That line from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” perfectly describes the New York Rangers’ horrendous performance in their non-competitive 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. The question for coach Mike Sullivan is how to put the wheels back on the bus after they were run off the road by the Bolts, who embarrassed them in front of a sellout crowd of 18,006 – many of whom either left early or serenaded the home team with boos.

“We got outcompeted from the drop of the puck,” an unhappy Sullivan said postgame. “There’s got to be a willingness and a want to be first to pucks, to embrace physicality. We knew the type of game it was going to be. That team, they’ve got hard skill, they compete and they skate. That was the type of game it was going to be. I don’t think we had the wherewithal to match the intensity. I just feel we lost puck battles all over the rink and it’s hard to establish any sort of game that you want to play if you don’t win puck battles.”

“There’s going to be nights when you don’t have your best game, but you have to find ways to compete.”

It was a complete no-show by the Rangers, except for goalie Igor Shesterkin, who made 31 saves and was the only reason they didn’t lose 10-1.

“At no point in that game were we deserving of winning,” said captain J.T. Miller, who scored the Rangers lone goal. “’Shesty’ does everything to keep it close.”

Sullivan and his staff have three days to come up with some answers before the Dallas Stars come to the Garden on Tuesday night. One area that’s sure to come up is getting more shots on goal.

Rangers seek answers after embarrassing loss to Lightning

The Rangers managed just 13 shots against Jonas Johansson, Tampa Bay’s backup goalie. It was the seventh time in eight games the Rangers had 22 or fewer shots on goal, and Sullivan said he wants to see his players shoot and crash the net more often rather than trying to make the perfect play.

“We’re always looking for the next best play, instead of getting people inside, getting to the blue paint and delivering pucks to the net and creating some opportunity off the shot,” he said. “I don’t think we create off the shot nearly enough as we should. As a result, we don’t force teams to have to defend the inside of the ice. I think if we did, we’d get on the power play more. I think there would be more opportunity there. We’ve got to have a willingness to go there more.”

He cited the latter stages of the second period, when the Rangers had their best stretch of play.

Foxy with the shot + J.T. deflects it in pic.twitter.com/j2lsoWaFvb

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 29, 2025

“We had some significant O-zone time, but we didn’t get inside enough – no doubt,” he said. “We didn’t get the puck there, we didn’t get the people there, and that’s something we have to get better at.”

Even worse is that they might have to try to get better without their best skater. Defenseman Adam Fox, whose perfect pass resulted in Miller’s goal at 17:31 of the middle period, left the game seven minutes into the third period with an apparent injury to his left arm after a crunching hit by Brandon Hagel behind the Rangers net. He went to the locker room and didn’t return.

“He’s being evaluated for an upper-body injury,” was all Sullivan said when asked about his No. 1 defenseman and power-play quarterback.

Losing Fox for any length of time would make a tough situation even tougher.

But a more important issue is their compete level. The Rangers followed perhaps their best performance of the season, a 6-2 road win against the Boston Bruins on Friday, with their worst effort — by far. They played like a team that didn’t care – and as a result saw its home record drop to an NHL-worst 2-8-1.

“I wish we had the answer,” forward Mika Zibanejad said of the team’s struggles at MSG. “We just have to find a way. I understand the reaction from our fans. We’re more frustrated than they are.”

Being outplayed is one thing. Being outcompeted is something no NHL coach can tolerate.

“I think that’s something I’ll discuss with my coaching staff,” Sullivan said when asked about his team’s effort against the red-hot Lightning, who’ve won seven in a row. “Obviously our expectation is higher. I don’t think the players by any stretch have any intention of getting outcompeted.

“We’ve got to find a way to take more pride in that. That’s something we’ve got to work through as a group.”

They’d better do it soon.

Sullivan disclosed Saturday morning that with regular backup Jonathan Quick on injured reserve, he’ll use Shesterkin in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

“We’re going to manage it accordingly,” Sullivan said. “Quickie’s on the ice right now. He has been on the ice the last couple of days. We’ll see where it goes. We wanted to get through this week, and we’ll see how much progress he makes and then we’ll make a decision on where it goes.”

