But few players in Rangers history have had the kind of first season that the younger brother of then-captain Dave Maloney enjoyed. Maloney, now the president of hockey operations with the Calgary Flames, talked about it with Forever Blueshirts executive editor Jim Cerny on their recent Rink Rap podcast.

Don Maloney was the Rangers’ second-round pick, No. 26 overall, in the 1978 NHL Draft. The Rangers sent him to the New Haven, then their AHL farm team, after training camp, but he didn’t stay there long.

“I got assigned out of training camp to go to New Haven, which I was happy to do,” he said, “and I broke my thumb in a fight in the last preseason game of all things, so I had to come to [New York] to have it checked out two or three weeks later.

“So, I jumped on a train in New Haven, took it to Penn Station, got off the train, ran upstairs, jumped in a cab, and said ‘Take me to Madison Square Garden!’ The guy looked at me like ‘Hey buddy, c’mon, this is New York, get the hell out, we’re here.’ So, that was my debut coming into The Garden.”

His on-ice debut at MSG came on Feb. 14, 1979, following the 11-day break in the schedule for the Challenge Cup series against the Soviet Union. Not only would he be making his NHL debut against the Boston Bruins, he would be playing with his brother – and on a line with one of the NHL’s all-time greats.

Don Maloney remembers magical rookie season, playing at MSG

“That year, everything came together for me,” he said. “I got called back up in February, Phil Esposito was kind of searching for [linemates], and Donny Murdoch came back, and we all just clicked together, and really had a magical run. That really was the pinnacle of my career.”

Maloney needed just 5:14 of his NHL debut to score his first goal – it came on his first shot. His first assist came 46 seconds later, when he had the primary helper on a goal by Esposito. The Rangers went on to win 5-1, the first time they had beaten the Bruins (who’d lost to the Montreal Canadiens in each of the previous two Stanley Cup Finals, since March 23, 1975).

The line of Esposito, Maloney and Murdoch was quickly dubbed “The Mafia Line” – two “Dons” and a “Godfather” (Esposito). The trio helped the Rangers make the playoffs and upset the regular-season champion Islanders in the Semifinals to reach the Final for the first time since 1972. But after an easy 4-1 win in Game 1 at the Forum, the Rangers ran out of gas – the Canadiens won four straight games and earned their fourth straight championship.

Still, it was a year to remember for a 20-year-old.

“It was a magical year; we were so close,” Maloney remembered. “We go up 1-0 in the Final, go up 2-0 in Game 2 and we just didn’t close it out. It’s the last time I’ve been with a team in the Final, in all the years I’ve stayed in hockey. It’s either I’m really bad at what I do, or it’s really hard to do.

“I’ll never forget after those five games (in the 1979 Final), I was so exhausted — it was like, you know what, we’ll just win it next year. It was automatic in my mind, we were winning it next year. It’s not even going to be close. Then things happen. Changes are made.”

Alas for Maloney and the Rangers, the Islanders had other plans. The Isles won the next four Stanley Cup championships before losing to the Edmonton Oilers in the 1984 Final. The Rangers lost to their suburban rivals four straight times – including an overtime loss in the fifth and deciding game of the first round in 1984 after Maloney had tied the game in the final minute of regulation.

“We had some good runs in the ’80s,” he said. “Of course, the Islanders were the powerhouse in the early eighties … I’m still chasing it, still trying to win the Cup at 66.”

Maloney was part of the 1986 team that rode the goaltending of John Vanbiesbrouck to the conference finals, where they lost to the Canadiens. The Rangers traded him to the Whalers in December 1988. The Islanders signed him as a free agent in the summer of 1989, and he retired in November 1990, finishing his career with 564 points (214 goals, 350 assists) in 765 games.

But the next phase of Maloney’s hockey career was just beginning. He was named general manager of the Islanders in the summer of 1992, and the Isles advanced to the conference final in 1993, his first season as GM. They barely qualified for the playoffs in 1993-94, earning a matchup with the Rangers, who had won the Presidents’ Trophy.

The Isles had gone 2-1 with two ties against the Blueshirts in the regular season, but this series was a complete Rangers blowout. They started the series with back-to-back 6-0 wins and outscored the Islanders 22-3 in a four-game sweep.

“One thing I learned with this big a rivalry — once you’re in the rink, all bets are off,” Maloney said. “I remember going in with the Isles thinking ‘we can beat this team, we’re good.’ But they really manhandled us that series. It was really men against boys.

“As (general) manager of the Islanders, that’s probably the worst thing that could’ve happened. It’s one thing if somebody else wins the Cup, … that was tough for all of us on the Island. It’s one thing for Chicago to win the Cup, but when the Rangers won it, it was like ‘Who’s in charge of this mess? Maloney! Ex-Ranger, what are you doing here?!’

Maloney joined the Rangers as assistant GM under Neil Smith in 1996 and stayed with them until 2007. He then spent nine seasons as GM with the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, winning the General Manager of the Year award in 2010, then served as a scout for the Flames before being promoted to his current position.

It’s been more than 35 years since Maloney took the ice at Madison Square Garden in a Rangers uniform. The memories of those days after still with him.

“My memory is the crowd and how loud it was on the ice in the playoffs, where we had some series against Philly or the Islanders, and how there were times I would come back off the ice and my ears were popping because it was so loud and the fans were on top of it,” he said. “It really was an exciting atmosphere.”

More than anything else, he remembers the Garden Faithful and the way they supported the team.

