Rangers’ Effort Not Enough in Overtime Loss to Golden Knights

Posted on December 8, 2025 by Derek

If the first week without Adam Fox was a test, then the New York Rangers passed with flying colors. After getting losing badly to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 29, the Rangers went 2-0-2 against quality opposition that included the Dallas Stars (3-2 overtime win), Ottawa Senators (4-2 win in regulation), Colorado Avalanche (3-2 overtime loss), and the Vegas Golden Knights (3-2 overtime loss).

Even in the tough OT defeats at home on the weekend, the Rangers did well in a back-to-back situation against the league-leading Avalanche and Golden Knights, who had a bit more left to come from behind for a 3-2 win in extras at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.

A day after Artemi Panarin gave them a point by getting the game-tying goal with only 42 seconds left in regulation against the Avalanche, the Rangers had the tables turned against them when the Knights took advantage of a controversial call from referee Chris Lee to tie the game with 52 seconds remaining.

Nursing a one-goal lead thanks on the strength of a second period go-ahead goal from Alexis Lafreniere, who played one of his best games of the season, the Rangers were in a good position to close out what would’ve been a hard fought victory against one of the NHL’s toughest teams.

Despite the fresher Knights carrying much of the play in a defensive-minded third period, the Rangers had done a good job limiting most of their shots to the outside. Jonathan Quick made the saves, including stopping Ivan Barbashev on a breakaway.

But with play still going on in the neutral zone, it suddenly was blown dead by Lee. Usually, when that occurs, it’s due to a bench minor for too many men on the ice. Instead, he decided to give Will Borgen and Brett Howden matching roughing minors with 1:58 left in the third period.

As soon as he made the unpopular call, which puzzled several players on the Rangers bench, Mike Sullivan fumed at Lee because it created more open ice for Vegas. Instead of a six-on-five with Carter Hart pulled, it became a five-on-four advantage, which was essentially a power play for the Golden Knights.

Not only did it hurt the Rangers, who had one less skater on the ice to protect a one-goal lead. But it also took one of their most dependable players off. There’s little doubt that Sullivan probably would’ve had Borgen out with Vladislav Gavrikov late.

Instead, he stuck with Gavrikov and Braden Schneider, who’s stepped it up since Fox went down. Schneider was elevated to the top pair, leaving Borgen to stick with partner Carson Soucy. Schneider had played a strong game, which included a nice open ice hit at center ice. The bigger issue was it limited the coaching staff to only using two forwards. It was Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller, who were out for the crushing tying goal.

With less than a minute to go, Quick made consecutive stops on Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, but he was unable to get Tomas Hertl’s backhand that tied it at 19:08. Despite making some big-time stops in his first start since Nov. 22, his best wasn’t good enough to earn his first win in exactly a month. What was astonishing is how well the affable 39-year-old future Hall of Famer played after Howden scored just 36 seconds in. It speaks to how hard he competes, which is the biggest reason he’s had such a great career.

Due to both Borgen and Howden still serving the remaining two seconds of their penalties, overtime started with four-on-four. Once both players returned and changed at their benches, the Rangers and Knights played almost exclusively with four aside in a very tactical extra session that lacked excitement. Nothing really happened. If you liked tight checking and good defense, that’s exactly what you got.

Mike Zibanejad was robbed of the winner by Hart, who was able to cover up the puck for the only stoppage with less than 17 seconds remaining. That meant three-on-three for the first time in overtime. Even with the faceoff inside the Vegas zone, it didn’t prevent Howden and Shea Theodore from combining on a set play to spring Eichel for a breakaway which he converted on a backhand, forehand deke to win the game late.

It was a frustrating way to lose an extra point. Especially due to how it happened. Following a Howden win, Theodore wisely sent a bank pass off the side boards that allowed the faster Eichel to get behind Matthew Robertson for the overtime winner. Despite being on his weak side, Robertson tried to catch Eichel, but it was a mismatch.

The bigger question is why he was sent out for an offensive draw on his weaker side. Sullivan could’ve gone with Schneider or even rookie Scott Morrow, who had a good game. A right defenseman would’ve made more sense at that point. At the very least, they could’ve taken it to a shootout.

If there was a player who could’ve prevented Eichel from getting behind, it was Panarin. However, he stopped skating which allowed Eichel to take full advantage and win the game with a great finish. Panarin has to have better awareness in that situation. Especially after Zibanejad lost the draw. Panarin and Zibanejad would’ve been likely shooters if it went to the skill competition. Instead, they never got there.