Sullivan tries to limit his No. 1 goaltender’s workload – and it paid off again Friday, when Shesterkin allowed two or fewer goals for the 12th time this season, tying him for the most such games in the NHL this season. He’s won six of his past eight starts and improved to 10-8-2. His 2.45 goals-against average and .911 save percentage are among the top 10 in the NHL in each category among goalies who’ve played at least 10 games.

It’s Shesterkin’s 21st start in 27 games this season. Rookie Dylan Garand dressed as the backup for the fourth straight game.

“What I will tell you is that we’re very much aware of Shesty’s workload,” Sullivan said. “I think to this point in the season, we’ve done a fairly decent job in managing his workload between him and Quickie, so that when you get in situations like this, if you have to lean on him a little bit, we believe we can and he’s capable. But obviously that’s not something long term that we’re comfortable with. And if it requires moving other guys in there, then we’ll make those decisions at the time.”

Sullivan was coy on Friday when asked who would play against the Lightning.

“Might I?” he replied when asked whether he planned to start Shesterkin in back-to-back games for the first time since March 15-16, 2025, and just the sixth time in his NHL career – twice after being pulled in the first game. “I might.”

But when asked “Will you?” his reply was simple: “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

Sullivan’s decision on goalie use in back-to-backs this season usually consists of deciding which game Shesterkin gets and which goes to Quick, one of the League’s top No. 2 goalies. But Quick appeared to injure his right leg in a crease collision late in the third period of a 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Saturday; the Rangers placed him on injured reserve Tuesday and brought up Garand from AHL Hartford to take his place.

The 23-year-old had an up-and-down preseason and a slow start to his fourth pro season in Hartford. He’s 3-6-2 as the No. 1 goalie for the mediocre Wolf Pack, with a 2.96 GAA and .897 save percentage. That’s a drop-off from last season, when Garand was an AHL All-Star, won 20 games for the first time as a pro, and tied for ninth among all goalies with a .913 save percentage.

Garand has yet to play in an NHL game. Sullivan obviously decided that facing the red-hot Lightning, who will also be playing the second of back-to-back games after a 6-3 road victory against the Detroit Red Wings that extended their winning streak to six, was too much to ask of an untested rookie.

Always hug your goalie 🫂 pic.twitter.com/P7oKP8ICpo

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 28, 2025

Sullivan was cagey about who would start in the back-to-back games ever since Quick landed on IR.

“I’m not sure yet. We’re going to take each game as it comes. We’ll probably make decisions on a game-by-game basis,” he said Tuesday. “What I will tell you is I think because we’ve managed ‘Shesty’s’ workload to this point fairly well, if anyone’s in a position to take on more of a workload, I think Shesty’s [in a position] to do that.”

Since the League adopted its current postseason format in 2013-14, roughly 77 percent of teams in playoff spots on United States Thanksgiving advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs at season’s end.

At face value, that could be interpreted as bad news for the New York Rangers, who sit outside the playoffs 25 games into the 2025-26 season. Even after back-to-back wins, the Rangers (12-11-2) are tied for last in the Metropolitan Division with the Columbus Blue Jackets; each has 26 points, though the Jackets have a game in hand. They’re four points out of the cellar in the Eastern Conference.

But for Rangers coach Mike Sullivan, the Thanksgiving benchmark isn’t a point of concern.

“I’m not sure I’d buy into that,” Sullivan said postgame after a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Thanksgiving Eve “I’ve had experiences where it’s been just the opposite, where teams have been out of the playoffs and ended up winning championships. So the reality is, we’ve got to keep trying to get better.”

A closer look at the standings reveals a more favorable situation than their last-place position might suggest. The Rangers are just one point out of a playoff spot and five shy of the Metropolitan Division-leading New Jersey Devils, who lead the jam-packed Eastern Conference with 31 points.

Even still, it’s been a bumpy start for the Rangers, complete with inexplicable woes on home ice and sporadic production from their top players. The fact that the top seed in the East remains so close within reach likely says more about the conference than it does the Blueshirts’ performance through two months.

Mike Sullivan thinks Rangers have played ‘good hockey’ through 25 games

The Rangers certainly have the talent to reach the postseason. Whether they actually do is another question.

New York fell six points shy of a playoff berth last season despite returning the majority of their 2023-24 roster — a squad that won the Presidents’ Trophy and reached the Eastern Conference Final, setting numerous franchise records along the way.

