Shesterkin Backstops Rangers to Win Over Hurricanes on Thanksgiving Eve

Posted on November 27, 2025 by Derek

Sometimes, games are decided by good goaltending. For the New York Rangers, that was indeed the case in a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thanksgiving Eve in Raleigh.

Igor Shesterkin was the difference, making 36 saves on 38 shots to give the Rangers a reason to be thankful going into the big holiday. In one of his best performances so far, he stopped all 13 shots in a busy first period.

The Rangers didn’t generate a whole lot early. However, the third line was their most effective in the opening 20 minutes. With J.T. Miller returning to the lineup after missing two games, Mike Sullivan sat out Conor Sheary for the first time this season. While Miller replaced Jonny Brodzinski on the big scoring line, Laba centered Brodzinski and Brett Berard.

It was the hard work of the Laba unit that led to the only goal of the first period. Following a good pinch from Matthew Robertson, he sent a one-handed shot towards the net. Taylor Raddysh retrieved the loose puck and made a simple pass for Laba, who then skated into open ice and fired his fourth past Frederik Andersen at 16:53.

After failing to capitalize on a late power play, the Rangers took the one-goal lead to the locker room.

The second period was frustrating due to a couple of calls that went against them. Laba was sent off for a questionable slashing minor on Andersen that drew the ire of analyst Brian Boyle on MSG Network.

Of course, the Hurricanes took full advantage to even the score. On a clean faceoff win from Sebastian Aho, the Canes worked the puck around with some nice passing between Nikolaj Ehlers and Aho. After taking an Ehlers feed, Aho made a perfect dish across for a Shayne Gostisbehere one-timer for a power-play goal at 5:04.

A Mika Zibanejad tripping minor put the Hurricanes back on the man-advantage again. Shesterkin made a key stop on Andrei Svechnikov to keep the game tied. The Rangers managed to kill off the penalty.

Halfway through the contest, Berard was called for boarding Sean Walker. It was an atrocious call due to Walker toe picking. The replay showed that Berard didn’t even hit him. Walker just lost an edge.

Despite being shorthanded for a dubious call, the Rangers got the job done to successfully kill it off. They limited the Canes to two shots, which Shesterkin handled.

The two kills proved crucial, as it helped give them momentum. Despite spending a lot of time defending earlier in the period, the Rangers picked it up. They were able to grab the lead with just over a minute left.

On a set play, Vincent Trocheck won a faceoff back to Miller. He got the puck over to Adam Fox, who quickly hit Artemi Panarin with a nice pass that resulted in a one-timer past Andersen to make it 2-1 with 1:04 remaining.

Panarin kept the momentum going when he set up Trocheck only 45 seconds into the third period for a 3-1 lead. After entering the Carolina zone, he drew two Hurricanes to him before finding Trocheck in the slot. His slap shot beat Andersen upstairs for his fifth. Since returning on Nov. 10, he has five goals and three assists in nine games. He’s the heartbeat of the team.

The Canes kept coming. Eventually, Seth Jarvis cut the deficit to 3-2 with 9:07 remaining when he was able to take a Gostisbehere pass and beat Shesterkin up high from a tough angle for his 12th.

That was as close as they got. Shesterkin locked it down by turning aside 13 of 14 shots in the third.

With Andersen lifted for an extra attacker, Will Cuylle scored into an empty net from his own zone to seal it with 1:53 remaining. For his trouble, he got a lot of love from Alexis Lafreniere during the goal celebration, which was nice to see.

By going into a tough building and coming out with a hard fought victory, the Rangers made it two in a row. When they return to action to face the Boston Bruins on Black Friday, they’ll look to make it three straight.

The next two opponents are big tests after passing the first one against Carolina. They’ll also battle the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday at home.

Parssinen Clears Waivers

On Wednesday, Juuso Parssinen cleared waivers. He’ll be assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League. Parssinen had two goals and an assist in 13 games with the Rangers.

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With Rangers placing Parssinen on waivers, Drury deserves more criticism

Posted on November 25, 2025 by Derek

A day after defeating the Blues 3-2 to snap a four-game losing streak, the Rangers placed Juuso Parssinen on waivers.

Originally acquired from the Avalanche as part of the Ryan Lindgren deal, Parssinen only played in 14 games and had two goals and an assist this season. The 24-year-old forward lost out on the third line center job in preseason to rookie Noah Laba. He was used sparingly by coach Mike Sullivan.

The Rangers had hoped to trade Parssinen to another team. But it became clear that there were no interested suitors for a player who was dumped by the Predators to the Avalanche on Dec. 28, 2024. He lasted three months before being included with a pair of picks to the Rangers in exchange for Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey, and Hank Kempf on Mar. 1. At least the Rangers have prospect Malcom Spence left to show for the trade that also included former NHL defenseman Calvin de Haan.

After tallying two goals and four assists in 22 games with Colorado, Parssinen totaled four goals and four assists in 25 games for the Rangers. He was never trusted enough by either Sullivan or former coach Peter Laviolette.

It made Chris Drury look bad after re-signing Parssinen for two years, $1.25 million AAV. While it isn’t a bad cap hit, it never made much sense to give him an extra year. There was no guarantee that after hiring Sullivan that he’d play Parssinen consistently. Unfortunately, that’s exactly the circumstances that led to his demise.

With Laba emerging in his rookie year and Sullivan showing more confidence in nephew-in-law Conor Sheary, Parssinen became the odd man out in the lineup.

When J.T. Miller missed a second straight game, Jonny Brodzinski continued to play with Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin. The veteran is more trusted by the coaching staff to step into a better role due to his capabilities. Lo and behold, Brodzinski set up Trocheck for a big tying goal in the second period that swung the momentum on Monday night.

The Rangers scored three straight times to grab a 3-1 lead. Alexis Lafreniere redirected a Vladislav Gavrikov shot for his fifth. Gavrikov then set up Adam Edstrom from down low for what proved to be the game-winner.

