, making sure you’re reloading in the offensive zone when the puck changes sides, knowing what your responsibilities are off a lost face-off, things of that nature.’ And if he plays the game the right way, I think the byproduct will be he’ll score goals.”

The Rangers certainly need more consistency from Dorofeyev, whose three goals are underwhelming considering some of the scoring chances he’s had. We’ll see if he can bring more to the table.

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Demoted Dorofeyev Finds A Goal

Posted on October 25, 2026 by Derek

It’s been a rough start for Pavel Dorofeyev. The scoring forward was acquired by the New York Rangers this past summer from the Vegas Golden Knights to be a difference maker. Instead, he’s been anything but so far.

Dorofeyev entered last night with only two goals and four assists over his first 12 games. Despite continuing to lead the Rangers in shots and total attempts, they hadn’t been going in. In fact, he had five of the team’s 12 goalposts and crossbars combined.

Despite head coach Mike Sullivan doing everything possible to get him going, he’d seen enough of Dorofeyev in the top six. With nothing happening for the second line anchored by Rangers captain J.T. Miller, Sullivan demoted Dorofeyev to the third line by the middle of Saturday’s 7-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

In elevating Oliver Bjorkstrand up to the second unit and dropping Dorofeyev to the third unit anchored by Noah Laba, Sullivan’s moves netted some positive results. After being dominated by the Senators in the first half to fall behind 4-1, the Rangers turned it around thanks to the line changes.

Bjorkstrand provided a spark for the second line. He helped set up a Miller goal that cut the deficit to two 1:33 after Dylan Cozens had put Ottawa ahead by three. Miller was able to steer in an Adam Fox rebound for his third of the season.

Although the new trio of Miller, Bjorkstrand and Tye Kartye didn’t factor in on another goal, they dominated most of their shifts together to finish with an 84.62 Corsi rating (11-2) at 5-on-5.

After being unable to get anything going on the second line, Dorofeyev was more successful with Laba and Will Cuylle. The move seemed to give him a jolt. He played with better energy while Laba and Cuylle provided the gruntwork on the forecheck.

Following a Jake Sanderson goal that put them behind by two, Dorofeyev finally found a goal that cut it to 5-4 with 4:28 left in regulation. On a play Laba started with some hustle by keeping the puck in the Senators zone, Cuylle fed Dorofeyev across for a snapshot that beat Jonas Johansson to give him just his third goal in 13 games.

Perhaps that can provide a lift for the streaky scorer. Assuming he stays put on the third line to start tomorrow night’s game when the Rangers play host to the Los Angeles Kings at Madison Square Garden, we’ll see if Laba and Cuylle can unlock Dorofeyev.

With only seven points so far, he’s a team worst minus-11. Dorofeyev will blow out the candles on his 25th birthday Monday. He’ll want to improve his overall play while finishing more. His 41 shots rank first on the Rangers, but the 7.1 shooting percentage is less than half what he shot with Vegas in 2025-26. He scored a career-high 37 on 230 shots for a much better 16.1 percentage.

In order for the Blueshirts to be successful, they need Dorofeyev to produce. If he can snap out of it, it would provide a significant boost to a team that’s been heavily reliant on Fox (team-leading 16 assists) and Alexis Lafreniere (leads team with 9 goals) offensively. They can’t do it alone.

Following Dorofeyev’s goal that made things interesting, Lafreniere nearly tied it. Set up perfectly, the emerging scoring forward had his shot from the left circle hit the outside of the goalpost late.

Instead, the Rangers allowed two empty netters, including one to Drake Batherson, who completed the hat trick for the Senators.

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Rangers’ Loss of Structure Hurting Garand

Posted on October 25, 2026 by Derek

In their latest road loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night, the New York Rangers had no one to blame but themselves for the 7-4 defeat at Canadian Tire Centre.

Similar to a 5-4 defeat to the Toronto Maple Leafs that came in the final minute of regulation on Oct. 22, the Rangers lost their structure against the very skilled Senators to fall to 1-5-1 on the road this season.

In fact, since suffering a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 15, the Rangers have allowed 20 goals over their last three losses away from Madison Square Garden. Aside from a much more competitive 1-0 overtime shutout defeat versus the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 17, they’ve been outscored 19-9 in the other three defeats.

It’s a disturbing trend that can’t continue. With the Rangers turning to Dylan Garand as their number one goalie, it’s a lot of pressure to ask an unproven rookie to carry a much heavier workload than he’s used to. In the previous four seasons with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League, he never started 40 games. The most he made was 39 twice.

A notable difference between the NHL and AHL is that while one league plays regularly during the week, the other has most of its games on weekends. That allows for more recovery time when teams are often off between Monday through Thursday, with at most maybe one game on the schedule. A stark contrast between the AHL and NHL.