“I can’t pick (a greatest moment),” he said. “The playoff runs we had, we had a good run in ’86, we had our moments in the early ’80s when we got to the Semifinals. But my whole thing with the Garden was coming out on the ice at the start of the game. I used to always really enjoy that because you could just feel the energy in the building. They were ready to go and they were behind you.

“There were some individual games where I got a few goals or whatever. But when I look back on the Rangers, it really was just more the aura of the building and the crowd, and just how much they were into it. Everyone should experience that. To be in New York, it’s pretty special.”

But New York’s 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden just might be the worst of all. The worst team effort at the worst time of the season, when the Rangers supposedly are in the thick of the playoff race. Against a team that was hungrier and played a full 60 minutes despite — or may be because — they were waxed 6-2 by the Toronto Maple Leafs the night before to start a four-game road trip.

If the Rangers didn’t have Igor Shesterkin at the height of his powers, and if the Flames weren’t the lowest-scoring team in the NHL, this would’ve been a massive blowout on the scoreboard. But though it goes down as a one-goal defeat, make no mistake, this was still a blowout.

There were 18 culprits out there dressed in blue jerseys — removing Shesterkin and his backup Jonathan Quick from blame. Add the coaching staff, led by Peter Laviolette, who didn’t have this team ready to play and/or whose message and pleas pregame and during the game were completely ignored. Toss general manager Chris Drury into the mix. Despite seven trades this season, this is the team he’s given the coaches.

The booing at MSG was deserved. To be honest, it could have been far worse. Maybe more damning was how silent the building was much of the game.

They Rangers have lost the first two games of this four-game homestand, with the Maple Leafs coming in next on Thursday. They’re 2-4-2 in their past eight games. That’s two wins and six points at the most critical juncture of the season, when they still somehow have a chance to erase their early-season follies and earn a playoff spot.

Awful. Unacceptable. Inexcusable.

Related: Arthur Kaliyev out for season with upper-body injury

Three takeaways from Rangers brutal 2-1 loss to Flames

Here are three takeaways from the latest Rangers’ home-ice loss Tuesday.

1. Not competitive

It’s one thing to be bad, which the Rangers were in spades on Tuesday. It’s another not to compete. That’s the most damning thing you can say about a professional sports team. But it’s exactly what happened against the Flames. The Rangers failed to compete.

And Laviolette admitted as much postgame.

“[The compete] was not there. There was nothing there,” Laviolette said. “They were faster than us, they got to the ice quicker than us, they were more ready. That’s the way the game played out.”

That’s a mouthful. And all truth.

The Flames were hungrier at every turn and better in every facet of the game. After allowing Artemi Panarin a wide-open look to score the first goal just 1:13 in, the Flames controlled this game in every way. Most importantly, they played like they had something to play for, something they wanted. They were structured, disciplined, had more energy and will, and simply competed much harder and much more consistently all night.

It was an embarrassing effort by the Rangers, top to bottom.

2. Can’t do it alone, but almost did

Shesterkin was phenomenal staring down one Grade-A wide-open look after another. Rush chances, odd-man opportunities, beaten down low. The Rangers stepped aside and allowed the Flames one scoring chance after another (35 in total, 16 high-danger, per Natural Stat Trick). But Shesterkin was dialed in and put forth an incredible one-,man show, finishing with 33 saves.

Ultimately, he couldn’t do it all by himself, and the Rangers lost a critical game. Crazy thing is, though, the Rangers were just one bounce, one fluky play, one great play away from tying this thing up and earning at least one point in the standings. Solely because of Shesterkin and his brilliant performance.

Jonathan Huberdeau shot saved by Igor Shesterkin#Flames 2 #NYR 1 3rd pic.twitter.com/ysKxhEaZYz

— Sᴘᴏʀᴛs 24/7 (@Sports_24x7_) March 19, 2025

Igor’s had his ups and downs this season for sure, and games where he’s been real good but allowed a bad one that cost the Rangers or where he caved behind the crumbling effort in front of him. Not Tuesday, however. He gave the Rangers a chance to absolutely steal a point or two. If only the rest of them had the will to do so. Not on this night.

Side note: gotta love Shesterkin chirping Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson all night. Their running dialogue was the most entertaining aspect of the game and didn’t deter one bit from Shesterkin’s focus nor brilliant performance.

3. These are the games …

Go ahead, fill in the blank. These are the games that you look at with regret when you fail to make the playoffs at the end of the season. Or make the playoffs but finish lower in the standings than maybe you should have.

Or try this. These are the games that get people fired. Laviolette likely won’t be axed with 13 games remaining in the regular season. But he could be a goner in the offseason. Though, wow, how many of these no-shows can a coach keep his job though? Or Phil Housley, the assistant who oversees the 3 Stooges routine often seen in the defensive zone?

Least we not forget, the head of the snake is Chris Drury, the general manager. This is his team, now more than ever with all the moves he made this season. Sure, it’s been better since the New Year, but, yeesh, nights like Tuesday are a reminder that this is far from a championship-caliber team.

Make no mistake, the Rangers were pretty much run out of their own building in this one by a team that looked more desperate and engaged throughout. But Shesterkin bailed his teammates out time and again, finishing with 33 saves in a game the Rangers were outshot 35-13 and out-chanced in all situations 35-16 (a whopping 16-5 disparity in high-danger opportunities), per Natural Stat Trick.

“It was not a good showing,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said in the understatement of the season.