Berard Impresses In Debut

After finally being recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack, Brett Berard made his season debut. In the first period, while playing with Laba and Conor Sheary, he got two good chances. The gritty forward nearly finished off his first right on the doorstep, which left him shaking his head when he watched the replay on the bench.

In 16 shifts (9:21), Berard had two shots and four attempts. He was very noticeable throughout. With the Rangers still leading the Blues by two, he took an ill-advised high-sticking double minor on Jake Neighbours. However, the Rangers killed it off.

With Sullivan mostly pleased with how Berard played, it probably spelled the end for Parssinen, who never seemed to be in the coach’s plans.

He couldn’t even crack the fourth line. With Edstrom scoring his second since returning from a healthy scratch, he’s responded well. Sam Carrick remains a constant as the checking center, who also doubles on the penalty killing unit. Taylor Raddysh doesn’t fit on that line, but he’s capable of supplying more offense than Parssinen.

Had it been up to me, I would’ve played him over Sheary. But that was Sullivan’s call. He had Sheary in Pittsburgh when he was a good secondary scorer. It’s painfully obvious that’s no longer the case. His effort isn’t in question, but the lack of finish is mind-numbing.

Drury’s Moves Backfire

You really have to question how a veteran who spent all of 2024-25 playing for Syracuse in the American Hockey League could make the team on a PTO and never come out of the lineup over a younger player Drury committed two years to at a higher salary.

It’s similar to him going two years for $1.55 million AAV on Urho Vaakanainen, who, similar to Parssinen, came over in a trade last year. That was the salary dump of Jacob Trouba on Dec. 6, 2024. While Vaakanainen has fallen out of favor under Sullivan, who prefers afterthought Matthew Robertson, Trouba has rediscovered himself in Anaheim. So has Chris Kreider, whose 10 goals would rank first on the Rangers.

It really makes you question what exactly Drury is doing. He turned a good roster that made the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals into a mediocre team that looks like it could be headed for a second straight playoff miss.

The return on Kreider was Carey Terrance, who hasn’t distinguished himself in the AHL. He has two goals in 17 games. Hopefully, Artyom Gonchar becomes something down the line on the back end. He was the third round pick the Rangers got back in the Kreider salary dump.

When it comes to asset management, Drury sucks at it. He never gets back enough for anyone. What exactly will become of Brennan Othmann? The former 2021 first round pick is still without a goal in 12 games with Hartford after another failure to make the roster. He only got one game with the Rangers before they unceremoniously dumped him back down.

Not Much Cause For Excitement

Even following just their second win at Madison Square Garden, there isn’t much cause for excitement. This is a team that will continue to struggle offensively. The game against the equally bad Blues dragged on for large portions.

Fans who are spending top dollar on tickets and concessions aren’t getting any return. They also bumped up the Casino Night event to $800, which is absurd. But in James Dolan’s world, there’s always suckers out there who’ll pay to meet their favorite players at a signature event.

It’s supposed to be a 100-year celebration of the franchise. Outside of legendary TV announcer Sam Rosen emceeing the special centennial events honoring former Rangers legends and special moments, there isn’t much worth watching.

Fans will continue to patiently wait for the day top prospect, Gabe Perreault gets more than a three-game cameo. Scott Morrow should be back up once Parssinen is either claimed or clears. With Will Borgen and now Jonathan Quick on the IR, now is the time to find out about Morrow,- who’s exactly the kind of skating defenseman the Blueshirts need more of.

The question is, when will we finally have a team that’s worth watching? Don’t hold your breath.

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Devils’ Offense Goes Cold In Shutout Loss to Panthers

Posted on November 21, 2025 by Derek

Two days after suffering a 5-1 blowout defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the New Jersey Devils’ offense went cold in a frustrating 1-0 shutout loss to the defending champion Florida Panthers on Thursday night.

Unlike the ugliness that surrounded one of their worst games of the season, the Devils were much more competitive against the Panthers before a capacity crowd at Amerant Bank Arena. Coach Sheldon Keefe went back to Jake Allen after Jacob Markstrom struggled against the Lightning. Despite being banged up, he was the backup last night. If something’s bothering him, perhaps the Devils would be better off placing Markstrom on IR and recalling Nico Daws from the Utica Comets.

In what was a hard fought game that was spent mostly at even strength, the Devils were unable to solve Sergei Bobrovsky. The two-time Vezina winner was on top of his game, finishing with 32 saves for 51st shutout of what will be a Hall of Fame career. Bobrovsky is up to 439 wins, which ranks ninth all-time – passing Jacques Plante for sole possession.

With Connor Brown having recently returned, Keefe had him on the second line with Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer, who’s had to move to center without leading scorer Jack Hughes (6-to-8 weeks). Nico Hischier is being asked to carry the offense in addition to drawing the tough assignments. Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Arseny Gritsyuk remained together. Evgenii Dadonov and Dougie Hamilton have also returned following stints on the IR. Dadonov played on the third line, and Hamilton was on the third pair with Dennis Cholowski.

In a cleanly played first period that saw the Devils outshoot the Panthers 13-9, it was the home team that got the all-important first goal. Following a Bobrovsky save on Mercer, Sam Reinhart hit the crossbar. Matched up against Hischier, Reinhart was able to take a Gustav Forsling pass and get around Luke Hughes to score a pretty goal that gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead with 7:02 left.

A fast skater who’s tough to defend one-on-one due to how deceptive he is, Reinhart beat Hughes outside in and quickly released a high shot past Allen for his 11th. He’s very good at using his speed to find some open space. In this instance, Hughes didn’t do a good enough job cutting off the angle. The second replay will show how he created enough room to get off the shot.

For Hughes, it’s been a struggle so far defensively. Since losing partner Brett Pesce, he’s played with Brenden Dillon. They’ve had their issues. On a goal scored by Nikita Kucherov in the final minute of the first period on Tuesday night, both were beaten badly. Dillon lost a board battle to Brandon Hagel. Hughes then got stripped by Anthony Cirelli, who slipped a feed for Kucherov to bury to put the Devils behind 2-0. It was a backbreaking goal they never recovered from.

