Rangers Daily: Power play no savior; Many sides to Carter Hart decision
Remember the good old days, when criticizing the New York Rangers for leaning so heavily on their power play to bail them out time and again was the cool thing to do?
Yeah, we could use a dose of that right about now. Because at least there was always hope that no matter the circumstances, the Rangers could rally for a win or pull away in a close game or turn the momentum in their favor, thanks to their potent power play.
These are not those days.
In fact, the Rangers’ scoring woes to date this season are magnified even more so because the power play is not coming to the rescue.
Now, to be fair, the Rangers are moving the puck around pretty nicely on the power play and getting plenty of Grade-A chances. They had eight shots on goal on a pair of first-period power plays Thursday in their 2-1 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Alexis Lafreniere, Will Cuylle and J.T. Miller each was flat-out robbed by Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz with the Rangers skating on the man advantage.
But just like at even strength, the Rangers cannot find a way to score that big goal — or any goal, for the most part — on the power play. They’re 2-for-17 (11.8 percent) to start this season. Each of those power-play goals was scored in the 6-1 win last Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. That means the Rangers have not scored on the power play in five of their six games, including each of their four losses (0-3-1).
After an 0-for-3 outing Thursday, the Rangers are scoreless on 10 power-play opportunities in games they lost this season.
Listen, the Rangers only have 11 goals of any kind (seven even-strength, two power-play, one short-handed and one into an empty met) in six games this season — so this frustrating trend doesn’t land exclusively on the power play.
But it is fair to acknowledge that the power play isn’t coming to the rescue either, like it used to. And for that matter, it’s worth noting that New York’s power play dropped to 28th in the League (17.8 percent) last season.
Coach Mike Sullivan and captain J.T. Miller are right to remain positive and believe that things will turn around because the Rangers are doing so many good things out there, both 5v5 and on the power play.
But Adam Fox is spot-on too, when he says, “We’re getting good looks. I think everyone could kind of feel that, but we’ve definitely got to finish on those chances, too. It’s not just a game of expected goals. You’ve got to actually finish it.”
New York Rangers news and analysis
Here are our key Rangers takeaways from that frustrating 2-1 overtime loss to the Maple Leafs.
Our John Kreiser dives into how the Rangers are handling their maddening scoring issues to start the 2025-26 season.
How about a little off-ice drama for the Rangers? There are reports that the Blueshirts are having conversations about trading former first-round pick Brennan Othmann.
Ricky Milliner previews the weekend ahead for the Hartford Wolf Pack and weighs in on captain Casey Fitzgerald and the new leadership group for the Rangers’ AHL affiliate.
NHL news and rumors
ESPN: Carter Hart agreed to a PTO with the Vegas Golden Knights, with the expectation that he will sign a standard NHL contract in the near future. The 27-year-old goalie was an unrestricted free agent, and was acquitted on sexual assault charges this summer.
The Athletic ($$): Chris Johnston dives into why the former Flyers goalie chose to play for the Golden Knights and what Hart offers them nearly two years after his most recent NHL game.
The Guardian: Not everyone is happy that Hart’s been reinstated by the NHL after his summer acquittal.
NHL.com: Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk had thumb surgery and will be out 6-8 weeks. It was originally estimated, before the surgery, that the star forward would miss at least four weeks of action.
TSN: Shane Pinto is on fire for the Senators. He scored his NHL-leading sixth goal and the shootout winner against the Sratlle Kraken on Thursday.
New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils were the final team to play its home opener this season, but the wait was worth it. Their stars led the way in a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers.
TSN: Darren Dreger reported on Insider Trading that the Devils are still pursuing a contract extension with Jacob Markstrom, even though the veteran goalie is sidelined with a lower-body injury.
Sportsnet: Mark Scheifele scored two goals in a 5-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers, and tied the Winnipeg Jets record for most points in franchise history (812).
San Jose Hockey Now ($$): Sheng Peng talks with some NHL scouts to find out exactly what the San Jose Sharks got in 22-year-old defenseman Vincent Iorio, whom they claimed off waivers from the Washington Capitals.
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