Entering his second season, more was expected from Gabe Perreault. The 2023 first round pick finished 2025-26 well by proving that he was capable of playing in a first line role. While playing with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere over the final part of last season, Perreault produced enough to make a believer out of Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan.

After finishing with nine goals and 10 assists for a total of 19 points over the last 23 games, the 21-year-old playmaking forward has started this season on the number one line. In the first six games, he remained with Zibanejad and Lafreniere, who he has good chemistry with.

Following a 3-1 defeat to the Caps on Oct. 9, Sullivan decided to make a switch to the top six. That meant taking Lafreniere off the top line and moving him to the J.T. Miller unit with Tye Kartye for last night’s game. Feeling obligated to get Pavel Dorofeyev going, he moved him up with Perreault and Zibanejad. Although they didn’t have the best game at 5-on-5, each forward had scoring chances in Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Canucks at Madison Square Garden.

Dorofeyev has struggled so far to score goals. He was set up twice in the slot on the power play but hit the goalpost on each opportunity. If they continue to find him open in the middle of ice, it shouldn’t be too long before he starts burying those kinds of chances. He remained on the top power play unit with Lafreniere and Zibanejad for two periods before Sullivan replaced him with Perreault, who’s been hot so far at the start of the season.

Entering the game with points in three of his last four, he was instrumental in helping the Rangers pull away from the Canucks in a stronger third period that saw them score three times. Still on a power play that carried over from the end of the second, some crafty work from Perreault led to Lafreniere tallying for his team-leading fifth. On a great Perreault feed in front, Lafreniere buried it into an open net for a 4-2 lead. Zibanejad helped set it up to earn a secondary helper.

With some pressure being put on by the first line, Perreault converted his third a few minutes later to increase the margin to three. After Zibanejad retrieved the puck behind the net and found an open Adam Fox, he made a nice shot pass that Perreault tipped in front. That gave him his first multi-point game of 2026-27.

If there’s a positive sign that he’s going to blossom into a consistent scorer for the Blueshirts, it’s due to how active he’s been in the early going. A very smart player who’s able to create offense with his vision and high hockey IQ, Perreault is a shifty skater who sees the ice well. While not the fastest, he seems to have eyes in the back of his head.

On another excellent shift during yesterday’s game, he knew where Vladislav Gavrikov was despite having his back turned. Perreault made a terrific no look feed that nearly resulted in another goal. It’s his superb vision that should make him a dangerous playmaker for the Rangers. He could’ve easily had another couple of points in the third period against a tired opponent playing for the second straight day.

Cuylle and Kartye Score Twice

If they ever needed a confidence boost, both Will Cuylle and Kartye got it on Sunday night. Neither had scored a goal coming into yesterday. By the conclusion, both Cuylle and Kartye scored twice to help the Rangers win for the fourth time in the last five games.

With Lafreniere added to the second line, it paid dividends immediately. On a nice touch pass from Lafreniere up top, that created a 2-on-1 down low for Miller to find Kartye for his first of the season just 27 seconds in.

The Canucks responded later in the first period on a Jake DeBrusk tally set up from Jonathan Lekkerimaki at 17:04. Dylan Garand wasn’t fully set, which allowed DeBrusk to beat him short side to tie the score.

Cuylle got his first early in the second. Noah Laba sent him into the Vancouver zone for a quick wrister that fooled Kevin Lankinen to restore the Rangers’ one-goal lead. Despite some improved offensive play from the third line, they were unable to connect on another opportunity.

The Canucks played their best hockey of the night in the middle stanza by generating more quality chances throughout and attacking the Rangers defensively. Several Rangers forwards failed to clear the zone, which allowed Vancouver to go on the attack more.

However, it was on a Rangers power play that they drew even. The first unit overstayed their shift, which allowed the Canucks to come in on a 3-on-2 rush and score shorthanded thanks to a nice finish from defenseman Elias Pettersson. Zibanejad got caught and was unable to get back defensively. A visibly frustrated Lafreniere showed some emotion by punching the bench following the goal that tied the game.

But Kartye came back with a big go-ahead tally with 1:35 left after Gavrikov and Miller set him up. It was a nice reward for a hard-working player who Sullivan favors using with Miller due to their similar styles.

