Rangers vs. Mammoth: Lineups, storylines for 1st home game in 16 days
Back on home ice for the first time in more than two weeks, the New York Rangers host the Utah Mammoth on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, looking to build on an impressive 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers in the 2026 NHL Winter Classic.
“I’m hoping this can be the start of something good for us, a fresh start,” Rangers center Mika Zibanejad said Friday following the outdoor victory in Miami.
Even with the uplifting Winter Classic win, the Rangers (20-18-5) own the second-worst points percentage (.523) in the extremely tight Eastern Conference standings. They completed a stretch of six straight road games with a losing record (2-3-1), continuing to struggle finding consistency in their collective game.
They haven’t won more than three games in a row all season. The Rangers desperately need to get on a roll, and see the new year and that win on the big stage at the Winter Classic as an opportunity now to do just that.
However, in order to put together a nice run here, they must find a way to win consistently at The Garden. Beginning Monday, four of their next five games are at MSG, where the Rangers have the worst home record in the conference (5-10-3). Only the Vancouver Canucks are worse on home ice in the entire NHL (4-12-3).
The Rangers do have points in six of their past nine home games since Nov. 24. Though that 4-3-2 mark isn’t exactly pretty, it’s a significant step in the right direction. Remember, the Blueshirts lost their first seven home games (0-6-1), were shut out in the first three, and didn’t secure a win at MSG until Nov. 10, 6-3 over the Nashville Predators.
In their most recent home game on Dec. 20, the Rangers rallied for a 5-4 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Coach Mike Sullivan prefers not to focus on home/road splits. Instead, he’s concerned simply about winning games no matter the locale, and getting the Rangers back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs
“With every game that ticks off the calendar, games take on a heightened level of importance because the runway gets shorter,” Sullivan explained Sunday. “So, we’re trying to maximize every opportunity that we have in front of us.”
That next opportunity is Monday against the Mammoth, who defeated the Rangers 3-2 back on Nov. 10 in Salt Lake City. Like the Rangers, the Mammoth (19-20-3) are right in the middle of a crowded battle for a postseason spot, currently on the outside looking in. Utah lost 12 of 19 games (7-12-0) since Nov. 24, and dropped three of its past four games.
“The power play really was starting to hit its stride when ‘Foxy’ got hurt … I think it shows you the impact that Foxy has on our power play. He has the ability to settle things down. He has a high panic threshold back there. Just his poise with the puck, his decision making, his ability to see the ice, and execution skills. The fact that we got him back into the mix and they haven’t seemed to miss a beat is huge for us. I think it can be a difference maker for us game-in and game-out.
3 storylines when Rangers host Mammoth
1. Sully eyes coaching milestone
Sullivan needs one more victory to become the 30th coach in NHL history to reach 500 wins. He will tie legendary Montreal Canadiens coach Toe Blake on the all-time wins list, and pass Terry Murray (499). Earlier this season, Sully moved past former Edmonton Oilers and Rangers coach Glen Sather (497).
Heading into Monday, only five active coaches have more career wins than Sullivan: Joel Quenneville of the Anaheim Ducks (990); Paul Maurice of the Florida Panthers (938); Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres (921); Todd McLellan of the Detroit Red Wings (648); and Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning (597).
With three more victories this season, Sullivan would move past Murray, Blake, and Pat Burns for sole possession of 28th place on the all-time NHL list.
2. Great guns
The Rangers’ best players in the Winter Classic were their best players. That’s an excellent recipe for success, of course. And one the Rangers need to bring indoors with them the rest of this season, beginning Monday.
Zibanejad became the first player to record five points in an any NHL outdoor game, and recorded the first-ever Winter Classic hat trick. Artemi Panarin scored two goals an added an assist. Alexis Lafreniere had a career-high three assists. Vincent Trocheck had two assists. Igor Shesterkin stopped 36 of 37 shots.
For those keeping track at home, that’s four of New York’s top six scorers, including the top two (Panarin and Zibanejad), and it’s No. 1 goalie. With Adam Fox back in the lineup after a 14-game injury absence, and J.T. Miller closing in on a return sooner rather than later, the Rangers are set to lean heavily on their best players down the stretch.
3. Lineup changes
Despite the solid win Friday, the Rangers lineup features two changes against the Mammoth. Urho Vaakanainen draws in to replace Matthew Robertson on the third defense pair, and Anton Blidh swaps in on the fourth line, with Brett Berard the healthy forward scratch Monday.
Berard is pointless in 12 games this season with the Rangers, and has only two goals with Hartford of the American Hockey League. Aside from the lack of scoring, he hasn’t had nearly the same impact as he did last season, both with the Rangers and in the minors.
Blidh plays his first NHL game since Jan. 13, 2024, a 3-2 Rangers loss to the Washington Capitals. The 30-year-old has 12 points (four goal;s, eight assists) in 85 NHL games with the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and Rangers.
“I think ‘Blidher’ is a guy that has some NHL experience and is one of those guys that can be another disruptive player here,” Sullivan explained. “He can be good on the forecheck, he brings energy. He can drag us into the fight, so to speak.”
Vaakanainen was scratched five straight games and eight of the past nine before Monday. Robertson hasn’t been a healthy scratch since Nov. 12, and logged 21:50 TOI in the Winter Classic, making this a somewhat curious lineup decision.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Artemi Panarin — Mika Zibanejad — Will Cuylle
Gabe Perreault — Vincent Trocheck — Alexis Lafreniere
Jonny Brodzinski — Justin Dowling — Taylor Raddysh
Anton Blidh — Sam Carrick — Matt Rempe
Vladislav Gavrikov — Adam Fox
Carson Soucy — Will Borgen
Urho Vaakanainen — Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Rangers vs. Mammoth: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. Utah Mammoth
When: Monday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden
How to watch: MSG