Overall, the Rangers have to be pleased with where they currently are without one of their best players. Even though they’ve played 31 games, they’re right where they need to be in a crowded division race.

They’re up to 34 points, which has them in the wildcard for now. That’s only a point up on three teams, and three on most of the pack that includes the defending champion Florida Panthers, who defeated the New York Islanders to win their second straight. Anything can happen this season.

For the Rangers, they want to keep playing the way they have been. With more of an emphasis on team defense, their play has improved overall. They’re still not scoring much on home ice, but they went up against three of the West’s best and came away with four out of six points.

If they can take the powerful Avalanche to overtime, thanks in large part to Igor Shesterkin (39 saves), it says a lot about where they are. It took another great goal from Nathan MacKinnon to beat them late. He’s the game’s best player for a reason. Going up against MacKinnon and Cale Makar is no small task. They’re dominant superstars that have Colorado with only two regulation losses so far.

In the early going, a Gavrikov turnover led directly to Mark Stone and Mitch Marner setting up Howden for an early goal against his former team. That’s like clockwork when it comes to the Rangers. At least Howden turned himself into a good player.

Sensing that his team needed a spark, Sam Carrick decided to drop the gloves against Keegan Kolesar. Carrick did well in the fight, getting the decision. He seems to have impeccable timing. There was one change to the lineup with the just recalled Jaroslav Chmelar replacing an ineffective Taylor Raddysh on the fourth line. Chmelar looked okay in his return, delivering a couple of hits and getting a point blank chance that Hart stopped. His more edgy style is a better fit for that line.

After only having three shots in a lethargic first period, the Rangers woke up with a much stronger second that saw them outshoot the Knights 16-6. Even better, they got the only two goals of the period.

On a great shift by the top line, Robertson had a shot deflect off Lafreniere in front with the loose puck coming right to Zibanejad for his 11th to even the score.

Less than four minutes later, it was Zibanejad who made a nice pass for Lafreniere in the right circle. He made no mistake roofing a laser past Hart that hit the inside of the crossbar and went out for his seventh to make it 2-1.

It was the kind of shot Lafreniere is capable of when he’s shooting the puck. He hasn’t done it enough. Maybe it can get him going. He picked up an assist on the Panarin tying marker against Colorado. If there’s a single player who must produce, it’s Lafreniere. They absolutely need him to hit the score sheet.

Late in the period, after Conor Sheary couldn’t beat Hart on a breakaway to make it two straight games with a goal (asking too much), Panarin was taken down which drew a reaction from the crowd. After no call was made, he got a high-sticking minor that upset both the bench and the fans.

In a game where there the Vegas got the only power play, was it asking too much for some consistency? The Rangers were the dominant team in the period. The Knights got away with a clear infraction, which was conveniently ignored. But as soon as Panarin got his stick up on Brayden McNabb moments later, the arm came up.

The Rangers were able to successfully kill off the penalty that carried over to the final period. Quick provided a couple of big saves to do his part. Unfortunately, the Rangers’ gas tank was running on empty.

Buoyed by the man-advantage, the Knights grabbed the momentum to control the third period by outshooting the Rangers 13-3. They seemed to be in the Rangers’ end a lot. However, the Knights had to work for most of their opportunities due to the diligent work of the Rangers, who had very active sticks.

Even during an extended shift for Borgen and Soucy, they never allowed anything on the inside. On another shift, Soucy was in the right spot to prevent a goal. His play has improved under Sullivan. Maybe it’s the familiarity playing with Borgen, who he partnered with in Seattle. The defensive system is much more structured than it was under Peter Laviolette. There are always forwards coming back.

In a rare instance, Vegas caught the Blueshirts in a line change to spring Barbashev for a breakaway. However, Quick took away the five-hole to make a pad save that kept the Rangers ahead. He finished with 26 saves, including 12 in the third. Unfortunately, it was a tough conclusion. He was a bit unlucky due to Lee inserting himself at a crucial point of the game.

Borgen and Howden were battling in front of the benches. It wasn’t to the point where it had to be called. Instead, it definitely benefited the Knights, who were able to tie the game and then win it in OT.

For the Rangers, they’ll travel to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night in one of those cool doubleheaders on TNT. Considering that the Blackhawks were outscored 13-1 in consecutive losses to the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, they’ll be ready to play back at the United Center.

