Rangers Daily: Quick take home/road disparity; Penguins’ Karlsson out weeks
Just to to be clear, Jonathan Quick isn’t buying into home-ice struggles becoming any kind of “mental issue” for the New York Rangers.
Asked about that as part of a question regarding the distinct home/road disparity for the Rangers this season, the 39-year-old goalie quickly (pun, sort of, intended) dismissed the notion.
“I think you’re thinking too much about that, yeah,” Quick said Tuesday after practice.
Others, including coach Mike Sullivan and captain J.T. Miller, expressed over the past weeks and months that New York’s struggles at Madison Square Garden are as much mental as physical.
Quick’s take appeared to be a veteran trying to quiet the noise around a reeling team. Listen, there’s a reason why he’s the winningest United States-born goalie in NHL history, won three Stanley Cup championships, and is an incredibly respected leader with the Rangers. He shut down that question, that notion before it could consume the conversation. He’s a pro, plain and simple.
Of course, the reality is that the Rangers (20-21-6) are more “fragile” — the word used by both Mika Zibanejad and Braden Schneider following their 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Monday — than Quick let on in his media session Tuesday. That’s especially so on Garden ice, where the Rangers are a stunning 5-12-4 ahead of their game against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday. Those five home victories are fewest in the Eastern Conference by a lot.
Conversely, the Rangers have 15 road wins, tied for second most in the entire League. Yet lately, their confidence, whether at home or on the road, appears faltering. Quick didn’t dismiss that notion.
“Everyone’s confidence levels rise and drop throughout the seasons, there’s ebbs and flows to it,” he explained. “The more individuals you have playing confident, the more confident the team will be.”
Sounds simple. But proving to be quite difficult for these Rangers.
New York Rangers news and analysis
Photo courtesy Jim Cerny
It was a lot of fun catching up with former Rangers Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi on Tuesday night at Mustang Harry’s, steps away from the Garden. Plenty of laughs too. Prior to the event, I recorded this Rink Rap Extra interview with Ted Kalamaras, a Blueshirts die hard who created the unique event that included a special Q&A with Cally and G.
Spoiler alert: Look for Callahan, Girardi, and one of their popular former Rangers teammates to join the Rink Rap podcast in separate interviews over the coming weeks. Going to be plenty of laughs guaranteed!
Now the bad news: Don’t expect any of their injured players to come save the Rangers any time soon. Not one who’s on IR or LTIR is even skating just yet. And yes, that included Igor Shesterkin.
ICYMI: here’s an appreciation for Artemi Panarin, who’s the fastest player in Rangers history to reach 600 points.
The Rangers looked and sounded lost, searching for answers after their latest loss Monday against the Kraken.
Our Ricky Milliner reports on Adam Sykora, Brandon Scanlin, and Justin Dowling playing well in the minors for the struggling Hartford Wolf Pack.
NHL News and Rumors
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Dan Kingerski breaks down what’s next for the Penguins now that Erik Karlsson landed on injured reserve and is expected to miss weeks of action.
New Jersey Hockey Now: James Nichols details how the Devils can “win” any likely trade involving their embattled defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
TSN: Darren Dreger reports that the Vancouver Canucks are talking “rebuild” and open to moving any of their players. That includes forward Elias Pettersson, though they haven’t approached him yet to waive the no-move clause in his contract.
Sportsnet: Despite riding an 11-game winning streak, it’s not all good news for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Star forward Brayden Point sustained a lower-body injury and is week to week for the Atlantic Division leaders.
Daily Faceoff: Here’s an intriguing list of potential unsung heroes ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade DEadline.
TSN: The St. Louis Blues signed defenseman Logan Mailloux to a one-year, $875,000 contract through next season.
Florida Hockey Now: The Panthers know a thing or two about playing in championship games and what those events mean to the south Florida community. So, with that in mind, the Panthers moved the start time of their Jan. 19 home game against the San Jose Sharks to 6 p.m. so as not to completely take away from the College Football National Championship Game, when the University of Miami takes on Indiana at Hard Rock Stadium.