Jonathan Huberdeau shot saved by Igor Shesterkin#Flames 2 #NYR 1 3rd pic.twitter.com/ysKxhEaZYz

— Sᴘᴏʀᴛs 24/7 (@Sports_24x7_) March 19, 2025

It was an embarrassing night for the Rangers, who didn’t look the part of a team fighting for its playoff life at all. When it was all said and done, the Rangers (33-30-6) dropped out of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference when the Montreal Canadiens rallied past the Ottawa Senators 6-3. Montreal leads New York by one point and has two games in hand.

And to think, things started so well for the Rangers when Artemi Panarin extended his point streak to 10 games with his 30th goal less than two minutes into the game.

The Flames (31-25-11) ended a three-game skid (0-2-1) despite managing just two goals against Shesterkin. Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist in the victory, Matt Coronato scored the eventual game-winning goal late in the first period and Mackenzie Weegar assisted on each score. Backup goalie Dan Vladar made 12 saves and never faced more than five shots in any one period.

This came after the Flames were smoked 6-2 by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night.

“[The compete] was not there. There was nothing there,” Laviolette said. “They were faster than us, they got to the ice quicker than us, they were more ready. That’s the way the game played out.”

Related: Rangers scratch Brennan Othmann against Flames: ‘Good spot for a change’

Calgary Flames 2 – New York Rangers 1

The Rangers did exactly what you’d want to do against the lowest-scoring team in the NHL that played the night before and was blown out in the opener of a four-game road trip — score a quick goal.

Panarin accomplished exactly that just 1:13 into the first period. After the Rangers collected the puck at center ice, Panarin skated in on left wing and had all kinds of time and space to pick his spot. That’s exactly what he did, firing a shot past Vladar’s glove for his 30th goal of the season.

It’s the third 30-goal season for Panarin with the Rangers and his fifth in the NHL. It was also his seventh goal in 10 games, and it gave the Rangers a quick 1-0 lead.

BREADMAN SNIPE. pic.twitter.com/kmPMZPyB4v

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 18, 2025

And that was the end of New York’s momentum. Slowly but surely, the Flames completely seized control of every aspect of the game, outside of goaltending. They played a stout, aggressive style with quick transitions and extended shifts in the Rangers’ end of the ice. So thorough was Calgary’s commitment to hard work and tight defensive play that New York committed 11 turnovers in the first period and was not credited with a single takeaway.

That’s hard to do.

Kadri tied the game at 10:22, slipping a rebound between Shesterkin’s pads after the Rangers goalie made a sharp down-low save on Weegar.

Calgary’s Jonathan Huberdeau, who was stoned point blank by Shesterkin at 8:14, wired a shot off the post at 13:06. But just when it appeared the Rangers might escape a poorly played first period tied 1-1, Matt Rempe caught Jake Bean in the jaw with his elbow and was assessed a two-minute penalty at 17:46.

Not long after, Coronato won an offensive zone face-off, skated between the circles, took a pass from Kadri, turned and fired a perfect shot over Shesterkin’s right pad and into the net to make it 2-1 at 18:03.

It must’ve been a special moment for the Long Island native, scoring his 17th goal of the season at The Garden.

No stopping that 😏 pic.twitter.com/UtonQCbP3k

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 18, 2025

Right before the period ended, J.T. Miller was sticked between the legs by Kevin Bahl and left the ice in obvious pain. The Rangers were furious that there was no penalty called, and Mika Zibanejad berated the officials after the buzzer sounded.

With a chance to regroup and come out with a better effort in the second period, the Rangers, out-shot 15-5 in the opening period, actually played worse. The Flames owned the puck, and the Rangers had hardly any zone time, unable to generate forecheck pressure before the visitors moved the puck quickly out of their end time and again. New York managed just three shots on goal in the second period.

But Shesterkin kept the Rangers in the game, stopping all 10 shots he faced in the period. The Flames, who struggle to score at the best of times, helped out their hosts by missing the net on two wide-open Grade-A chances. Martin Pospisil also had a breakaway out of the penalty box at 14:50 but never got a shot off because of a perfectly-timed poke check by Shesterkin.

Not only was Shesterkin making big-time saves, he engaged throughout the period in a running dialogue with Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson. During one media timeout, Shesterkin skated by the Flames bench and made like he was going to drop his blocker and glove, prepared (or not) to fight. When the period ended with the score still 2-1, Shesterkin and Andersson continued to yap at one another.

Igor Shesterkin chirped at Rasmus Andersson during the break 👀 https://t.co/7ZrXYbIknB

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 19, 2025

Despite that entertaining sideshow, a decent segment of the fans booed as the Rangers exited the ice.

There was more of the same to start the third period. The Rangers continued to look slow and the Flames remained the more engaged hungry team. Huberdeau had a pair of prime chances to score, notably a point-blank look denied by Shesterkin. Connor Zary and Morgan Frost had excellent opportunities thwarted as well.

Panarin and Chris Kreider finally teamed up for a Rangers rush chance 7:30 into the third period, but Vladar was perfectly positioned to make the save. The Flames goalie came up big a few minutes later to deny Sam Carrick from five feet out.

Shesterkin’s best save of the night came at 13:30 off a 2-on-1 down low when he did the splits to rob Huberdeau with his outstretched right pad.

The Rangers pulled Shesterkin for an extra attacker with under three minutes to play and kept the puck in the offensive zone for two minutes. But they managed only one shot on goal, and the Flames followed with an empty-net goal, though that was wiped off the board when video review showed the play to be offside.