The Rangers will get their first look at emerging superstar Connor Bedard, who ranks fourth in scoring with 40 points (18-22-40). That’s eight more than Panarin (10-22-32), who has rebounded from a slow start. He should be inspired when he returns to Chicago to face his former team.

Panarin just went over 900 career points. In 783 games, he has 312 goals and 590 assists for a total of 902 points. It all started in the Windy City when he played with former Blackhawks legend Patrick Kane, who is winding down a brilliant career in Detroit. If I were a betting man, I’d take Panarin as an anytime scorer for Wednesday.

If they want to prove that they’re serious about challenging for the playoffs, they’ll win the game against a defensively challenged opponent.

While improved, the Blackhawks can be hemmed in and taken advantage of. They rely a lot on Spencer Knight and Bedard. It should be a good game. The Rangers will want to avoid getting into a run and gun. If they can, they’ll probably get the win and return to MSG for the Montreal Canadiens this Saturday, Dec. 13.

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Devils Stick Up For Dillon in Loss To Blue Jackets

Posted on December 2, 2025 by Derek

The Devils haven’t had many disappointing  home games so far. One of the best teams on home ice, they entered last night’s game against the Blue Jackets with only one loss in regulation at The Prudential Center.

For only the second time in a dozen home games, the Devils lost in regulation, falling to the Blue Jackets 5-3 in Newark. They’re still 9-2-1 at The Rock.

Last night, the Devils honored defenseman Brenden Dillon before his 1,000th career game. An undrafted player whose hard work and commitment are the biggest reasons for his success in the NHL, Dillon got emotional leading up to the game during an interview yesterday. When he was shown a picture of him as a kid on the ice with his Dad, he teared up while giving a great response.

Little did they know that Dillon would be involved in a physical altercation with Dmitri Voronkov that led to a lot of nastiness during an intense second period. 

After goals from Nico Hischier and Ondrej Palat put them up by two early, the Blue Jackets answered back with a Denton Mateychuk goal on the power play that cut it to 2-1. The Devils had a Timo Meier power-play goal overturned due to a successful coach’s challenge for goaltender interference on Stefan Noesen, who bumped into Elvis Merzlikins prior to Meier steering in a loose puck in the crease.

With the Devils already down a man at the start of the second period, a scrum led to Dillon and Voronkov getting involved. Adam Fantilli was given a cross-check from Dillon after he poked Jake Allen’s pads looking for a rebound.

Then, Voronkov challenged Dillon, who managed to get off the first punch before having his gloves off. Voronkov already was ready and caught Dillon with an uppercut that sent him down hard to the ice with his head exposed. A visibly wobbly Dillon had to be helped to the locker room.

It was a scary scene. But somehow, Dillon was able to return before the period ended. A warrior, he received cheers from the crowd.

Prior to that happening, Sean Monahan quickly tied the score on a rush by beating Luke Hughes and Jonas Siegenthaler on the play.

Fireworks followed. During a scrum involving six players, Siegenthaler fought Fantilli. After absorbing some rights, he got the takedown. Unfortunately, Siegenthaler was ejected from the game for not having his jersey tied down, leaving the Devils down two defensemen.

When Dillon returned later, they still had five before the team made the wise decision to hold him out for the third as a precaution.

A few minutes later, Noesen went after Voronkov for some revenge. He took some punches before getting a takedown. Twelve seconds later, Paul Cotter took on Brendan Smith. No stranger to fighting, Cotter did okay against the very experienced Smith, who once played for the Devils.

Before the period concluded, matching roughing minors were given to Cody Glass and Monahan. The teams combined for 64 penalty minutes (Devils 36 Blue Jackets 28) in the hectic second.

The Blue Jackets struck for two goals over a 34-second span. Charlie Coyle beat Allen in front, and Monahan got his second of the game to suddenly put the Devils down by two.

However, the Devils struck for the third time on the power play thanks to a nice passing play from Hischier, and Bratt set up Timo Meier for his 10th to cut the deficit to one.

But less than two minutes later, an Allen misplay for Hughes behind the net allowed Coyle to set up Miles Wood for a backbreaking goal that restored the Blue Jackets’ two-goal lead.

Although they lost the game, the Devils showed that they won’t be bullied by opponents. Even if Dillon wasn’t totally innocent in what happened, they had his back.