Hughes is in his third full year. As expected, he’s seen an increase in ice time, averaging a team-high 23:03 a night. His offense is coming. Prior to the last two defeats, he had four points in the previous three games, including scoring his first goal in a 3-2 shootout win over the Washington Capitals on Nov. 15. The 22-year-old defenseman is still searching for consistency. Perhaps that’ll come when Pesce returns. That can’t come soon enough for the Devils.

As a pair, Dillon and Hughes have been outscored 7-3 by opponents according to Natural Stat Trick. While their numbers are a net positive, the glaring mistakes are a cause for concern. Interestingly, the current number one pair of Jonas Siegenthaler and Simon Nemec have bad analytics, but the Devils have outscored opponents 6-3 with them at five-on-five. Unlike Dillon and Hughes, Siegenthaler and Nemec start more in the defensive zone. Siegenthaler has been Keefe’s shutdown defenseman. He’s been highly underrated for a while, breaking up a lot of plays due to his ability to recover quickly.

Facing a very tough opponent in their building, the Devils had some opportunities to draw even. However, Bobrovsky didn’t cooperate. He made key stops on Hischier to keep the Panthers ahead after one.

In the second period, it was more tilted in the Cats’ favor. They had the better of the play, pinning the Devils in for long stretches. That led to Allen having to make some strong saves to give his team a chance. That included denying Anton Lundell and Niko Mikkola. At one point, the shots favored the Panthers by a wide margin. They held an 11-7 edge for the period, including 11-5 at even strength.

Twice, the Devils had opportunities on the power play. The first came when Forsling went off for tripping Paul Cotter. However, they got nothing done against an aggressive penalty kill that made life difficult. Brad Marchand was a nuisance, blocking a Hamilton shot. He continued to fire away, having another attempt repelled by Aaron Ekblad.

After getting no shots through on their first man-advantage, the Devils had another shot when A.J. Greer was hauled off for taking down Hughes. Nemec came close when his shot from the left circle rang off the goalpost. That was the best chance, with Bobrovsky shutting the door on Stefan Noesen.

Just as the period was concluding, there were some fireworks. After having his first attempt blocked, Hischier took another shot just after the buzzer, which led to some pleasantries exchanged during a scrum. Nothing happened that led to any additional penalties. They were just making Thanksgiving plans.

It set up an interesting third. Although they only had four shots in the final period, the Panthers didn’t sit back. Allen made his best stop on a point blank chance from Greer. In a strong performance, he finished with 23 saves on 24 shots.

With the Devils still trailing, Nemec was escorted off for a phantom hook on Reinhart. Even though it wasn’t a good call, the penalty kill got the job done by holding the Panthers without a shot.

Needing somebody to step up, the Devils nearly found it in Bratt. He took off with the puck in the neutral zone, blowing by Forsling to get off a tough backhand right on Bobrovsky, who made the big save.

He’d make a few more stops in crunch time on some tricky shots, including Hischier and Mercer. The latter one looked like it took a funny bounce. But Bobrovsky froze it for a stoppage. It looked like the Devils would find a way to tie it. But Bobrovsky was up to the challenge, preserving the Panthers’ one-goal win.

It’s only the second time the Devils have lost two in a row. They’ll try to prevent a three-game losing skid when they wrap up the five-game road trip by visiting the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night. It’s the first of three meetings, which is yet another NHL scheduling screw-up. The Flyers will visit The Rock on Nov. 29. The I-95 rivals won’t meet again until Apr. 7. That makes about as much sense as the Devils and New York Rangers playing only three times, with the first matchup on Mar. 7.

Next year, the NHL increases its schedule to 84 games. It would be nice if rivalry games were more emphasized. Don’t bet on it happening.

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Defense Optional: Panarin’s Lapses Prove Costly in Rangers’ Loss to Avalanche

Posted on November 21, 2025 by Derek

In their second straight loss on the road, the New York Rangers were guilty of some lackadaisical play that came back to bite them.

The high-powered Colorado Avalanche took advantage of sloppy turnovers and poor coverage to win 6-3 over the Rangers on Thursday night. It was their third consecutive defeat.

In a game that they actually scored three times, including twice on the power play, the Blueshirts made too many mistakes that wound up in the back of their net. The result was predictable against a dangerous opponent with the league’s best record. The Avalanche have only lost once in regulation over their first 20 games (14-1-5).

In fact, the Avalanche became the fourth team in NHL history to start their first 20 games with one regulation loss or fewer. They joined the 1927-28 Montreal Canadiens (15-1-4), 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers (16-1-3), and the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks (17-0-3).

Sometimes, you have to give credit to your opponent. To put it mildly, the Rangers aren’t in the Avalanche’s league. Few teams are. Colorado is probably the fastest and most skilled team in the NHL. Their transition is lightning quick. On at least two goals, the Rangers were exposed.

Artemi Panarin was responsible for both. He’s a great offensive player, but he isn’t known for his defense. A couple of his lapses led directly to the first two Colorado goals.

With the Rangers having a good first period buoyed by an early J.T. Miller power-play goal on a set play that was set up by Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox, Panarin threw the puck away into the middle of the ice. That turnover led directly to Nathan MacKinnon tying the game when he beat Vincent Trocheck to a rebound of a Martin Necas shot with 27 seconds remaining.

Despite getting outplayed for most of the second period, the Rangers surged ahead thanks to Adam Edstrom. On a nice play in transition, he tipped in a Sam Carrick feed for his first of the season. After being a healthy scratch in Vegas, it was a good response from Edstrom, who admitted that he hadn’t been playing well prior to last night’s game.

For a while, Igor Shesterkin kept the Avalanche off the scoreboard. Despite a territorial edge in play, they still trailed by a goal late in the period. That soon changed due to another Panarin blunder.