Two face-offs later, the Flames finished things off and handed the Rangers a stunning loss on home ice in a game where it’d be hard to imagine how much more they could’ve been outplayed.

With no time to dwell on this terrible loss, the Rangers return to action Thursday when they host the Maple Leafs in the third of a four-game homestand.

Each contest and standings point is crucial at this stage of the season with 14 games remaining on their schedule, so the Rangers cannot afford to look past any opponent. Especially since the Flames have a nearly identical record to the Rangers and are also fighting for a playoff spot, albeit in another conference.

The Rangers (33-29-6) are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday to start this four-game homestand. New York is 2-3-2 after winning four of five games, and is the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, one-point ahead of the Montreal Canadiens and two ahead of the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Flames (30-25-11) opened a four-game road trip in Toronto on Monday and were smoked by the Maple Leafs 6-2. That was their third straight loss (0-2-1) and they’re 2-4-3 since Feb. 27. Calgary is tied for 10th in the Western Conference, two points out of the second wild card.

So, two teams with a lot to play for. But the Rangers have several advantages, including playing at home (the Flames are 12-14-6 on the road) and simply playing better hockey of late. Their past two regulation losses — Sunday to the Oilers and last week against the Winnipeg Jets (2-1) — were well-played games against top contenders. In fact, New York’s defensive play has really stood out in the past four games, allowing just seven goals despite a 2-2-0 record.

The Flames are trying to sweep the two-game season series. They won 3-2 at home on Nov. 21, when they out-shot the Rangers by a whopping 49-29 margin.

Related: Rangers’ Arthur Kaliyev out for season with upper-body injury

3 things to watch for when Rangers host Flames

1. Give ’em nothing

The Rangers are playing some of their best defensive hockey recently, shutting down the neutral zone, limiting rush chances and making fewer egregious turnovers in their own end. If they stick to that formula, they have a good chance at winning Tuesday.

The Flames are the lowest scoring team in the NHL, averaging just 2.55 goals per game. They’ve scored 10 goals in their past five games and more than three just once in the past 16. Calgary has been held to two goals or fewer 31 times in 66 games this season.

Their leading scorer, Justin Huberdeau, reached 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) on Monday. He’s the 80th player in the League to total that many this season, the only one from the impotent Flames.

2. Time to be Power Rangers

New York’s power play is withering away down the stretch. The Rangers are 1-for-22 the past eight games on the power play and 2-for-31 since Feb. 25. They’ve fallen to 25th in the League at 18.6 percent this season.

But with Adam Fox healthy, playing his third game after an eight-game injury absence, maybe the Rangers can get the power play going against a struggling Flames penalty kill. Calgary’s PK (73.9 percent) is 27th in the NHL.

3. Changing the bottom-six look

Juuso Parssinen draws back into the Rangers lineup after the forward was a healthy scratch the past five games. Parssinen’s played only three games since he was acquired with Calvin de Haan from the Colorado Avalanche for Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey ahead of the trade deadline. He not only doesn’t have a point but seeks his first shot on goal, despite playing third-line minutes.

He’ll be back on the third line Tuesday, with Sam Carrick and Chris Kreider. Brett Berard will slide down to the fourth line and Brennan Othmann will be a healthy scratch.

“I wanted an opportunity to get a young player back in there in Pärssinen,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said after the morning skate. “It’s a chance for I think maybe Othmann to reset, reboot and wait for his next opportunity.”

New York Rangers projected lineup

Panarin – Trocheck – Cuylle

Lafreniere – J.T. Miller- Zibanejad

Kreider – Carrick – Parssinen

Berard – Brodzinski – Rempe

Vaakanainen – Fox

K. Miller – Borgen

Jones – Schneider

Shesterkin

Quick

Rangers vs. Flames: When, where, what time, how to watch

Who: New York Rangers vs. Calgary Flames

When: Tuesday, March 18 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Where: Madison Square Garden

How to watch: MSG

New York leads the Montreal Canadiens (32-27-7) by one point. However, the Canadiens have two games in hand, and they’re 7-1-2 in their past 10 games following a 3-1 home win against Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers on Saturday. The Rangers are two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets after playing perhaps their best game of the season in a 4-0 win at Nationwide Arena on Saturday night. But the Blue Jackets (31-27-8) also have two games in hand and a slightly better point percentage than the Rangers (.529 to .528).

The Rangers were so dominant in the win at Columbus that Igor Shesterkin had to make just 21 saves, few of them difficult. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette decided that his No. 1 goalie hadn’t been severely taxed against Columbus and opted to start Shesterkin in both ends of back-to-back games for just the fifth time in his NHL career and the first since February 2023.

Shesterkin wasn’t awful while starting for the fourth time in six days, but he allowed the go-ahead goal to Edmonton’s Victor Arvidsson at 6:09 of the third period, then surrendered a late goal to Connor McDavid that put the game away.

The game against the Oilers was the first of four in a row at the Garden against teams from Canada, each of whom have better records than the Rangers. New York has to improve on its 16-15-3 mark at home if it wants to keep ahead of a group of challengers that also includes the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders, each of whom could catch the Rangers by winning their games in hand.

Who’s hot

Artemi Panarin is riding a nine-game point streak after assisting on Will Cuylle’s goal against the Oilers. He reached the 70-point mark with a goal and an assist in the win at Columbus, giving him five seasons with 70-plus points in as many full seasons since joining the Rangers as a free agent in the summer of 2019. He’s one goal shy of his third 30-goal season with New York.