Even with the Rangers having a favorable schedule thus far, which has included only one back-to-back that Garand won by recording his first career shutout against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 2, he didn’t take over as their starter until Igor Shesterkin suffered a season-ending right knee injury against the Washington Capitals on Oct. 9.

After winning his first two games as the new number one goalie, he was chased by the Devils for four goals on nine shots over two weeks ago. That marked the only game that journeyman Spencer Martin appeared in. It didn’t get any better with Martin giving up three goals on 18 shots due to poor defensive coverage. A common denominator in the Rangers’ recent losses at Toronto and Ottawa.

The 24-year-old Garand has shown some chinks in the armor the past two games by allowing some bad rebounds that resulted in goals. That included Jake Sanderson putting in a rebound to give the Senators a 5-3 lead with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation last night. That followed relentless pressure from the Rangers, who came close to rallying back from a 4-1 deficit.

To be fair, Sanderson’s goal was also due to another defensive breakdown from all five Rangers skaters. After Braden Schneider sent a weak backhand towards the net that was blocked, the Senators quickly transitioned up the ice without any resistance. Michael Amadio easily gained entry into the Rangers zone by going around Vladislav Gavrikov, who then puck watched as Ridly Creig drove to the net for a shot that Garand gave up a rebound on, which led to Sanderson putting it away.

New fourth line center Luke Glendening wasn’t even close on the backcheck with the other forwards trailing the play. It was a poor example of how not to defend in a one-goal game that the Rangers chased due to a bad start that saw the Senators score twice in a lopsided first period that could’ve been worse than a 2-0 deficit.

With the game still scoreless earlier, the Sens grabbed the lead when Sanderson easily found a wide open Drake Batherson for his first of three goals on the night. It was a sloppy rotation from the Rangers, who had the fourth line out with Gavrikov and Marcus Pettersson. Batherson had plenty of time to beat Garand, who couldn’t get across in time due to the botched coverage.

Over a minute later, it was more of the same from the Rangers. Schneider couldn’t handle a tough pass from J.T. Miller at the blue line, which led directly to Claude Giroux and Fabian Zetterlund combining to set up Tim Stutzle for a pretty goal to make it 2-0. Neither Schneider nor Miller were in the right position defensively. Rookie Alberts Smits was unable to prevent the pass across while partner Schneider didn’t pick up Stutzle, who also beat Miller on the play.

The defensive issues continued on Batherson’s second goal that made it 3-0 early in the second period. Dylan Cozens had a shot bounce right to Batherson, who beat Garand again with only Gavrikov in the picture.

Following a nice play from Noah Laba, who led Will Cuylle for a shorthanded goal, Dylan Cozens was left alone to deflect in a Batherson pass that put the Rangers behind 4-1. He beat Pettersson for the goal.

Aside from the Sanderson rebound that he should have had, Garand was hung out to dry for a second straight game. In the previous one-goal loss to the Leafs, he gave up a bad rebound to Kirill Marchenko for a power-play goal. He’ll need to work on controlling rebounds during a relatively light week ahead.

After they host Artemi Panarin and the Los Angeles Kings at MSG tomorrow night, the Rangers are off the next five days. That should give them plenty of time to work on things. They haven’t started well lately, falling behind early the last two games. An area they’ll need to be better at in order to survive without Shesterkin.

Reimer Signed by Rangers

Following a pro tryout with the Wolf Pack, the Rangers signed veteran netminder James Reimer to a one-year, $850,000 contract.

A well traveled backup who’s been in the league a long time, the 38-year-old Reimer will join his ninth NHL team. Once upon a time, he was the Leafs starter when they first returned to the postseason in 2012-13. They lost the first round in seven games to the Boston Bruins.

After spending the first part of his career with Toronto, Reimer also played for San Jose, Florida, Carolina, San Jose again, Detroit, Anaheim, Buffalo, and most recently Ottawa. In 14 appearances for the Senators last season, he went 7-4-2 with a 2.42 goals-against-average, .886 save percentage, and one shutout.

Over a 16-year career, Reimer has appeared in 539 games and went 232-191-67 with a 2.87 GAA, .909 save percentage, and 32 shutouts.

With Garand having made the last seven starts, there’s a good possibility that Reimer could make his Rangers debut on Monday night against the Kings. That’ll depend on what head coach Mike Sullivan decides is best for his slumping team that’s lost some of its steam due to the poor performances on the road.

They’re still 7-5-1 entering tomorrow’s match. However, that’s largely due to a perfect 6-0 home record in which they’ve outscored opponents 29-10.

Rangers Send Martin and Robertson Down

After recalling Matthew Robertson due to the status of Sean Durzi, who took a couple of maintenance days, the Rangers sent the defenseman back down to Hartford. Joining him is Martin, who’ll return to playing in the AHL.

The Rangers never showed enough trust to have Martin make a start with the heavier workload catching up to Garand. It was evident that Reimer would replace him on the roster with Joonas Korpisalo just starting to skate. He’s been out with a foot infection since the start of the season.

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