On a good defensive play by Devon Toews to stop Trocheck, he started another Avalanche quick counter up to MacKinnon. The Avalanche superstar gained the Rangers zone before dropping a pass for Martin Necas, who then hit a cutting Cale Makar. After easily beating Panarin to the net, Makar came around and beat Shesterkin on a wrap-around that tied the score with 2:45 remaining.

Makar was too fast for a diving Adam Fox, who tried to stop him. Panarin wasn’t the only spectator on the goal. Miller also got caught puck watching. That’s two instances where he didn’t try to prevent what happened.

Facing a faster team, the Rangers lost their discipline. They took six penalties to keep putting the Avalanche on the power play. Dating back to the first period, they took five straight penalties. Even though they entered the game ranked 23rd on the man-advantage, the Avs eventually made the Rangers pay for their transgressions.

In the opening minute of the third, Will Cuylle took down Artturi Lehkonen. That put the Avalanche on their fourth power play.

This time, the Rangers got caught on a shorthanded bid. After Sam Carrick was stopped by Scott Wedgewood, the Avalanche goalie wisely pushed the puck up to Sam Malinski. With both Carrick and Mika Zibanejad trapped deep, Malinski moved the puck up for Brock Nelson. On a three-on-two rush, he took it himself and fired a shot past Shesterkin to make it 3-2.

It didn’t matter that both Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov were back. Nelson had too much room to pick his spot, going high glove on Shesterkin.

After killing off a Carson Soucy holding minor, it was the Rangers’ turn to go on the power play. With Jack Drury off for taking down Braden Schneider, Miller got his second power-play goal of the game.

Following a near miss at the front, Trocheck won another offensive draw. That allowed Zibanejad to pass the puck up top for a Fox point shot that Miller got a piece of to tie the game at three with 9:42 left.

But before you could even relax, the Avalanche struck back at warp speed thanks to the combination of Makar and MacKinnon. After Necas gained the zone, he dropped a pass for a Makar one-timer that hit the goalpost and bounced right to MacKinnon, who easily put the rebound in to make it 4-3 only 30 seconds later.

On the play, Schneider got caught watching the Makar blast. He was too slow to react to MacKinnon, who snuck behind him for his 16th goal and league-leading 36th  point. He leads Connor McDavid by four points, with super sophomore Macklin Celebrini five behind. There isn’t a better player in the league right now than MacKinnon. He’s that dominant.

The same can be echoed for Makar. He finished off the Rangers by taking away an errant Zibanejad pass and firing the puck down into a vacated net. It happened so quickly that Shesterkin hadn’t even gotten to the bench. The smoke was coming through him when he skated back to his net.

Ross Colton added another empty netter for the final margin.

Following the loss, NY Post beat writer Mollie Walker asked Rangers coach Mike Sullivan a direct question about Panarin’s defensive miscues. Here was his response:

“I’ve had a lot of conversations with Artemi throughout the course of the season. We don’t expect him to be the best defensive player out there, but everyone’s required to play defense – and that’s the conversation that we have. Everybody’s got to be committed to play defense to a certain level or it’s going to be hard for us to win consistently. And those are the conversations that I’ve had with him is just recognizing when those situations are when you’ve got to lock down…Everybody knows he drives offense, he’s a talented player. But I think he’s also capable of defending when he’s committed.”

The most frustrating part is that we’ve seen previous coaches call out Panarin for his lack of attention to the defensive zone. This isn’t a new thing with him. He remains the Rangers’ best offensive player. However, he’s reverted back to how he played before. Whether it’s forcing passes into the middle or blowing an assignment, he isn’t doing enough to help defensively.

Panarin was held off the score sheet. If he’s not producing, it’ll continue to be hard for the Rangers to win games.

Sullivan’s experiment of having Miller play with Trocheck and Panarin didn’t go well. They were each on for four Avalanche goals, including the two empty netters.

I don’t love the idea of playing Miller on the wing. He’s a center. It can cause some confusion with defensive assignments. Zibanejad did better when shifted over to the right side with Miller last season.

Until they feel that Gabe Perreault is fully ready for a top six role, the Rangers will continue to have an incomplete lineup where Sullivan has to make tweaks.

The Rangers wrap up the road trip at the Utah Mammoth tomorrow.

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Sullivan’s Lines Resemble the Old Line Blender

Posted on November 20, 2025 by Derek

As they enter the second quarter of the 2025-26 schedule, with Colorado the second stop on a three-game road swing that concludes in Utah on Saturday, the Rangers still remain unsettled with their lineup.

Most of that has to do with the offense ranking near the bottom of the NHL. They’ve only scored 52 goals over the first 21 games, which helps explain their mediocre 10-9-2 record a week away from Thanksgiving.

Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in scoring with 19 points. However, he’s only scored five goals. That simply isn’t enough production with the Rangers’ other established stars failing to provide any consistency. Panarin has paced the Blueshirts in goals over the past two seasons, following up a career-high 49 in 2023-24 with 37 in 2024-25. Without any many finishers, he has to pick it up in the department. Especially in a walk year with him unwilling to take less money to re-sign.

Mika Zibanejad and Will Cuylle have been the constants. Four of Zibanejad’s team-leading seven goals have come on the power play. Half of Cuylle’s six markers are power-play goals, with him continuing to grow accustomed to being the net front presence on the number one unit.

Over the most recent stretch that includes two straight losses, Cuylle has been providing offense. After scoring three times in back-to-back wins over Predators and Lightning a week ago, he’s set up two of the last three goals the Rangers have scored against the Red Wings and Golden Knights. Following a slow start, Cuylle’s up to a dozen points, which ties him with Alexis Lafreniere for fourth in team scoring.

Despite a run of good play, Lafreniere remains an enigma in his sixth season. There are nights where he drives offense and is involved in goals. When Vincent Trocheck returned on Nov. 10, Lafreniere got an immediate boost, posting his first three-point game along with a goal on Nov. 12. Since then, he’s without a point over three with four total shots. He isn’t shooting the puck enough, with only 44 shots-on-goal in 21 games. Then again, only Zibanejad (team-leading 68 SOG) and Panarin (61 SOG) are high volume shooters.