Though the current group appears to have made notable strides from 2024-25, particularly on defense, consistency is still missing.

“As far as my assessment overall with our group: I think we played a lot of really good hockey, and then we’ve had moments where we’ve gotten away from it,” Sullivan noted. “I think that’s the journey that we’re on, and we’ll continue to do that. We’re just going to try to move the needle every day.”

New York ranks ninth in expected-goals-for percentage at 5-on-5 and leads the NHL with 8.54 high danger chances allowed per 60, according to Natural Stat Trick.

But expected metrics can only get you so far. After 25 games, the Rangers average 2.56 goals per game, the third-worst mark in the League. Their 9.5 shooting percentage is tied for fourth-worst.

“We’re going to try to just get incrementally better with each game and see where that takes us,” continued Sullivan. “But when you look at the first 25 games or so, I feel like the effort and the intentions that have been put on the ice have been pretty strong for the most part, and we got to continue to do that.”

Sullivan’s system, which champions a responsible defensive game that doesn’t come at the expense of offensive chances, should translate to postseason success — in theory.

It’s shown in hard-fought wins already. Back on Nov. 1, the Rangers earned a 3-2 overtime victory in Seattle, limiting the Kraken to 13 shots on goal over 62 minutes of game time. More recently, they edged the Blue Jackets 2-1 in a shootout, shutting down a dangerous 5v5 offense.

But momentum continues to be fickle. Too often, their finishing has failed them. Too often, they’ve pressed for offense and paid the price.

The Rangers have another 57 games to iron out the kinks. With the East up for grabs, this is as good a year as any to buck the Thanksgiving trend.

The Blueshirts often looked slow during their slide, especially while losing all three games of their Western trip last week. But the jump was back in their step against the Blues; New York scored three straight goals after Dylan Holloway’s perfect shot beat Igor Shesterkin late in the first period.

“We played better, faster,” said defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, who had two assists and was an absolute horse, loging 26:09 TOI. “That’s really important to keep going, keep playing like that. That’s going to be the key.”

Coach Mike Sullivan said after the morning skate that “I don’t think the team as a group, over the last handful of games, has played the game the right way.”

But that wasn’t the case against the low-scoring Blues.

The Rangers allowed only five high-danger chances at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick, and surrendered just one 5v5 tally – they held St. Louis without a goal for more than 40 minutes after Holloway scored and before Brayden Schenn potted a sixth-attacker goal with 1:15 remaining.

It was just the kind of low-event game Sullivan wanted to see from his team.

“We weren’t trading chance for chance or opening the game up and giving up a ridiculous amount of high-quality looks,” Sullivan said postgame. “You play the game the right way and you can create your offense through your defense. When you chase offense, sometimes it turns into a high-risk, reckless game. It’s hard to win that way. We talk with them a lot about just taking what the game gives them.

“We want them to trust their instincts, but there’s also an element of discipline in taking care of the puck in the critical areas of the rink. It’s an important aspect of being hard to play against.”

Rangers aim to build on win vs. Blues that ended losing streak

Offensively, the Rangers did something they must do more often if they’re going to run off some wins: They drove to the net. Third-period goals by Alexis Lafreniere and Adam Edstrom came after each went to the front of the net. Lafreniere’s tie-breaking goal 40 seconds into the final period was a deflection of a shot by Gavrikov; and Edstrom made it 3-1 at 8:56 when he scored from in front after Gavrikov snuck down below the goal line and found him.

“I thought we did a good job of getting inside in the offensive zone, just getting to the blue paint,” Sullivan said. ” ‘Eddy’s’ goal and ‘Laf’s’ goal, just getting to the blue paint. That’s where the majority of the goals are scored in this League. It’s no secret.”

GAVI ➡️ EDDY pic.twitter.com/s5z0trqtXM

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 25, 2025

The win got the Rangers (11-11-2) back to the NHL version of .500. But with road games against the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday and the Boston Bruins on Friday, followed by home games against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday and the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, they’ll have to continue to play smart and fast if they hope to start piling up some wins.

“I thought we played a lot smarter tonight than we had in the last couple of games; protecting the puck a little better, knowing when is the right time to try someone one-on-one and we played sound defensively,” said center Vincent Trocheck, whose goal midway through the second period tied the game 1-1. “We’ve got to keep that up.