That’s exactly the kind of strong response you wanted to see. They’re a tight-knit unit, which explains why they remain near the top of the standings. Two total points separate first place Carolina from third place Washington, with the Devils a point behind the Hurricanes.

The Metropolitan Division remains tight with both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia right behind the Caps. Even the last place Rangers entered Tuesday six out of first. It speaks to how competitive most of the league is. There aren’t many bad teams who are completely out of it.

With a day off, the Devils will be back to host the Stars on Wednesday night. Dallas will have a rested Jake Oettinger, who’s getting tonight off against the Rangers. The Stars should present a good challenge, boasting the red hot Jason Robertson and power-play goal leader Wyatt Johnston.

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Rangers Lose Fox For At Least Ten Games

Posted on November 30, 2025 by Derek

Less than 24 hours later, the Rangers confirmed the worst fears by placing Adam Fox on long-term injured reserve. During the third period against the Lightning, Fox suffered an upper-body injury when he was caught by a clean Brandon Hagel hit that sent his left arm into the boards.

By putting him on LTIR, the Rangers will be without their best defenseman for at least 10 games. Losing Fox for any period hurts the team big time. The 27-year-old had found the form that won him a Norris, supplying consistent offense on a low scoring team. He assisted on the Rangers’ only goal scored by J.T. Miller yesterday, extending his point streak to six straight. All 10 points were assists.

Despite the Blueshirts remaining inconsistent due to their lousy home record at Madison Square Garden, Fox has been a bright spot. His 23 assists led the team and 26 points were tied for first in scoring with Artemi Panarin (8-18-26). Fox ranks first on the Rangers in even strength points (2-15-17) and tied for second with Panarin in power-play points (1-7-8). Mika Zibanejad leads them with nine (6-3-9).

Without Fox, the Rangers lose a valuable player who brings so much to the table. He drives the offense from the blue line, with his 26 points twice as many as defense partner Vladislav Gavrikov, who’s chipped in with 11.

Subtracting Fox from the power play leaves coach Mike Sullivan with no real options to quarterback it. They had been using Braden Schneider on the second unit. A no frills defenseman who doesn’t have much experience or remotely close to the offensive skills Fox has, Schneider isn’t cut out to run the number one unit.

Trailing the Lightning by two goals in the third period, Sullivan went with five forwards that featured Panarin, Zibanejad, Miller, Vincent Trocheck, and Will Cuylle. If he decides to stick with it for Tuesday against Dallas, he runs the risk of the dangerous Stars getting shorthanded chances.

It makes sense to have at least one defenseman on the top unit just as a safeguard. The best candidates are Gavrikov and rookie Scott Morrow. The question for the coaching staff is, do they trust Morrow enough to play top power play? He possesses the skating and offensive instincts that will be missing without Fox. Gavrikov already averages over 23 minutes a game as a shutdown defenseman who doubles on the penalty killing unit.

It’s a tough situation for the Rangers to be in. They’ve played the most games (27) in the league, but are a mediocre 13-12-2 with their 28 points separating them from the Blue Jackets by a single point for last place in the Metropolitan Division.

With six of the next eight games at home, they have to figure out a way to survive without their best skater. That would require them discovering how to win at The Garden. With only two wins in 11 games (2-8-1) so far on home ice, the Rangers haven’t been able to supply much offense. They’ve been shut out five times and outscored 34-17 by opponents.

Astonishingly, they’re much better away from MSG with a league best 11-4-1 record. The goal differential is reversed with the Blueshirts holding a 54-37 edge. It doesn’t make any sense. For whatever reason, they have played some of their worst hockey at the World’s Most Famous Arena. Unless that changes soon, the season will go up in smoke. They’re going to have to find a way to hang in there without Fox, who will be sorely missed.

Potential Defense Pairs

Minus Fox, Sullivan has to make a tough decision about who he should bump up to play with Gavrikov, who’s been everything they expected after signing him in the summer. He could opt to move Will Borgen up to the top pair.

A stout defender who plays physical, Borgen is probably most likely candidate on the roster to take on the role. A gritty player who’s become a key part of the back end, the 29-year-old has missed seven games due to a nagging injury. He just returned for the second time on Saturday after sitting out five straight on the IR.

Borgen plays the game with edge. He’s your classic defensive defenseman who will finish checks and block shots. He has 32 hits and 26 blocks so far in 20 games while playing mostly with Carson Soucy on the second pair. As his one goal and two helpers indicate, he won’t supply much offense because it’s not his job. But he’s smart and experienced enough to help fill the void left by Fox.