If there’s one complaint about the Rangers, it’s that they don’t take enough shots. This is something that MSG TV analyst Dave Maloney referenced. There have been instances where you can feel Maloney’s frustration through the TV screen. Even with a new voice in Mike Sullivan behind the bench, they still have a tendency to overpass the puck.

It hasn’t helped matters that J.T. Miller continues to fire blanks. Four goals on 47 shots (8.5 percent) isn’t getting it done for the Rangers captain. Another 48 attempts haven’t even made it through. How many times has Miller been set up for a one-timer in the slot and have his shot go wide on the man-advantage? He spoke about how nothing is going in. Hitting the target is a requirement for scoring goals in the league.

With Miller and Zibanejad failing to click, Sullivan’s latest lines look like they were thrown in a blender. Eerily reminiscent of Tom Renney and Gerard Gallant, it’s already getting desperate for the Rangers. Unless you like the idea of throwing names in a hat, which at this point, it might come down to.

Sullivan even made changes on the power play. They had recent success scoring at least one power-play goal in four straight games (11/10-16). One bad game in Vegas has altered the coach’s plans for tonight.

In the 3-2 loss to the Knights on Tuesday, they only failed on one power play. For whatever reason, Sullivan has decided to load up his top unit for tonight’s game against the league best Avalanche. Trocheck rejoins a top unit that features Panarin, Zibanejad, Miller, and Adam Fox.

Cuylle switches to the second unit, which includes Lafreniere, Jonny Brodzinski, Conor Sheary, and rookie Scott Morrow. It appears that he’ll play his second game for the Rangers due to Will Borgen (upper-body) being listed as day-to-day. We’ll see if Morrow can have more of an impact than his Rangers debut when he received less than 10 minutes under David Quinn.

If there’s a question for the coach, what does Sheary provide that Noah Laba doesn’t on a five-on-four situation? I’d love to hear the answer. At least Brodzinski can take the draws.

Adam Edstrom sounds like he’ll return to the lineup following being a healthy scratch the other day. He’ll go back in for Juuso Parssinen, who apparently Sullivan doesn’t seem to have any use for. It really makes one question why Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury found it so urgent to re-sign Parssinen to a two-year deal for $1.25 million AAV. If he isn’t going to play, what was the point?

Drury was also quick to re-sign Urho Vaakanainen, who’s also signed through 2025-26 for a $1.55 million cap hit. He’s fallen out of favor under Sullivan, who seems to prefer the more physical Matthew Robertson (30 hits).

It’s not like Braden Schneider will be coming out of the lineup anytime soon. The more you watch him, he looks like another first round disappointment. I won’t call him a bust because he’s played over 300 games. Schneider just doesn’t do anything particularly well. A restricted free agent next summer, there’s a good chance that he’ll be made available if teams have interest before the trade deadline.

Should we expect anything different against the vaunted Avalanche later tonight? They’ve only lost once in regulation. Led by the league’s leading scorer Nathan MacKinnon and top defenseman Cale Makar, the Avalanche rank first in offense with 4.11 goals-per-game. Contrast that with the Rangers, who average a paltry 2.48 goals-per-game. Most astonishing is that most of Colorado’s success comes at even strength. They lead the league in even strength goals (56).

Their power play is actually ranked 23rd, which is behind the Rangers, who are tied for 20th. I still wouldn’t put the Avs on the power play. They boast potent weapons, with MacKinnon, Makar, and Martin Necas as the headliners. Victor Olofsson is a primary option from the right circle.

Right now, it’s Scott Wedgewood’s net. He’s been playing out of his mind. The former Devils backup is 11-1-2 with a 2.17 goals-against-average, and .917 save percentage. Mackenzie Blackwood started the season on injured reserve. Wedgewood started hot and has continued to play well.

Igor Shesterkin has good numbers despite being 7-7-2. He brings a 2.43 GAA and .911 save percentage into play with a shutout. Considering how fast the Avalanche play, Shesterkin will probably be quite busy.

It would be huge to get two points out of this game. The Avalanche are by far the best opponent the Rangers have faced. They’ll hope to win a league best 10th road game in the high altitude. Colorado is 7-0-2 at home. Both losses were identical 5-4 shootout defeats to the Stars (10/11) and Hurricanes (10/23).

Val Nichushkin is out with a lower-body injury. But Rangers killer Artturi Lehkonen (8-10-18) is healthy. He has seven goals against the Rangers in his career. He scored twice in two meetings last season. MacKinnon is 8-14-22 in 20 games vs. NYR. Makar is 3-8-11 in 10 games vs. NYR. The Rangers have held Necas to just one goal in 18 games, dating back to his days spent with the Hurricanes.

Panarin has 24 points (8-16-24) in 23 career games against the Avalanche. He had a goal and assist in two meetings last season. Zibanejad has been held to 6-3-9 in 22 games vs. COL. Fox is 1-4-5 in 10 games vs. COL. Miller is 8-9-17 in 21 games vs. COL.

Game time is 9 EST on MSG Network.

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No More BS From Underwhelming Miller

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Derek

J.T. Miller was brought in to make a difference. At least, that was the biggest reason the Rangers went out and got him last January from the Canucks.

Instead of building on a strong finish to last season in his return to Broadway, Miller has been missing most of the first 21 games this season. He’s scored only four goals so far and has six assists for a disappointing total of 10 points.

When he was named the new captain of the Rangers before training camp, it was believed that his tenacious style would be a good fit for a bland leadership that needed a bit more personality. While he says all the right things following games, such as the frustrating loss to the Golden Knights, he isn’t backing up those words.

Even worse, it was Miller, who was a spectator on the Knights’ second goal. A stick wave as the play continued, leading to Ben Hutton beating Igor Shesterkin, made it look like he didn’t care. So much for the No More BS moniker he came up with prior to the start of the season.

It’s bad enough that he’s not playing well. With lazy plays like that one, it’s emblematic of how Miller’s failed thus far as a captain. He’s supposed to lead by example. Instead, there’s been too many instances where he isn’t noticeable during shifts.

Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan has tried everything to get Miller and a weak offense going. That’s included having Miller play with Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin, who hasn’t exactly been consistent, either. But at least he’s back to putting up points since shaving his head.

Much more is expected from a no-nonsense player who averaged over point-per-game with Vancouver. Perhaps that production was boosted by playing with current Canucks captain Quinn Hughes, who even after sitting out a game with an injury, erupted for 10 assists in his last three games played.

Regardless, the 32-year-old Miller isn’t coming close to delivering on what he promised. He says he’s frustrated that he isn’t producing. So are the fans who bought into his second act at MSG.

Although they didn’t overpay to get him, in dealing away Filip Chytil, Vincent Mancini, and a first round pick, the Rangers aren’t getting much bang for their buck. He gets paid $8 million regardless. If he isn’t injured like he was during preseason, there aren’t any excuses for his lackadaisical play.

Stop talking. Start performing. How’s that for a reality check. No BS.

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Rangers Drop Second Straight Game In Loss To Golden Knights

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Derek

It was a frustrating start to the three-game road trip for the New York Rangers, whose late rally fell short in a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at The Fortress.

The loss was their second in a row. It was just the second time they’ve lost a road game in regulation. The other came against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 26.

Unlike that one, the Rangers could’ve won against the Golden Knights, who entered play with only one win over their last six games (1-2-3). They also hadn’t won at home since Nov. 4. They were due for a victory. Even if it wasn’t a great show by Vegas standards.

Ultimately, the Rangers lost this one due to not getting enough from their top stars. For most of the night, they struggled to establish anything. Due to that, coach Mike Sullivan constantly juggled his lines in an attempt to get them going.

Both Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad had off nights. Panarin took an offensive zone penalty that led directly to a Vegas power-play goal from Braeden Bowman, who put in a Tomas Hertl rebound past Igor Shesterkin.

There were too many empty shifts for Panarin, whose passing wasn’t up to speed. Alexis Lafreniere also struggled to establish anything. He’s gone three straight games without a point. There’s still too many instances where he vanishes. They can ill afford for Lafreniere to go through another empty stretch like last year.

Zibanejad has been pretty consistent. However, he was unable to get much going against the stingy defense of the Knights. His line with J.T. Miller and Will Cuylle was eventually changed by Sullivan in the middle of the game.

Facing Akira Schmid for the first time since he beat them in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with the New Jersey Devils, the Rangers didn’t get enough shots through. Vegas blocked 17 shots. They were particularly tough in the third period, making life difficult.

Following a soft goal Shesterkin allowed to Ben Hutton, Jonny Brodzinski put in a rebound of a Will Cuylle shot to make it 2-1 with 11:04 left in the second period.

A good defensive play from Carson Soucy forced a turnover inside the Rangers blue line. That allowed Cuylle and Brodzinski to skate in on a two-on-one. Cuylle shot for a rebound off Schmid that Brodzinski finished for his second.

By that point, Sullivan had started mixing and matching. They were out with Noah Laba, who always seems to provide a lift. It was the play of his line that was noticeable. Laba’s ability to make plays due to his size and speed remains a constant on a team that lacks consistency.

Eventually, Sullivan decided to flip Brodzinski and Cuylle. With Brodzinski up with Zibanejad and Miller, he nearly tied the game late in the second. However, Schmid smothered his rebound to keep Vegas in front.

Brodzinski was the Rangers’ best forward. As commendable as that is, this team isn’t winning many games with Brodzinski as their best player. It’s an indictment on the same leadership who failed to show up against the Detroit Red Wings.

With Sullivan back behind the bench after missing the last game for family reasons, he opted to keep Matthew Robertson in on the blue line with Braden Schneider. The return of Will Borgen meant that Scott Morrow sat out. It would’ve been nice to see him play again.

Adam Edstrom was a healthy scratch. Juuso Parssinen was inserted into the lineup on the fourth line. He played with Sam Carrick and Taylor Raddysh, who again was ineffective. He’s better suited on the third line, where Sullivan tried him for a shift. Raddysh also got a cameo with Zibanejad and Miller, who continues to look like he’s got something nagging him. If he does, why continue to run him out there?

Vegas played a strong third. They came out and got the first five shots. A Soucy penalty  for interference led to the Knights converting for the second time on the power play. Shea Theodore had his long shot beat Shesterkin through traffic to make it 3-1 at 7:18. Shesterkin mildly protested due to some minor contact, but he was outside his crease. So, the goal counted.

The Rangers thought they had one when Brodzinski put in a rebound. However, the play was way offside. Even live, it was easy to tell that Zibanejad was way ahead of the play on the entry. It was ridiculous that the linesman missed it. The Vegas offside challenge took less than a minute to overturn the call on the ice.

With Shesterkin lifted for an extra attacker, the big guns finally did something. Miller made a pass up top for a Panarin shot that Vincent Trocheck deflected in to cut the deficit to 3-2 with 2:43 left in regulation.

That was as close as they came. Once again, the Rangers lost to Schmid. It wasn’t because he was great. He only had to make 17 saves. But that was enough to beat Shesterkin, who finished with 23 saves.

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Quick’s Strong Reaction Was Needed For Rangers

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Derek

A day later, much has been made of Jonathan Quick going after Mason Appleton following his shot at an empty net when time expired. Considering how poorly the Rangers played, the 2-1 final score didn’t tell the whole story.

To be blunt, it was the worst game they’ve played this season. They were atrocious throughout against the Red Wings, who looked much faster than the Nov. 7 meeting that they won in Hockey Town.

They left Quick all by himself far too often last night. Unlike the Rangers, who were mostly one and done against former backup Cam Talbot, the Red Wings kept firing shots at Quick, who did his best to make a lopsided game competitive.

It’s hard to believe the game was still tied with less than five minutes left in the third period. Detroit not only outshot New York by a wide 14-3 margin, they were credited with 12 scoring chances to only four for the Rangers according to Natural Stat Trick. Four of their six high danger chances came in the final period.