Who’s not

Chris Kreider took an 0-fer last week, held without a point in four games and taking only six shots on goal. With 18 goals and 22 points in 54 games, he’s on track for his worst season since finishing with 16 goals and 37 points in 58 games in 2017-18.

Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from disappointing 3-1 loss to Oilers

Rangers lookahead this week includes …

The final three games of a 15-day stretch that will see the Rangers play nine times.

Calgary Flames at Rangers (March 18, 7 p.m. ET; MSG)

The Flames’ 3-2 win in Calgary on Nov. 21 is the line of demarcation in the Rangers season. New York came to Scotiabank Saddledome with a 12-4-1 record and appeared to be on course to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a fourth straight season, if not a repeat as Presidents’ Trophy winners. The loss began a 19-game stretch through the end of 2024 in which they were 4-15-0 and dropped out of the top eight in the East.

Calgary is in a playoff battle of its own. The Flames enter the week two points behind the Vancouver Canucks, who hold the second wild card in the Western Conference, and they’ll be playing the second of a back-to-back set after beginning a four-game road trip against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.

With Shesterkin having played four games in six days through Sunday, don’t be surprised if Jonathan Quick gets the start. Quick is 15-11-5 against the Flames in his career with an excellent 2.26 goals-against average and .910 save percentage.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Rangers (March 20, 7 p.m.; MSG2)

While the Rangers battle for a playoff spot, the Maple Leafs are in a three-way brawl for first place in the Atlantic Division with the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Toronto starts the week tied for second with the Lightning; both are four points behind the Panthers with two games in hand.

The Rangers and Maple Leafs split their first two games this season, with New York winning 4-1 at Toronto on Oct. 19 and Toronto winning its third straight at the Garden by edging the Rangers 3-2 on Feb. 28.

Auston Matthews has just 24 goals in 51 games after scoring 69 times for the Maple Leafs last season. He’s been a point-a-game player against the Rangers, with 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 23 games. That includes a goal and an assist in the two games this season.

Shesterkin is 6-3-2 lifetime against Toronto, including 1-1-0 this season, with a 2.53 GAA and .919 save percentage.

Vancouver Canucks at Rangers (March 22, 1 p.m. MSG/NHL Network)

Expect the Garden crowd to arrive early for the Saturday matinee since the Rangers salute Sam Rosen, their longtime TV voice, in a pregame ceremony honoring him for his 40 seasons behind the mic. Rosen has been calling Rangers games since 1984 and announced before the start of the season that this would be his last in the broadcast booth.

When the puck drops, J.T. Miller will be playing the team that traded him to the Rangers on Jan. 31 for the first time since the deal.

Miller has given the Rangers a boost with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 17 games. New York’s first pick (No. 15) in the 2011 NHL Draft had career highs in goals (37), assists (66) and points (103) last season for Vancouver.

It would be nice if Filip Chytil made his first return to MSG since being traded to Vancouver in the Miller deal. However, Chytil is in concussion protocol and questionable to play Saturday.

The Rangers have won four of their past five against the Canucks, including a 4-3 win at Vancouver on Nov. 19 that marked the high point of their season.

Mika Zibanejad has 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 21 games against the Canucks, including a goal and an assist in the win at Vancouver in November.

MacNeil played 11 seasons in the NHL as a low-scoring defensive defenseman. The 10th of those seasons came with the Rangers in 1966-67, after they claimed him from the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL Waiver Draft – a move that came shortly after the Canadiens had claimed him from the Chicago Black Hawks.

Rangers coach/general manager Emile Francis was doing all he could to spark a franchise that had missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for four seasons and finished last in the six-team NHL in 1965-66. He knew MacNeil wasn’t going to provide much offense – he had one assist in 51 games for the Hawks in ’65-66, finishing with fewer points than goalie Glenn Hall. But Francis was looking for defense-first defensemen after the Rangers surrendered 261 goals in 70 games on the way to their last-place finish. MacNeil was a combined plus-80 for Chicago from 1962-63 through 1964-65 while playing 209 of 210 possible games and putting up 55 points (10 goals, 45 assists) and 300 penalty minutes during that span.

National Hockey League statement on the passing of Al MacNeil. https://t.co/tfUwmsEWgM pic.twitter.com/J3TNZUwGEk

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) January 6, 2025

Francis saw MacNeil as an ideal shutdown defender, which turned out to be the case. The native of Sydney, Nova Scotia, had just four points, all assists, in 58 games. But he led all Rangers defensemen by finishing plus-9 and played a valuable role in helping the Rangers reduce their goals-against total by 72. They returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1962 and finished over .500 (30-28-12) for the first time since 1957-58 — even though they actually scored seven fewer goals than they had while finishing last during the previous season.

MacNeil had no points in the Rangers’ four-game sweep by the Montreal Canadiens in the Semifinals, and the 2-1 overtime loss at Madison Square Garden that ended their season also ended his time with the Rangers. Francis didn’t want to lose younger defensemen like Jim Neilson, Rod Seiling and Arnie Brown, so he made MacNeil available in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft. He was the first defenseman taken (in the fourth round) by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had nabbed another Ranger, center Earl Ingarfield, in the previous round and later grabbed Andy Bathgate, the Rangers’ all-time scoring leader at the time.

The 1967-68 season turned out to be MacNeil’s last in the NHL. He finished with 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) while playing all 74 games for the Penguins and ended his NHL career with 92 points (17 goals, 75 assists) and 615 penalty minutes in 524 regular-season games. MacNeil had four points, all assists, in 37 playoff games.