With Schneider seeing some time with Soucy when Borgen was out, it makes sense to have Borgen move up to work with Gavrikov. That would allow Schneider to stick with Soucy for the time being.

The third pair has featured Matthew Robertson a lot. Another stay at home defenseman who wins battles, he can stay in the lineup and play with Morrow, who at this point needs a lot of work in his end. However, he’s a better skater and a young, right-handed defenseman who the Rangers acquired from the Hurricanes as part of the K’Andre Miller trade on July 1. This feels like the time to find out more about Morrow. Especially on the man-advantage.

Assuming Sullivan goes with that proposed top six, that would leave Urho Vaakanainen as the extra. Vaakanainen is a good skating D who doesn’t take the body much. He’s serviceable enough to fill in if Morrow struggles. Or possibly for Robertson, depending on the matchup.

Whatever they decide tomorrow at practice will probably determine who plays against the Stars on Tuesday.

Tough Schedule Ahead

The Rangers don’t have any easy opponents coming up. After Dallas, it’s on the road for a game at Ottawa before returning home for the league-leading Avalanche and Golden Knights. Following a visit to Chicago, they’ve go the Canadiens, Ducks, and Canucks at MSG. That’s a tough seven-game slate. The remaining three are against the Flyers, Predators, and Capitals before Dec. 27 versus the Islanders in Elmont, when Fox becomes eligible to return.

That assumes the injury to Fox doesn’t keep him out longer. As reported by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, he’s week to week. The injury isn’t expected to prevent him from being available for the Olympics. As if anyone who roots for this team cares about that right now. The arena might not even be ready in Italy with no backup plan. Wouldn’t that be great for the NHL?

If the Rangers struggle during this critical stretch, that could help make up Chris Drury’s mind about this season. It’s a long way until Christmas.

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Rangers’ Lack of Competitiveness in Loss to Lightning Inexplicable

Posted on November 29, 2025 by Derek

A day following a nice win in Boston, the Rangers reverted to usual form in an uncompetitive 4-1 loss to the Lightning at Madison Square Garden. The final score wasn’t indicative of how lopsided the latest home disappointment was in front of angry fans who booed them off the ice.

“We got outcompeted from the drop of the puck,” Mike Sullivan said after the Rangers were outshot 34-13 by the much faster Lightning, who made it look easy skating without Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Erik Cernak, and Brayden Point.

“We knew the type of game it was gonna be. They got hard skill. They compete, and they skate, and that was the kind of game that it was gonna be. I don’t think we had the wherewithal to match the intensity. I just felt like we lost puck battles all over the rink.”

Even with having Will Borgen back in the lineup after missing the last five games, the Rangers were a mess in their end. They continually got beaten to pucks and outskated by the much faster Lightning. It didn’t take long for them to pile up shots on Igor Shesterkin, who was the only reason the final score wasn’t much worse.

Even the Lightning’s fourth line outworked the Rangers, who looked asleep playing for the second straight day. Shesterkin had to fight off a pair of Zemgus Girgensons’ shots before Pontus Holmberg had his shot at open net get blocked by Carson Soucy at the last split second.

Eventually, Brandon Hagel had his wide shot take a bounce off Soucy and in to give the Lightning the lead. Despite getting outshot 11-2, the Rangers only trailed by a goal after the period.

Although they had more shots in the second period, it wasn’t any better. They allowed the Lightning too much room to create chances both in transition and on the cycle. On one forecheck, Hagel had a shot go off the goalpost.

Despite getting outplayed, the Rangers nearly tied it while killing a Matthew Robertson penalty. Taylor Raddysh stole the puck and came in on Jonas Johansson, who made the key stop to deny his shorthanded bid.

After killing off the penalty, they didn’t establish much. Instead, Alexis Lafreniere was caught deep after a Darren Raddysh rim around led directly to Tampa Bay going up by two. Nikita Kucherov sent Hagel past Borgen for a breakaway. One on one with Shesterkin, who denied his first shot with a good pad save, Hagel was able to put in the rebound.

While the Rangers were limited to the outside, hardly mustering any sustained attack or shots, the Lightning continued to use their speed to their advantage. They generated higher quality chances, which forced Shesterkin into difficult saves. That included a pair on Anthony Cirelli and later on Hagel, who was far and away the best player.