Some slick passing + Troch puts it away. pic.twitter.com/ZPxAIGdKzG

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 25, 2025

“I think we’re just focusing on each game one at a time right now. That’s all we can really do. Can’t really focus on if we’re on a losing streak or a winning streak. You gotta make sure you manage the highs and lows and take every win as they come”

Despite their recent struggles, the Rangers are just two points out of a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, where all 16 teams are separated by nine points.

“We need wins,” Edstrom said. “The East is so tight right now. Any win you jump four spots and a loss you drop four spots. We needed this one”

But they need him to be better on the other side of the puck, as well. Coach Mike Sullivan made that perfectly clear Thursday following the Rangers’ 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the best team in the NHL through the first quarter of the season

“I’ve had a lot of conversations with Artemi throughout the course of the season,” he said postgame. “We don’t expect him to be the best defensive player out there, but everyone’s required to play defense – and that’s the conversation that we have.”

Panarin didn’t hit the score sheet in the road loss against the Avalanche. He finished minus-4, though that total was inflated because he was on the ice for Colorado’s two empty-net goals.

However, he was at least partly to blame on Colorado’s first goal, when his senseless throwaway pass in the defensive zone was tipped away and led to Nathan MacKinnon’s game-tying goal with 27 seconds remaining in the first period.

Panarin also failed to pick up Cale Makar in time to prevent the star defenseman from scoring on a wraparound late in the second period, a goal that tied the game 2-2. The Rangers star forward was standing at the right post when Makar flew past him and tucked the puck past Igor Shesterkin at the left post.

Defensive issues are somehwat overlooked when an elite player piles up points, but that hasn’t been the case with the 34-year-old this season.

You had to see it coming. pic.twitter.com/AvZjH6kftW

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 21, 2025

Panarin leads the Rangers with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 22 games, although he had eight of them in two games — four-point performances against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 18 and Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 12. At this pace, he would finish with an average of less than a point per game for the first time in seven seasons with New York. Take out the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season and Panarin’s lowest total as with the Rangers is the 89 points he had last season.

However, he did almost nothing offensively against the Avalanche Only one of his six shot attempts got to the net – four were blocked and the other missed the target. Panarin also was charged with one giveaway.

But more concerning to Sullivan is the fact that the Bread Man often looks like he doesn’t have much interest in playing defense. He was a combined plus-93 in his first five seasons with the Rangers before ending last season at minus-9 – the first time in 10 NHL seasons that he wasn’t a plus player. He’s minus-5 through 22 games for the Blueshirts (10-10-2), who are last in the Metropolitan Division.

Rangers need more at both ends from Artemi Panarin

Panarin’s xGF was an appalling 10.65 percent in Denver, per Natural Stat Trick. The Rangers were outshot 11-3 and out-chanced 14-4 at 5v5 with Panarin on the ice.

Sullivan said defense must be a team effort, and that even his team’s best scorers must do their part.

“Everybody’s got to be committed to play defense to a certain level or it’s going to be hard for us to win consistently,” Sullivan explained. “And those are the conversations that I’ve had with him is just recognizing when those situations are when you’ve got to lock down.

“Everybody knows he drives offense; he’s a talented player. But I think he’s also capable of defending when he’s committed.”

Panarin didn’t appear very committed on Thursday against a Colorado team (14-1-5) that has won seven in a row and became the fourth in NHL history to lose just once in regulation in its first 20 games. MacKinnon and Makar are among the half-dozen best players in the NHL, Martin Necas and Brock Nelson are good fits since arriving in trades last season and re-signing with the team, and goaltender Scott Wedgewood is having by far the best season of his NHL career.

“It’s definitely the best team that we’ve played all year,” Sullivan said, “and they might be the best team in the League right now with how explosive they are. 

But this was a game the Rangers could have won. They couldn’t hold one-goal leads late in the first and second periods, and allowed what turned out to be the game-winning goal by MacKinnon at 10:48 of the third — 30 seconds after J.T. Miller’s second power-play goal of the game tied the score 3-3.

Panarin is in the final season of the seven-year, $81.5 million contract ($11.64 million average annual value) he signed on July 1, 2019. Contract talks don’t appear to be going anywhere fast, and fellow Russian Alexei Kovalev, a member of the Rangers’ 1994 Cup-winning team, recently told RG.org that “There are even talks that he wants to leave the NHL altogether and go back to Russia. I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s what people here are saying.”