With the Rangers ahead 5-2 in the final period, Cuylle put in his second from Eeli Tolvanen and Braden Schneider, who picked up his first point of the season.

If there’s something to like about the 5-2-0 start, it’s the scoring balance they have so far. While Lafreniere leads them in scoring with eight points, followed by Zibanejad, Perreault, and Fox, they’re getting contributions throughout the lineup. Gavrikov already has five points while playing with Fox, whose six helpers are tied with Zibanejad to pace the team.

Even with Dorofeyev struggling to bury his chances, the Rangers are getting production from almost everyone. Unlike previous seasons when the supporting cast wasn’t good enough, they’re constructed differently. Getting secondary scoring will be instrumental to their success.

There isn’t a star player who they can rely on to carry them. Once Artemi Panarin was traded to the Kings, it signaled a change in philosophy. The Rangers are already seeing better results from Perreault and Lafreniere, who celebrated his 25th birthday by earning the game’s third star last night. He also was named the Third Star of the Week by the NHL, which trailed only Jake Oettinger and Auston Matthews.

Now is the time for Lafreniere, who has finally matured. With Perreault looking wise beyond his years, the Rangers have hope despite the big loss of Igor Shesterkin for the season. If they can continue to play well in front of Garand, the offense will need to come through.

Somehow, the season became much more interesting after Shesterkin’s right knee injury, which could mean an ACL. He will have surgery and then a long rehab ahead. The net belongs to Garand until Joonas Korpisalo is ready. As expected, Spencer Martin was recalled and served as the backup yesterday.

Challenging Week Ahead

After taking advantage of a favorable early schedule, which included wins over the Red Wings, the Islanders, and Canucks, the Rangers will get more of a challenge the rest of the week.

On Tuesday night, they’ll host the Lightning for the second time in two weeks. Since the Rangers defeated them 4-0 in a game best known for Shesterkin making franchise history by becoming the first Rangers netminder to score a goalie goal on Oct. 1, the Lightning have responded by winning four in a row. They just beat the Islanders on Saturday with Brandon Hagel picking up his fourth hat trick in a 5-3 win.

There’s little doubt that the Bolts should be out for redemption when they visit MSG tomorrow. It’ll be the second game of the three-game season series. The final meeting isn’t until March 27 next year in Tampa.

Following the Lightning, the Rangers will visit their close Hudson rival to face the Devils in Newark this Thursday. The Devils have been so-so with a 2-2-0 start. They have yet to get going at 5-on-5 despite boasting center duo Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. Luke Evangelista has been a good pickup so far with a pair of goals and a helper.

If you think it isn’t on the mind of the Devils, look what they tweeted out on Sunday.

It isn’t Halloween yet. But is there such a thing as being obsessed as much as the Devils Twitter account is? It’s gotten stale.

The truth of the matter is that the Hudson rivalry hasn’t been the same in over a decade. Ever since Martin Brodeur retired, there’s no longer the same energy or passion in these games. 2012 was the last time it really mattered. You had two line brawls and the last big series going to the Devils behind the legendary Brodeur, who outdueled Henrik Lundqvist.

Adam Henrique’s overtime winner in Game 6 remains forever etched in Devils lore. Since then, the Devils have only made the playoffs three times. With the exception of coming back to defeat the Rangers in an unpredictable first round three years ago, they haven’t done anything.

As much as they love to talk up how Hughes owns the Rangers, the Jersey side of the rivalry hasn’t had one significant moment with Hischier and Hughes, who were both number one overall picks two years apart. There’s actually a lot more pressure on the Devils to deliver a big season with Sunny Mehta taking over and starting to overhaul the roster.

From a Rangers viewpoint, they should still be competitive. The new second pair that features Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi have made them significantly stronger on the blue line. Alberts Smits is a much faster skater than what they had before playing third pair with Schneider.

Maybe the most interesting part of this Thursday’s game will be how Garand fares in what should likely be his introduction to the rivalry. For a goalie that doesn’t have much NHL experience, he’s a very cerebral and laid back player who comes across confident in the locker room. We’ll see how he handles the first full week as the number one goalie.

The Rangers conclude a week of four games in seven days with a visit at the Blue Jackets on Saturday, Oct. 17. They don’t have another back-to-back situation until after Thanksgiving.