On the game-winner Lucas Raymond scored, the Rangers stood around and watched him circle around the net and fire a shot past Quick with 3:47 remaining in regulation. It was a team effort on the deciding goal that cost them at least a point.

A turnover at the Red Wings blue line from Alexis Lafreniere allowed Moritz Seider to start a quick transition up for Dylan Larkin. After he moved the puck to Raymond, he easily gained the Rangers zone and beat Carson Soucy badly. With Adam Fox occupied in front of the net, Soucy didn’t bother chasing Raymond, who scored a goal as easy as one in NHL 94.

Vincent Trocheck was the only forward who came back defensively. J.T. Miller was too late, and Artemi Panarin had a nice view of things from the other side. It was pretty disgraceful. Even though he’s finally producing, Panarin should still be expected to give a better effort. Especially in a tie game. He just hung back.

After the Rangers didn’t score with a six-on-five, Appleton fired the shot into the empty net at the buzzer. An emotional player who doesn’t take kindly to that sorta thing, Quick made a bee line for Appleton while both Panarin and Zibanejad didn’t seem to mind.

Did Quick overreact? Absolutely. He was probably more upset with how they played. If he was trying to light a fire, he did. It got the team’s attention. Instead of just going back to the locker room with their heads between their asses, they had Quick’s back. Seeing every player for both teams at each other’s throats made for a unique scene.

The red and blue contrast in the jerseys was aesthetically pleasing. There’s something to be said about two Original Six teams wearing their traditional color centennial jerseys. It looked much better than either side wearing the road white.

If there’s one thing that should annoy our fans, why does Quick have to do that? At 39, he’s the oldest player on the roster. A throwback to how the game once was played.

Even in 2012, when he won his first Stanley Cup with the Kings, the game had a lot more edge back then. That same year, the Rangers and Devils had a line brawl that made MSG sound like a heavyweight title fight. If you were there for it, you know what I’m saying.

Would they have looked so disinterested if Matt Rempe played? Although he’s a role player who isn’t expected back anytime soon, he brings a lot of character and energy to the bench and during shifts. Coincidentally, Adam Edstrom hasn’t been as effective without him.

There was a much different feel to that line with Rempe. Taylor Raddysh hasn’t done much since his hot start. He doesn’t really fit on the fourth line. I’d move him up with Noah Laba.

I’m puzzled by the Rangers’ reluctance to play Juuso Parssinen over Jonny Brodzinski or Conor Sheary. What was the point of giving him a two-year contract?

The Rangers leadership is supposed to be better with Miller as captain. You wouldn’t know it by how underwhelming he’s been. He hasn’t looked any better shifting over to the right side to play with Zibanejad and Will Cuylle, who’s been one of the few bright spots on a vanilla roster.

It shouldn’t always be the same players that show up every night. They also shouldn’t need a kick in the ass from Quick to wake them up. A 1-7-1 home record is unacceptable. They’ve only scored over one twice. That’s unimaginable for a team that’s 9-1-1 on the road.

At 10-8-2, they look like a mediocre team still trying to figure it out. There’s a lot of parity in the league. So. They’re right where you’d expect them to be.

Now, they head back on the road for the next three games. In what world did it make sense to fly home for one game and then go to Vegas for tomorrow? You’ll have to ask both the NHL and MSG. When they complete the road trip at Utah, they’ll return to host the Blues before visiting Carolina and Boston before and after Thanksgiving.

Logical.

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Rangers Remain Puzzling After Latest Loss At MSG

Posted on November 16, 2025 by Derek

It’s getting harder and harder to assess who the New York Rangers are this season. After picking up their league best ninth win on the road via a 2-1 shootout triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, they again reverted at home in a puzzling 2-1 loss to the far superior Detroit Red Wings.

As good as they’ve been away from home, it is as bad as they are at Madison Square Garden. The defeat was their eighth in nine games at MSG. Just who are the Rangers? Are they the dominant team that’s 9-1-1 on the road, or the punchless one that’s a dismal 1-7-1 at home? The best estimated guess is something in between.

Both Original Six rivals came in, playing the second of a back-to-back. However, the Red Wings had more to prove following blowing a 4-1 third period lead to the Buffalo Sabres in a bad overtime loss on home ice. Perhaps it wasn’t that surprising that the Red Wings picked up their first win in eight games against the Rangers.

It sure didn’t explain how bad they looked on an emotional night. Prior to the opening faceoff, MSG paid tribute to Hall of Fame writer Larry Brooks on the video board. Many journalists attended his service earlier today.

It was wonderfully done with Brooks’ Hockey Hall of Fame picture and flowers set up where he sat to cover games in the press box. If he’d seen the Rangers’ poor display, you could bet your bottom dollar that he would’ve been finishing up a scathing column.

They were pitiful. So badly outplayed and out-skated by the Red Wings that it looked like only a handful of players showed up. If not for the remarkable play of Jonathan Quick, who stood on his head in making 40 saves on 42 shots, it would’ve been a blowout loss.

Instead, the Rangers hung in thanks to many acrobatic stops from the unorthodox Quick, who really deserved a better fate. If only most of his teammates had given a stronger effort.

Incredibly, Quick made 15 saves while the Rangers were shorthanded. Sixteen of Detroit’s 42 shots came on the power play. He did all he could to give an undisciplined team a chance at stealing two points. For some reason, they didn’t want it as badly as the Red Wings.

Before the game, it was revealed that Mike Sullivan would miss the game due to a family matter. Hopefully, it was only to go visit son-in-law Charlie McAvoy, who lost a tooth when he took an errant puck to his mouth on Saturday night. It was gruesome.

David Quinn and Joe Sacco ran the Rangers bench in Sullivan’s absence. Listening to Quinn in the postgame, he wasn’t pleased with what he saw. He mentioned how they made a lot of errors that fueled Detroit’s transition game. They took full advantage of some sloppy turnovers. The Rangers were credited with 19 giveaways. They were outshot 42-19 and out-attempted 76-59.