Although Panarin has a full no-move clause in his contract, the Rangers could ask him to waive it ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline in March – especially if his defensive issues continue and extension talks stall.

At 9-1-1, the Rangers have the best road record in the League, and their 19 points are one behind the Los Angeles Kings (9-2-2) for most in the NHL. Yet, it’s some tough sledding ahead, facing perennial powerhouse Vegas, then two nights later skating against the Colorado Avalanche, who have the best overall record in the League and only one regulation loss so far (13-1-5). The trip concludes with a tilt against the up and coming Utah Mammoth on Saturday, and they’re no pushover either.

The Rangers (10-8-2) will take this challenge, though, considering how much better they play away from Madison Square Garden. New York is 1-7-1 on home ice after a disappointing 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, when the Rangers were outplayed and badly outshot 42-19.

Their current six-game road wining streak is fourth-best in franchise history and longest since 2019-20, when the Rangers won nine straight on the road. With that comes plenty of confidence and swagger, which won’t hurt playing in a tough building Tuesday night.

Perhaps the Rangers arrive in Las Vegas at a good time. The Golden Knights (8-4-6) are banged up and struggling to win games after racing to a 5-0-2 start this season. Since Oct. 25, however, the Golden Knights have lost 8 of 11 games (3-4-4) and won once in their past six (1-2-3).

They’ve also lost four straight (0-2-2) at home, including 3-2 to in overtime to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday, when Kirill Kaprizov bagged the game-winner.

Vegas is without injured forwards Mark Stone and William Karlsson, and No. 1 goalie Adin Hill. But they remain dangerous with Jack Eichel (24 points in 18 games) and Mitch Marner (20 points in 18 games) pacing their offense. Pavel Dorofeyev leads them with 11 goals, three shy of the League lead, after scoring on the power play against the Wild.

3 storylines when Rangers visit Golden Knights

1. Sully’s back

Though he didn’t travel with the team Monday, coach Mike Sullivan flew out on his own and rejoined the Rangers at the morning skate. He missed the game Sunday, dealing with a “family circumstance,” in his words.

“I’d rather not get into the details of it, but I appreciate everybody’s support,” Sullivan told reporters after the skate. “I’m grateful to Mr. Dolan and [Chris Drury] for their understanding. Obviously, family means everything to all of us. I appreciate everybody’s support through a little bit of a trying circumstance.”

2. Will Borgen game-time decision

Sullivan said that Will Borgen is a game-time decision against the Golden Knights. The 28-year-old defenseman missed the past two games with an upper-body injury, but skated on a pair with Urho Vaakanainen on Tuesday morning.

Rookie Scott Morrow made his Rangers debut against the Red Wings, and partnered with Matthew Robertson on the third defense pair. They skated together again Tuesday, and Morrow quarterbacked the second power-play unit. Not to read tea leaves or anything, but it feels like Morrow will play Tuesday.

“I’m feeling confident,” Morrow told the media after the morning skate. “Obviously, I haven’t gotten any bounces in terms of points, but I think I’ve been playing a really solid game [in the minors and NHL]. I think the bounces will come over the course of the season, wherever I am, so just staying with it. I feel a lot more ready for the NHL than I have, you know, at any point last year.”

3. Watch Mika

The Rangers scored two goals in their past two games, not counting J.T. Miller’s shootout winner in Columbus on Saturday. Mika Zibanejad scored each of those goals and leads the Rangers with seven this season, including a team-high four on the power play.

Of course, he’s also a team-worst minus-9 this season. So, there’s that.

But he’s got a four-game point streak coming into this one, three goals in four games, and always delivers against the Golden Knights. He’s got 10 goals and 19 points in 14 games against them.

New York Rangers projected lineup

Will Cuylle — Mika Zibanejad — J.T. Miller

Artemi Panarin — Vincent Trocheck — Alexis Lafreniere

Conor Sheary — Noah Laba — Jonny Brodzinski

Adam Edstrom — Sam Carrick — Taylor Raddysh

Vladislav Gavrikov — Adam Fox

Carson Soucy — Braden Schneider

Matthew Robertson — Scott Morrow

Igor Shesterkin

Jonathan Quick

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

Who: New York Rangers vs. Vegas Golden Knights

When: Tuesday Nov. 18 at 10 p.m. ET

Where: T-Mobile Arena

How to watch: MSG

On the road again
I just can’t wait to get on the road again
The life I love is playing hockey with my friends
I can’t wait to get on the road again.