With the game still only 2-0, Adam Fox set up J.T. Miller for his seventh on the doorstep to make it a one-goal game with 2:29 left. Lafreniere moved the puck up to Mika Zibanejad, who passed it over to Fox. He then skated into the slot and hit Miller directly in front to make it 2-1.

However, Shesterkin took an undisciplined penalty by taking down Hagel to put the Lightning on a power play with less than 20 seconds remaining in the second. The penalty carried over to the final period.

Even though Shesterkin made a couple of good saves to help the Rangers kill it off, they let him down again by allowing a momentum crushing third goal to the Bolts in transition.

After they gained the zone, Charle-Edouoard D’Astous moved the puck down low for Kucherov, who was clearly looking to pass in front for Nick Paul. Soucy made the mistake of vacating the net front to go after Kucherov. But he had too much room and quickly sent a pass for an easy Paul finish. Vladislav Gavrikov was too late on the switch due to Soucy’s failure to communicate sooner.

Things only got worse for the Rangers, who lost Fox to an upper-body injury. On a play behind the net, Fox took a hard hit from Hagel that saw him favor his left arm coming off the ice. It went into the back boards awkwardly with 12:57 left. He exited the game immediately.

Afterward, Sullivan didn’t have an update yet. They’ll have to further evaluate Fox over the next two days to determine the injury. If it’s serious, it would be a big blow to the Rangers, who can ill afford to lose their best defenseman for any amount of significant time. Lately, Fox has been on a roll, extending his point streak to six straight with his 10th assist over that span. 

Without him, the Rangers lack any other defenseman who can supply offense. Fox does it all, including as a quarterback of the power play. When they had 5-on-4 advantage later in the period, Sullivan went with five forwards. Will Cuylle joined the number one unit that features Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Miller, and Vincent Trocheck.

After Miller just missed in front, Sullivan took a timeout to rest his big unit. Following Cuylle getting stopped by Johansson, Miller again had an attempt go wide. It was a frustrating day at MSG with the crowd letting them hear it.

The Lightning continued to spend time in the Rangers’ end, further killing the clock.

Eventually, Sullivan lifted Shesterkin to go for a 6-on-5. Without Fox, he went with his top six forwards. Lafreniere joined Panarin, Trocheck, Miller, Zibanejad, and Cuylle. As time wound down, Zibanejad went wide on a one-timer that at least could’ve made for an interesting conclusion.

Instead, Jake Guentzel scored into an open net to seal the Rangers’ fate. When it was mercifully over, they heard more boos as they lost on home ice for a league worst eighth time in regulation. They’re 2-8-1 in 11 games at MSG, turning it into a home disadvantage.

Zibanejad spoke later about them needing to have more swagger to turn it into a tough building for opponents to play in. Right now, it’s a walk in the park for foes.

Astonishingly, the Rangers have only earned five of a possible 22 points on home ice. That pitiful record has them in seventh place in the division with 28 points in 27 games. They’ve played the most games so far. What that means is that they’re going to dig themselves into a deeper hole if the teams in front of them win games.

Even worse, they have to host the Stars on Tuesday, probably without Fox. That could be a nightmare. It doesn’t inspire much confidence.

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Panarin Leads Rangers over Bruins for Third Straight Win

Posted on November 28, 2025 by Derek

It was good Black Friday for the Rangers in Boston. They defeated the Bruins 6-2 in an NHL On TNT exclusive this afternoon to win their their straight game.

Artemi Panarin led the way with a four-point game. After scoring the first goal of the game, he set up three more to put the Rangers up 4-0 through two periods. That included two primary assists on a pair of Mika Zibanejad power-play goals, which were nearly identical in the second period.

After Will Cuylle stole the puck to set up Panarin’s eighth at 3:28, the Rangers took early control against the shorthanded Bruins, who played without David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, and Charlie McAvoy. They also opted to start backup Joonas Korpisalo and save starter Jeremy Swayman for Saturday when they take on the Red Wings.

It was the Rangers who carried most of the play in a strong first period that saw them score twice. The second goal came from Carson Soucy. He finished off a play started by Panarin. Vincent Trocheck made a nice feed to set up a quick Soucy blast that beat Korpisalo top shelf for a 2-0 lead with 7:58 left.

Before the period concluded, with Cuylle off for tripping Hampus Lindholm, the Bruins came very close to making it a one-goal game. But leading finisher Morgan Geekie fanned on a shot with a wide open net. Geekie would miss on another chance in the second period when the Bruins were coming on.