Former Rangers defenseman, 4-time Cup winner MacNeil dies at 89

He played one season with Houston in the Central Hockey League and one with Montreal of the American Hockey League before hanging up his skates to take a role in 1969-70 with the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Montreal Voyageurs. But he was promoted to coach of the Canadiens in December 1970 after Claude Ruel resigned — and five months later he had won the Stanley Cup that had eluded him as a player.

A big part of that success was his decision late in the season to go with a rookie goaltender named Ken Dryden, who had played for him in the AHL, over veteran Rogie Vachon and understudy Phil Myre. After a meeting with his three goalies to map out Montreal’s run to the postseason, MacNeil pulled Dryden aside and told him “We have a plan,” without elaborating, according to NHL.com’s Dave Stubbs.

With Dryden manning the crease, the Canadiens stunned the regular-season champion Boston Bruins in seven games, knocked off the Minnesota North Stars in six then defeated the Black Hawks in seven games to win perhaps the most unlikely of their 24 Stanley Cup championships. MacNeil was carried around the ice at Chicago Stadium on the shoulders of defenseman Pierre Bouchard and Marc Tardif.

The Canadiens are saddened to learn of the passing of Al MacNeil. Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to the MacNeil family during this difficult time.

News release ↓https://t.co/NPjDiuGZB0

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 6, 2025

“When you win that way, you’re thrilled for yourself, but also for the person next to you,” Dryden told Stubbs. “There’s so much thrill to be passed around, to be shared. The one thing with Al is that it was different. He was really happy to win for himself, for the Canadiens, for the players. But I had never before had a coach who I sensed was genuinely happy for me … It was so clear to me that this is how Al felt. It was really something special.”

But having been moved into the top job in Montreal on an interim basis, MacNeil stepped down a month after winning the Cup. Scotty Bowman was hired and led the Canadiens to five championships from 1972-73 to 1978-79.

Instead of trying for a second straight Stanley Cup, MacNeil was sent back to the Voyageurs, who had been relocated to his home province of Nova Scotia. He led the team to Calder Cup championships in 1972, 1976 and 1977 while helping the Canadiens develop some of their greatest talents. He is one of only six men to coach championship teams in the AHL and NHL.

“He meant so much to all of us. You talk to any alumni member, especially people that were involved all through the ’80s, Chopper was just one of a kind."

Al MacNeil will be remembered as a tireless worker and a kind soul who devoted his life to the #Flames and his family.

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 7, 2025

MacNeil returned to Montreal and won the Cup twice more with the Canadiens as director of player personnel before leaving to become coach of the Atlanta Flames in 1979. He later followed the franchise to Calgary, eventually winding up as director of player development and pro scouting. MacNeil helped the Flames reach to the Stanley Cup Final in 1986 and win their only championship in 1989 as assistant general manager, a role he held from 1985 to 2006 — along with short stints as an assistant coach (1991-92) and coach (2002-03) before stepping away after the 2005-06 season.

MacNeil is a member of the AHL Hockey Hall of Fame, the Nova Scotia Hall of Fame, and the Cape Breton Sports Hall of Fame.

Coach Peter Laviolette and multiple players pointed out one major issue that was exposed in a big way against Connor McDavid and the Oilers — defending the rush.

“We knew it, we talked about it,” Laviolette said postgame. “We talked about trying to stay above them and get above them. Sometimes we put ourselves in bad positions, sometimes we lost foot races, sometimes we turned the puck over, sometimes we fell down in the offensive zone and lost an edge. The rush just comes back at you quick.”

The Oilers’ rush certainly did come at New York quickly, especially with McDavid, the fastest player in the NHL, leading the charge. The 27-year-old, who recently became the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to reach 1,000 NHL points, had two goals and an assist against the Rangers.

One of his assists came in a 2-on-1 rush that ended up on Leon Draisaitl’s stick for an Oilers goal, and his second goal, the Oilers’ sixth of the game, was off the rush as well.

“They’re dynamic off the rush,” Laviolette continued. “They have a ton of speed through the neutral zone, and we didn’t handle it well.”

Related: 3 Rangers takeaways after road trip ends with dud against Oilers

Rangers point to a lack of urgency after 6-2 blowout

McDavid wasn’t the only one who made an impact off the rush against the Rangers. The game was scoreless when the Oilers had a 3-on-2 rush late in the first period, and Vasily Podkolzin made no mistake — scoring his first goal of the season by blasting a shot past Jonathan Quick.

Rush chances against have been a common problem for the Rangers, but their problems coping were seriously exposed on Saturday — and the players know it.

“Obviously when you’re down, you’re pressing a little bit more and that going to lead to rushes, but I think we were just on our heels,” said defenseman Adam Fox. “We let them take the game to us. If you’re letting up 20 shots and only getting five or six in the first period, you’re obviously sitting back and letting them dictate the game.”

If the Rangers want to remain competitive against some of the better teams in the league, they’ll need to find a way to limit rush opportunities, especially when a player like McDavid is on the ice.

It was evident on Saturday, even in plays that did not result in goals, that defending the rush is a major flaw.

“They were good off the rush,” center Vincent Trocheck said. “Obviously they’re fast, they’re a very skilled team. I felt like we just gave them way too much space, and we need to have more urgency. I think that’s the moral of the story, urgency.”