The Rangers head West this week for the second time in less than a month. They hope to extend their NHL-best 9-1-1 road record during their swing through Las Vegas, Colorado and Utah after a 3-1-0 trip against the three Western Canada teams and the Seattle Kraken from Oct. 26-Nov. 1.

New York has won six in a row away from Madison Square Garden, the last two in dramatically different ways. The offense erupted on national TV in a 7-3 takedown of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday before J.T. Miller scored the game-winner for the Rangers in a 2-1 shootout victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

The Blueshirts sought a perfect 4-for-4 week on Sunday when they hosted the Detroit Red Wings, a team they defeated 4-1 at Little Caesars Arena nine days earlier. But they came up short as their struggles to score at home returned. The Red Wings outshot the Rangers 42-19 and got the go-ahead goal from Lucas Raymond with 3:47 remaining for a 2-1 win – ending their seven-game losing streak against New York.

Heading back onto the road after dropping to 1-7-1 at Madison Square Garden could be just what the Rangers need to wash away the taste of getting badly outplayed by a team they’re likely to battle for a playoff berth the rest of the season. Jonathan Quick did everything but stand on his head, but it wasn’t enough. For the second straight night, the Rangers did not score a 5-on-5 goal; Mika Zibanejad scored a second-period power-play goal, just as he did Saturday in Columbus.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME. pic.twitter.com/y0ElXAKxId

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 17, 2025

They’re hoping coach Mike Sullivan will be back at some point during the trip. Sullivan missed the game Sunday for what the team called personal reasons; assistants David Quinn and Joe Sacco split the coaching duties.

“I don’t have an update right now,” Quinn said after the game. ”Obviously, from the coaches to the players to the organization, we certainly are thinking about Mike and his family. Never an easy situation when you’ve got to attend to your family.”

Who’s hot

Shesterkin had his best week of the season. He won all three of his starts, allowing a total of seven goals on 91 shots, a .923 save percentage.

Artemi Panarin also had his best week, scoring twice in the Rangers first home win, a 6-3 victory over the Nashville Predators last Monday, then piling up six assists in the next three games – including four against the Lightning.

Who’s not

Taylor Raddysh, who had a hat trick against the San Jose Sharks among his five goals in October, is 0-for-November. He was scoreless and minus-1 in the Rangers’ four games last week and averaged less than 12 minutes of ice time, after he was dropped to the fourth line.

Rangers lookahead this week includes …

The season’s second Western swing — all against teams with winning records, at least by NHL standards.

Rangers at Vegas Golden Knights (Nov. 18, 10 p.m.; MSG)

Las Vegas is a fun place to spend some time for most of us. But that’s not necessarily true for the Rangers, whose 2-1 win at T-Mobile Arena last Jan. 11 was just their third in eight trips to Sin City. Overall, the Rangers are 6-6-2 against the Golden Knights, who are still trying to put the pieces together after bringing in high-priced forward Mitch Marner over the summer but losing captain and first-pair defenseman Alex Pietrangelo for the season (and perhaps his career) with a hip problem that required surgery.

The Rangers figure to have a huge edge in goal, with Shesterkin playing at an All-Star level. Vegas juggles between ex-Devils goalie Akira Schmid and rookie Carl Lindbom in hopes of staying afloat with the NHL return of former Flyers goaltender Carter Hart still two weeks away.

Panarin thrives against Vegas, recording 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 17 games.

Rangers at Colorado Avalanche (Nov. 20, 9 p.m. MSG)

The Avalanche entered the week with one regulation loss in 19 games this season (13-1-5), sitting atop the NHL standings. So, the Rangers must be at their best Thursday night.

Don’t be surprised if this one goes past regulation. Before Colorado’s 5-4 win at the Garden on Jan. 14, the Rangers and Avalanche played five straight games that needed more than 60 minutes to produce a winner.

