New York Rangers week ahead includes 3 key games, all at home

NHL: New York Rangers at Montreal Canadiens
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The New York Rangers enter the new week coming off a stretch of four games in six days that saw them continue their improved play since the start of the new year — and miss a couple of opportunities to climb higher in the standings.

The Rangers got points in all four games, are 5-0-3 in their past eight games and 6-1-3 since the beginning of 2025. They’ve climbed back over NHL .500 at 22-20-4 and are three points out of a playoff berth.

New York was 2-0-2, playing in four cities from Tuesday through Sunday, a grind for any team. But there are good overtime losses and bad ones – and the two last week definitely fit into the latter category. The Rangers couldn’t hold a 2-1 late-game lead against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, allowing the tying goal with 1:13 remaining in regulation, failing to capitalize on a power-play in overtime and allowing the game-winner with 36.1 seconds left.

Five days later, they failed to hold four separate one-goal leads against the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal scored the tying goal with 7:08 remaining in the third period and got the winner at 3:20 of OT for a 5-4 win that cost the Rangers another much-needed point.

Even the wins didn’t come easily. The Rangers had to score three times in the third period to earn a 5-3 road win against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday, then battled the Columbus Blue Jackets to a scoreless draw through 65 minutes before winning 1-0 in a shootout.

At least this week’s three games are at home. The last time the Rangers played that many consecutive games at home was Nov. 30-Dec. 9, when they were 2-3-0 on a five-game homestand.

Who’s hot

Igor Shesterkin had his best week in two months. The No. 1 goalie was 2-0-1, allowed six goals in three games and became the first Rangers goaltender in more that seven years to win a game 1-0 in a shootout. He is 4-0-1 since returning from an upper-body injury and is playing like the goalie who carried the Rangers within two wins of the Stanley Cup Final last spring.

Chris Kreider has looked much better after returning from the injured list against Colorado on Jan. 14. He had the game-winning goal in Utah and scored the goal that gave the Rangers a 4-3 lead after two periods in Montreal.

Who’s not

Jonathan Quick started the season 4-0-0 and allowing a total of three goals in the four wins. He is 2-5-2 since then, and took the loss at Montreal on Sunday despite making 33 saves. Quick has seen his goals-against average climb to 3.11 and his save percentage drop to .897. The 38-year-old still needs one more victory to become the first U.S.-born goaltender with 400 NHL wins; he is 0-1-2 since getting win No. 399 by defeating the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Jan. 2.

Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from another bitter overtime loss to Canadiens

Rangers lookahead this week includes …

Some time to breathe. They play three games, each at Madison Square Garden, and have their first two-day break that doesn’t involve travel since returning from their three days off for Christmas.

Ottawa Senators at Rangers (Jan. 21, 7 p.m. ET; MSG)

The Senators enter the week holding the first wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference after their 2-1 win against the Devils in New Jersey on Sunday, which followed a 6-5 shootout win against the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Ottawa comes to the Garden on a 5-0-1 roll despite the absence of starting goaltender Linus Ullmark, who’s missed a month with a back injury. Rookie Leevi Merilainen is 6-2-1 — including 4-0-1 in his past five starts, during which he’s allowed just eight goals.

The Rangers defeated the Senators 2-1 at the Garden on Nov. 1, but that was back when they were on their way to a 12-4-1 start and Ottawa was struggling.

NHL: Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Rangers
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Shesterkin has fared very well against the Senators, 4-1-1 in six starts with a 1.82 GAA and .942 save percentage. Artemi Panarin has also done well against Ottawa; he has 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 22 games.

One Senators player who’s performed well against the Rangers is captain Brady Tkachuk, who has 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 16 games.

Philadelphia Flyers at Rangers (Jan. 23, 7 p.m. MSG)

The Rangers can’t play much worse than they did in a 3-1 loss at Philadelphia on Black Friday. Only Shesterkin’s superb play kept the game from being a blowout. The Flyers have won their past two games against the Rangers after New York won seven in a row.

Philadelphia (21-20-6) is even with the Rangers in points, though New York has a game in hand. The Flyers have stayed in the playoff race despite struggling to keep the puck out of their net – they’ve allowed 161 goals, more than all but the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins. All three goalies – Samuel Ersson, Aleksei Kolosov and Ivan Fedotov – have save percentages below .890. They’ve survived by thriving in games that go past regulation, winning five times in overtime and three in shootouts.

NHL: New York Rangers at Calgary Flames
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Quick has done some of his best work against the Flyers, posting a 12-5-2 record with a 2.14 GAA and .929 save percentage. Panarin has 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists) in 44 career games against Philadelphia.

Colorado Avalanche at Rangers (Jan. 26, 1 p.m. MSG)

The Rangers and Avs play for the second time in 12 days when Colorado comes to the Garden for a Sunday matinee.

Few teams are as top-heavy as Colorado, which boasts the League’s leading scorer in center Nathan MacKinnon (73 points; 17 goals, 56 assists), the No. 6 scorer in Mikko Rantanen with 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists), and Cale Makar, who leads all NHL defensemen with 52 points (15 goals, 37 assists).

NHL: New York Rangers at Colorado Avalanche
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The Avalanche have gotten a big boost from goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who is 9-3-1 with a 1.87 GAA and .932 save percentage since coming to Colorado from San Jose on Dec. 9. Blackwood was the best player on the ice in the 3-2 overtime win against the Rangers on Jan. 14, but the longtime member of the New Jersey Devils is 7-9-0 with a 3.49 GAA and .892 save percentage in 17 career appearances against them.

Shesterkin is 3-0-2 against Colorado with a 2.08 GAA and .940 save percentage.

Don’t be surprised if the game goes past regulation – each of the past five meetings between the teams has needed extra time, with the Rangers winning three of them.

John Kreiser covered his first Rangers game (against the California Golden Seals) in November 1975 and is still going ... More about John Kreiser
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