Perhaps it was the grind of a long road trip, the longest for New York thus far in 2024-25. After solid efforts in wins against the Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks, the Rangers had lackluster performances in Calgary and Edmonton.

In the first two games, the Rangers had jump, executed, and played with urgency. In the latter two, they were outplayed heavily in the first period and spent too much time chasing the game after falling behind. As Trocheck mentioned, there was no urgency.

The Rangers are heading home with some serious issues to clean up as they prepare to play four games in six days. They’ll have a chance to rebound from the losses in Alberta when they host the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

The Blues are 9-12-1 after a 3-1 road loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday, putting them 25th in the overall standings. It will be their first game under new coach Jim Montgomery, who was hired Sunday to replace Drew Bannister after being fired by the Boston Bruins five days earlier.

That all changed Thursday night against the Calgary Flames, when they allowed a season-high 49 shots on goal and were out-attempted by a whopping 90-53 in a 3-2 road loss.

So just how bad was this game when taking a look at all of the underlying numbers?

The Rangers allowed 5.47 expected goals (xG), according to Natural Stat Trick. That was the second most they’ve allowed this season, behind only their 5-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Oct. 29. In that game they allowed a whopping 8.97 xG, which is actually the most any team has allowed all season. The Blueshirts were only able to generate 2.42 xG themselves, for just a 30.66 percent share overall.

On Thursday, the worst period for the Rangers was the first. The discrepancy in xG was 1.45 to 0.23 in favor of Calgary, an 86.2 percent share. The Flames benefited from having the only two power plays in that first period, but only created 0.41 of that xG with the man advantage. It’s clear that the home team came out with the better legs from the start of the game.

“They were better than us in the first.” Peter Laviolette said after the game, pointing out something that was pretty clear for anyone that watched.

New York was able to right the ship in the second period, not only from an underlying numbers perspective, but on the scoreboard as well. After going down 2-0, they scored twice in 16 seconds to tie the game late in the period. The Rangers actually had more expected goals than the Flames in the middle frame, 1.28 to 1.16.

The final period looks more like the first one did. The Rangers started off the period competing and looked like they were going to carry that momentum over from the second period, and got their only power play of the game just 1:03 into the third. They weren’t able to keep this up throughout the period since the xG was 2.85 to 0.91 in favor of Calgary. However, those numbers don’t actually tell the whole story, and the Rangers look better if you look deeper into some other numbers.

Related: 3 takeaways from Rangers’ 3-2 loss to Flames

Rangers’ 5-on-5 play vs Flames better than you might think

As mentioned above, the Rangers only got one power play Thursday Meanwhile the Flames had five. That makes the raw numbers look much worse than they actually were. Calgary had 0.84 of their 5.47 xG with the man advantage, and the Rangers had just 0.24 on their one opportunity. At five-on-five, the 2.69-1.96 Calgary edge was much closer than the total xG differential.

You may notice that the 2.69 xG at five-on-five and 0.84 xG on the power play don’t nearly add up to Calgary’s 5.47 total xG. The gap came from the Flames’ good looks at the end of the game, when the Rangers pulled goalie Igor Shesterkin for the extra attacker. Calgary had several chances to score into the empty net, and created 1.91 xG in the 2:09 when the Rangers played without a goalie. This certainly makes the total xG differential a bit misleading.

Some of the numbers besides expected goals also paint a different picture. The Rangers had the advantage in total high-danger chances, 15-11. In terms of scoring chances, the gap was a narrow 32-29 in the Flames favor. When you look at scoring chances at five-on-five, the Rangers led 26-24. A reason for this could be that the Flames were shooting from mostly non-dangerous areas, as this heat map illustrates.

The Rangers didn’t play up to how they played in the previous few games, and Laviolette said as much postgame.

“I think we played really good games prior to this. We had a bad first period tonight and it ended up costing us”.

In the previous four games, New York had more expected goals than its opponents. That wasn’t the case against the Flames, but the gap that was over three goals doesn’t tell the entire story. The Rangers were at least competitive at five-on-five, and the quality chances were more even, if not better for the Blueshirts.

It’s definitely not what the team wants, but there are reasons to believe that this could be a blip and not yet a concerning trend for the team moving forward.

It’s known that Quick was the boyhood idol of Flames rookie goalie Dustin Wolf, and that Wolf was hoping to square off Thursday against the Rangers veteran. Instead, Wolf got the better of Igor Shesterkin in his first career start against the Rangers, and Quick watched from the bench.

But after the game, Quick sent an autographed stick to Wolf, with the classy message, “Dustin, Look forward to watching your career. Best of luck! Jonathan Quick.”

Wolf, who had 27 saves Thursday, proudly posed with the stick in the Flames postgame locker room.

After the Flames' win over the Rangers, Dustin Wolf received a special gift from his childhood idol, Jonathan Quick 🥹

📸: @NHLFlames pic.twitter.com/PhRGyOpaCT

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 22, 2024

“I caught myself looking over (at Quick) a couple of times. That’s a guy I’ve watched growing up for so, so many years. I would’ve loved to seen him between the pipes down at the other end, but tip your hat to the other guy, he was outstanding,” Wolf said on the Flames postgame show.

The 23-year-old, who grew up in California and was a big Los Angeles Kings and Quick fan, was referring to Shesterkin there at the end of his comments. That “other guy” stopped 46 of 49 shots, including 19 of 20 in the first period for New York.

“It’s fun to go out there and battle, and [Shesterkin] is certainly one of the best in the game,” Wolf said. “It’s fun as a goaltender watching him, he makes everything look so easy.”