Colorado is 6-0-3 in its past nine games overall against the Rangers (2-0-0 last season) and 5-0-2 (both losses via shootout) in its past seven home games against New York. The Blueshirts haven’t beaten the Avs in regulation at Ball Arena since a 6-2 win on Dec. 31, 2016.

Shesterkin is 3-1-2 against Colorado, but has an excellent 2.54 GAA and .922 save percentage.

The Rangers must shut down Colorado’s two best players, center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar – each is averaging 1.1 points per game against New York. MacKinnon has 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 20 games; Makar has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 10 games.

Rangers at Utah Mammoth (Nov. 22, 9 p.m. MSG)

The Rangers and Mammoth (known last season as the Utah Hockey Club) split their two games last season, with the Rangers winning 5-3 on Jan. 16 in their first visit to Delta Center. The former Arizona Coyotes (though the NHL doesn’t count their stats as part of the Mammoth’s history) lost their past four home games against the Rangers.

Utah enters the week 5-1-1 at home. Nick Schmaltz, coming off a career-high 63-point season in 2024-25, already has 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 18 games.

The Mammoth might use former Washington Capitals goaltender Vitek Vanecek on Saturday – their No. 1 goalie, Karol Vejmelka, is 0-3-0 with a 6.00 GAA in three career starts against New York.

Quick not only battled until the final buzzer, but afterward as well. On the bench for a sixth attacker when the clock struck triple zero, Quick was enraged that Detroit forward Mason Appleton sent a shot into the Rangers’ empty net after the horn sounded. He charged onto the ice to confront Appleton, and instead met up with Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, who took a few shots to the face from the goalie’s blocker as both benches emptied.

APPLETON SHOT IT INTO THE NET AFTER THE BUZZER AND THE BENCHES CLEARED 😱😳 pic.twitter.com/SQAhvEADJB

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 17, 2025

At least one Rangers player showed fight from start to finish — and beyond. The Rangers (10-8-2) were outshot 42-19 and out-attempted 77-59. Over the final 40 minutes, Detroit outshot New York 33-13. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Red Wings had a 72.18 percent expected goal share in a dominant third period, when Lucas Raymond snapped a 1-1 tie at 16:13.

MY GOODNESS, LUCAS RAYMOND!! 🤩

What a beautiful goal! pic.twitter.com/Mz6NqXWl2o

— NHL (@NHL) November 17, 2025

Raymond had a goal and an assist; and he, Patrick Kane, and Dylan Larkin each recorded seven shots on goal for the Red Wings, who blew a 4-1 lead and lost in overtime to the Buffalo Sabres the night before. Alex DeBrincat also scored for Detroit, and Cam Talbot finished with 18 saves.

Mika Zibanejad scored his team-high seventh goal for the Rangers, whose three-game winning streak ended. New York dropped to 1-7-1 at MSG this season.

Quick did some of his best work when the Rangers were short-handed in the second period, so it was a bit ironic that the Red Wings opened the scoring with a power-play goal. Raymond’s shot from the right circle crept between Quick’s pads, and as the puck rolled toward the goal line, DeBrincat pushed it across the goal line at 9:30 for his ninth goal of the season and fifth in the past three games.

Alex DeBrincat – Detroit Red Wings (9)
Power Play Goal
pic.twitter.com/8XB0crNA92

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) November 17, 2025

Prior to the goal, Quick fought through traffic to make some big-time saves, but the Rangers failed to clear the puck out of their zone. Quick also had to deal with contact from Larkin that knocked him off balance, though the Rangers goalie did reset himself before Raymond’s shot.

Quick was furious with the officials after the goal.

“It was confusion. You’re getting tripped in your crease. That’s supposed to be a whistle right away,” he explained. “It’s tough enough killing a penalty as is. When you’ve got guys in the crease tripping you, it makes it more difficult.”

The Rangers weren’t thrilled with the officiating throughout. They ended up with two power plays compared with five for the Red Wings.

Earlier in the second period, Quick stopped all four shots on Detroit’s first power play of the game. That included a terrific 1-2 sequence at 4:30, when he made a sharp pad save and then denied Raymond’s rebound try, using his paddle on the ice to keep the low shot out of his cage.

Quick also caught a break near the start of that power play, when Simon Edvinsson whistled a backhand shot from the right circle across the grain far side and off the post at 3:30.

