New York Rangers: What to watch for in November
The New York Rangers had a strong start to the 2024-25 season, compiling a 6-2-1 record throughout the month of October. They flew out of the gate with a 5-0-1 record to begin the season, but have since lost two of their past three games.
The Rangers are second in the Metropolitan Division with 13 points, trailing only the New Jersey Devils (7-4-2) who have 16 points but have played four more games. New York has the sixth-best points percentage (.722) in the League and is tied for the second best goals differential (plus 16).
Now, the page turns to November, when the Rangers will play 14 games, seven at home and seven on the road.
Related: 10 key moments that shaped Rangers month of October
What to watch for in November for Rangers
As the Rangers season moves along, here’s what to watch for in the month of November:
Nov. 1 – Rangers look to bounce back
The Rangers ended October with a beyond-subpar performance against the Washington Capitals. The score was 5-3, but New York was outshot 46-19 and outplayed from start to finish. It was easily the worst game of their season to date.
This makes the visit from the Ottawa Senators more significant, since the Rangers will try to bounce back and erase the game against the Capitals. Playing at home against a 5-4-0 opponent should serve the Rangers well. However, if the same team shows up that played the Capitals, it’ll be an ugly night at Madison Square Garden.
Nov. 3 – First meeting against rival New York Islanders
The Rangers will host the New York Islanders for the first time in the regular season on Sunday afternoon. The teams split their two preseason meetings, but those games did not hold nearly as much weight as they will when playing with two points on the line.
These teams created fireworks last season, especially in the 2024 Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium, where the Rangers erased multiple deficits to earn a thrilling 6-5 overtime win outdoors. Their games against each other were pretty intense in the final weeks last season, too. The Islanders are struggling mightily right now, but these New York – New York games are always fun.
Nov. 12 – Rangers vs. first place Winnipeg Jets
Everyone loves a good benchmark game, right? The Rangers failed their first benchmark test in October when they lost to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, 3-1, on home ice. They’ll get another shot to see how they stack up against the best in the League when they play the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 12.
The Jets are first in the NHL with only one loss (8-1-0); that came at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers have been on a tear offensively, and Josh Morrissey and former Rangers defenseman Neal Pionk have been generating serious points from the blue line. Perhaps most important is that defending Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck has been rock-solid in goal. It’ll be a great test to see where the Rangers stand six weeks into the season.
Related: New York Rangers complete 2024-25 schedule and results
Nov. 17-23 – 4-game road trip
The Rangers begin their longest road trip of the season on Nov. 17 against the Seattle Kraken. From there, they will travel to Vancouver to take on the Canucks Nov. 19, then to Calgary to face the Flames on Nov. 21. The road trip wraps up with a game against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 23. The Oilers just lost Connor McDavid for 2-3 weeks with an ankle injury, meaning the Rangers may catch a break if he is not back in the lineup by this time.
Nov. 27 – First meeting against Carolina Hurricanes
The Rangers will battle the Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Thanksgiving Eve for the first time since eliminating them in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Second Round last season. In recent seasons, games against Carolina have always seemed to have big implications on the momentum of the season, whether they were big wins in close game, or major losses that came at inopportune times.
Needless to say, this will be a big game between two divisional rivals.
Nov. 29-30 – Rangers end month with back-to-back
To wrap up November, the Rangers will play back-to-back afternoon games, first against the Philadelphia Flyers on the road on Nov. 29, the day after Thanksgiving, and then back at Madison Square Garden against the Montreal Canadiens the next day. Both games are scheduled for 1 p.m. starts.
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