Similar comments can be made about Wolf. He’s 8-2-1 in 11 starts, and leads NHL rookie goalies in wins, goals-against average (2.33), save percentage (.926) and shutouts (1). The win Thursday was his fourth straight, and he’s allowed four goals in that span. Wolf is 5-0-1 in his past six starts with 10 goals against.

Related: Rangers furious with blown call against Flames: ‘Don’t understand it’

Rangers goalie was ‘guy I grew up watching closely,’ says Flames rookie

Wolf told the Flames team web site earlier in the week that he met Quick once years ago and got his autograph at that time.

“I think it was my birthday,” Wolf recalled. “I don’t know how old I was, but my agent brought me to a game, we sat in his box. After the game, we went down, I had his jersey and he was able to sign it for me.

“He’s the guy I grew up watching very closely, to be able to have some sort of interaction with him was pretty neat.”

Like his idol, Wolf is a talented United States-born goalie. Twice he won AHL goalie of the year honors and Wolf also was AHL MVP in 2022-23. So, his early NHL success is not a big surprise.

But he’s got a ways to go to match up with Quick, who’s won the Stanley Cup three times, including 2012 when he also was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP and 2014 when he led the Kings past the Rangers in five games in the Stanley Cup Final.

Then there’s that Quick is the all-time winningest NHL goalie born in the United States with 397 victories. The 38-year-old is also three away from becoming the 15th goalie in League history with 400 wins.

“He’s won the most games ever as an American goalie,” Wolf said. “It’s been very cool to watch from afar for so many years, now it’s even cooler to be in the same arena, same ice, and in a similar situation as him.”

Connor Zary’s tie-breaking goal midway through the third period broke a 2-2 tie as the Flames won their third in a row and ended New York’s three-game winning streak.

The 49 shots allowed and 46 saves by Shesterkin were season highs. Calgary outshot the Rangers 49-29, but a better indication of the play was the shot attempts – Calgary out-attempted New York 90-53. The first-period numbers were even worse – the Flames had a 20-5 edge in shots on goal and a 34-11 margin in attempts.

“They came out hard,” defenseman Ryan Lindgren said postgame. “They were all over us. They were forechecking us hard. We didn’t do a good job of getting the puck out, and when we did get it out, we weren’t getting it in. We were turning it over and they were coming right back at us.”

The Rangers trailed 2-0 before tying the game by scoring twice in 16 seconds late in the second period, with Alexis Lafreniere firing home a rebound at 16:37 and Will Cuylle tipping a shot by K’Andre Miller at 16:53. But those were the only shots to get past Flames goalie Dustin Wolf, who did his best work early in the third period when the Rangers generated a consistent attack for one of the few times all night.

“We fought, ended up tying it up, but didn’t get it done in the third,” Lindgren added.

But it was their play in the opening period, not the third, that left some Rangers shaking their heads.

“We weren’t doing anything right in the first period,” Cuylle said. “I thought we were pretty bad. They outplayed us all 20 minutes.”

The Rangers wrap up their four-game trip Saturday night in Edmonton against the Oilers before returning home to host the St. Louis Blues on Monday.

Related: Rangers injury update: Filip Chytil skates with extras in Calgary

3 takeaways from Rangers 3-2 road loss to Flames

Here are three takeaways from the game Thursday.

1. Shesterkin shines again

The Rangers gave their No. 1 goalie little help, and he still almost stole two points.

Calgary outshot the Rangers by 20 and out-attempted them by 37. The shots on goal were 32-8 at the first TV timeout in the second period, and the Flames outplayed New York for all but the last few minutes of the second period and the opening minutes of the third.

But Shesterkin’s superb play gave them an opportunity to win. Even after allowing Zary’s go-ahead goal, he kept it a one-shot game with a number of excellent stops.

“He was fantastic,” defenseman Jacob Trouba said. “He made a lot of big saves, especially in the first period. He was great throughout, and he gave us a chance.”

2. Another slow start

Were it not for Shesterkin, the Rangers would have been run out of the Saddledome early.

The Flames were all over the visitors in the opening period, outshooting them 20-5 and attempting 34 shots to 11. The Rangers generated nothing offensively and were on their heels. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Rangers had a pitiful 13.8 percent xGF.

“We got outworked,” an unhappy coach Peter Laviolette said. “They were better than us in the first.”

The Rangers really didn’t get going until late in the second period. They trailed 2-0 when the offense finally put some pressure on Wolf and got goals by Lafreniere and Cuylle to tie the score.

“I don’t think we ever got to our top game,” Trouba said. “We’d been playing pretty well on the road trip and we let one get away from us.”

3. Kakko looks comfortable in the middle

With No. 3 center Filip Chytil still out with an upper-body injury, Laviolette has been looking for a replacement. During the second period, he called on Kaapo Kakko, the regular right wing on the third line, to play in the middle.

Kakko played just 9:35 but looked comfortable after being put between Cuylle and Jimmy Vesey. His face-off win led to Cuylle’s game-tying goal, and he won six of his nine draws.

“It’s just something that we had talked about,” Laviolette said of moving Kakko to the middle. “The opportunity presented itself, so we went with it tonight. … He was good. He played center prior to getting to the NHL

“He’s pretty good in the face-off circle, and they produced a goal for us to tie the game.”

The move came at the expense of Jonny Brodzinski, who started at center on the third line but played only 7:58, and had only three short shifts in the third period.