Over six minutes into the second, Noah Laba was caught with a high hit from Mason Lohrei. After he made a drop pass, Lohrei leveled him with a high shoulder that caught his head to send him down. It could’ve been called a penalty. Laba was able to get up and go back to the locker room without any assistance. He had to be checked by a concussion spotter to see if he was okay. Fortunately, he returned to the bench before the end of the period.

A strong shift from the fourth line swung the period in the Rangers’ favor. The trio of Sam Carrick, Adam Edstrom, and Taylor Raddysh did a good job tiring out the Bruins’ defense on the forecheck. After forcing Korpisalo to make a couple of tough saves, they were able to make a full change for the Panarin line. A quick transition didn’t allow the Boston to change. Eventually, that led to Trocheck drawing a penalty on Marat Khusnutdinov. It was ruled high-sticking, but the replay showed that he accidentally caught Trocheck with the thumb sending his head back.

Korpisalo made three strong stops to keep the Bruins in it temporarily. After denying Zibanejad, he robbed both Cuylle and Jonny Brodzinski on the doorstep. With time winding down on the penalty, Lindholm got his stick up on Brodzinski to draw blood behind the net. The four officials got together and made the appropriate call for a high-sticking double minor, which put the Rangers on a 5-on-3 advantage for six seconds.

On it, J.T. Miller won a key offensive draw back to Adam Fox. He and Panarin combined to set up Zibanejad, who was able to beat Korpisalo from a tough angle to the short side to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead at 14:22 just as the two-man advantage expired.

Still on a two-minute power play, it was again the combination of Fox and Panarin who set up Zibanejad in the left circle for a one-timer that made it 4-0 only 45 seconds later.

By the time the period concluded, the Bruins heard boos from the hometown crowd after getting outshot 17-5. They changed the boos to cheers at the start of the third period.

Boston played much more aggressively in the third. They constantly had the puck in the Rangers’ zone, applying pressure. On an Elias Lindholm shot that took a funny hop, Casey Mittelstadt put in the rebound to make it 4-1 at 4:07.

Urged on by the crowd, who suddenly were awake, the Bruins kept coming in waves. When Shesterkin made another stop in which his team suddenly looked like they stopped playing, head coach Mike Sullivan had seen enough, and called timeout. He was very animated at the bench with some choice words. It got their attention, but it didn’t come right away.

On the ensuing faceoff, Lindholm beat Trocheck to get the puck back for an Henri Jokiharju shot that Geekie somehow redirected with one hand past Shesterkin to suddenly make it a 4-2 game with 14:11 remaining.

For a while, it looked like the Bruins would come all the way back. Despite an edge in play, they didn’t create enough high quality chances to beat Shesterkin anymore. The Rangers bent, but didn’t break.

Eventually, with Korpisalo lifted for an extra attacker, Alexis Lafreniere scored an empty netter with 3:24 left in regulation. Scott Morrow picked up the lone assist for his first point as a Ranger. He came over as part of the K’Andre Miller sign and trade with Carolina. Hopefully, Morrow will continue to progress. He was back in the lineup after a paper transaction that saw the Rangers remain cap compliant by recalling Connor Mackey for a game. Will Borgen missed another game. Morrow paired up with Matthew Robertson while Braden Schneider moved up to work with Soucy.

With the game out of reach, Vladislav Gavrikov deflected a Trocheck shot for his fourth with 2:58 left. It gave him five points (2-3-5) in the last four games. Aside from being a shutdown defenseman, he’s provided offense while logging over 23 minutes a night. The more he plays, the better he looks. So far, so good for the Rangers’ top free agent signing.

It was a light day for Shesterkin, who only had to make 19 saves on 21 shots to pick up his 10th win. When asked before the game if Dylan Garand could make his Broadway debut, Sullivan was undecided about tomorrow’s matinee against the Lightning, who have been red hot climbing up to the East’s top spot. Perhaps Shesterkin will get the second game due to the lighter workload.

After hosting Tampa Bay tomorrow to end November, the Rangers don’t play again until next Tuesday against the Stars at Madison Square Garden.

Fox Picks Apples

With three more assists today, Fox continues to pick up apples. He has a five-game point streak, with all nine points assists. He’s up to 25 points (3-22-25) in 26 games. That ranks second among all NHL defensemen, trailing only Avalanche world beater Cale Makar (9-22-31).

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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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