From the outset, it was the more determined Red Wings who had the extra jump in their step. They were able to spend more zone time on the attack. Despite getting nine of the first 13 shots, they were unable to solve Quick. He was again sharp against an opponent he’d dominated recently. He entered, having won his last three starts versus the Red Wings, only allowing 3 goals. That included a 32-save performance in a win on Nov. 7 at Detroit.

They controlled large potions of a penalty filled second period. Each team had two power plays. Referee Kelly Sutherland drew the ire of the Rangers bench following a dubious call on Sam Carrick for “holding the stick” on J.T. Compher. MSG TV analyst Dave Maloney told it like it was.

By that point, the Red Wings and Rangers had already exchanged power-play goals. Quick had already made a few sparklers with Detroit on the man-advantage. But he was unable to stop a Lucas Raymond shot from getting through, which Alex DeBrincat put in for a 1-0 lead.

Sutherland made a questionable call on Moritz Seider for delay of game. Red Wings coach Todd McLellan had a lengthy discussion with Sutherland before deciding to not challenge. It was hard to tell if Seider’s clearing attempt went straight out.

The Rangers took full advantage of it by tying the game. Following an Artemi Panarin point shot that Will Cuylle got a piece of, the rebound came right to Mika Zibanejad for an easy put away. That made it four straight games with a power-play goal for the Rangers. Zibanejad is up to 112 as Ranger, trailing Camille Henry and Chris Kreider by four for the most in franchise history.

Then came the controversial call on Carrick. Compher wisely hooked Carrick’s stick into him to draw a dubious minor penalty. Former New Jersey Devil Jamie Langenbrunner was the master of it. He’d frequently tug at the player’s stick and pull it into him to get the call. Most players do it. Sutherland isn’t the only ref to be duped. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again. 

Despite the Red Wings getting several point blank opportunities to score. Quick was unconscious in net, making some unbelievable saves to keep it tied headed to the third period.

In a game that also featured the Rangers debut of defenseman Scott Morrow, he didn’t see much ice time, finishing with 9:56 while paired up with Matthew Robertson. As it turned out, he dressed in place of Urho Vaakanainen, who sat out.

Quinn and Sacco leaned heavily on Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov with both going over 24 minutes. Carson Soucy saw an increased role. That proved to be a mistake. His foot speed was exposed on the game-winner.

The Rangers had to kill off two more penalties. It was basically let Quick make the saves. He also was scrambling around when a Patrick Kane shot headed for the net and went off Zibanejad to stay out. It was a crazy sequence.

But in a period that saw them on their heels throughout, the Rangers finally got burned when Raymond scored a beauty with 3:48 left in regulation. Taking a Dylan Larkin feed, he skated around a sliding Soucy and around the net to beat an out of position Quick for the game-winner. With Quick trying to get back in position, Soucy also screened him on Raymond’s goal.

With Quick on the bench for an extra attacker, Cam Talbot made a rare save by stopping a long Panarin shot. The rebound was right there for J.T. Miller to bury. But Saturday’s shootout hero missed.

After the buzzer sounded, Mason Appleton fired the puck into an empty net. Of course, an incensed Quick came off the bench and went after Appleton. Both teams nearly got into a brawl. But eventually, cooler heads prevailed. Had they showed that same fire Quick did, maybe they could’ve won.

The Red Wings deserved the win. They were much better than the Rangers on a night they honored the memory of Brooks and their 1950s and 1960s stars, which included Chuck Rayner, Andy Bathgate, and Rod Gilbert.

Maybe it’s the centennial jerseys. They haven’t won much with them. It doesn’t make sense. Does anything with this Jekyll and Hyde team?

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Rangers Call Up Scott Morrow and Send Down Gabe Perreault

Posted on November 16, 2025 by Derek

Following Saturday night’s 2-1 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the New York Rangers were busy today.

They have called up defenseman Scott Morrow from the Hartford Wolf Pack and sent down forward Gabe Perreault.

The moves aren’t that surprising. In recalling Morrow, who was unavailable for last night’s game with the Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League, it’s due to the upper-body injury Will Borgen has. They need a right skating defenseman who can replace Borgen and play on the second power play unit.

It makes sense for Morrow to finally come up. Especially if Borgen isn’t available for tonight’s game at home against the Detroit Red Wings. Assuming he’s in the lineup, Morrow could find himself on the third pair with Urho Vaakanainen. Unless Mike Sullivan trusts him enough to play with Carson Soucy. Braden Schneider had one of his better games while teamed up with Soucy. I imagine they’ll stay together.

If Morrow dresses, it would be his Rangers debut. Acquired on July 1 as part of the K’Andre Miller trade to the Carolina Hurricanes, this could be his chance to make a good first impression. We’ll find out later if Morrow will replace Matthew Robertson in the lineup.

The reaction to Perreault being assigned to the Wolf Pack is predictable. Most observers can’t understand why he only got three games with the Rangers. Lost in translation is that Perreault is waiver exempt, which allows the Rangers to remain cap compliant by bringing up Morrow.

The move makes plenty of sense. After setting up Alexis Lafreniere for a power-play goal in his first game this season, Perreault didn’t distinguish himself in the last two games. While the analytics were strong against the Blue Jackets, he was demoted to the third line by Sullivan for the second straight game. He looked more comfortable playing with Noah Laba and Conor Sheary in the third period. So, it isn’t all bad.

If he stays in Hartford, Perreault can further develop by continuing to play top minutes. He’s only 20. With Vincent Trocheck back, the Rangers are playing a lot better. There’s no reason to rush Perreault. It was a little earlier than expected when he was brought up.

I’d like to see Juuso Parssinen get another look. He hasn’t been bad when he’s been in the lineup. In 12 games, Parssinen has two goals and an assist. He can slot in on either the third or fourth line.

Sullivan could also insert Jonny Brodzinski into the lineup. Without Perreault, someone else will have to play on the second power play. I guess it all depends on Sullivan’s preference.

The Rangers host the Red Wings at 7 PM.

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