The Rangers tied things up with a power-play goal of their own by Zibanejad at 11:59 of the second period. But that was only after Quick kept the deficit at one, turning aside a short-handed scoring opportunity off the rush by Detroit’s J.T. Compher 30 seconds before Zibanejad’s goal.

Zibanejad buried a loose puck from the side of the net after Talbot lost sight of the puck following a save. It was his team-leading fourth power-play goal, and second in as many nights on the man advantage. He also scored a second-period power-play goal in a 2-1 shootout win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME. pic.twitter.com/y0ElXAKxId

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 17, 2025

Zibanejad then had a partial break short-handed at 14:25, but his shot sailed wide from right wing, as he looked gassed at the end of his shift.

With the score tied 1-1 in the third period, the Red Wings looked like the fresher and hungrier team. But Quick remained the biggest difference maker on the ice, and the main reason why the Rangers weren’t run out of their own building.

Detroit recorded 10 of the first 11 shots in the period, many of which came on consecutive power plays at 6:39 and 8:38. Raymond, Larkin, and Kane were among the Red Wings flat-out robbed by Quick, who also caught a break when a Kane shot caught iron. Zibanejad and Vladislav Gavrikov made heady defensive plays during the PK to help out their goalie, as well.

Quick had another gem stored up when he made a sensational pad save on Nate Danielson’s blast off an odd-man rush, with the teams playing at even strength. But before he could pick up his 40th save on the night, Raymond scored the go-ahead goal for Detroit on a terrific solo effort with 3:47 remaining in regulation.

The Rangers now head out on a three-game road trip that begins Tuesday in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights.

Key Rangers takeaways after frustrating 2-1 home loss to Red Wings

No Sully

Rangers coach Mike Sullivan wasn’t at Madison Square Garden to witness the latest home defeat nor Quick’s sensational night. He missed the game due to personal reasons.

But the Rangers were in good hands. David Quinn and Joe Sacco served as co-head coaches Sunday, which is fitting since each New York assistant has plenty of head coaching experience in the NHL. Of course, Quinn was Rangers coach for three seasons from 2018-21, and also coached the San Jose Sharks for two seasons before joining Sullivan’s staff with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season.

Sacco coached the Colorado Avalanche from 2009-13 and the Boston Bruins for the final 62 games last season after Jim Montgomery was fired.

“Obviously, from the coaches to the players of the organization, we certainly are thinking about Mike and his family,” Quinn told reporters postgame. “[It’s] never an easy situation when you’ve got to tend to your family. That’s all I can give you right now.”

Welcome to Broadway

Scott Morrow made his Rangers debut after the Rangers recalled the 23-year-old defenseman from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Sunday morning. He skated 15 shifts in total, including one on the second power-play unit, and partnered with fellow rookie Matthew Robertson on the third defense pair. The Rangers outshot the Red Wings 6-3 and were even in scoring chances (6-6) with Morrow out there 5v5.

Morrow got caught at the Red Wings’ blue line on his first shift five minutes into the game, but Quick bailed him out with a sharp pad save on Marco Kasper’s blast off a 2-on-1 rush. Morrow, who had 16 games of previous NHL experience with the Carolina Hurricanes, was called up since Will Borgen remained out with an upper-body injury.

Rookie forward Gabe Perreault was assigned to Hartford to make room on the roster for Morrow.

Centennial sartorial splendor

How about those centennial sweaters each team wore Sunday? Pure fire.

The Rangers and Red Wings are each celebrating their 100th season in the NHL. We’d already seen the awesome threads the Rangers wear on select home dates to commemorate their centennial, and they broke them out again Sunday for this Original Six clash.

What we didn’t expect was for the Red Wings to wear their equally impressive centennial sweaters in this one. Those lighter shade blues playing against the sharp classic reds on the white MSG ice? Yes, give us more of that please. A simply awesome, and classic, look.

Centennial sartorial splendor, for sure.

“I thought we played a complete game all night long,” Sullivan said. “We forced them to have to play 200 feet. We know that team can score, so making sure that we check as hard as we did was gonna be an important element of the game — and I thought the guys bought into it.”

The win in Tampa was a goal-filled night that saw the Rangers send Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to the bench after 40 minutes. The Blueshirts scored seven goals on 21 shots, a 33.3 shooting percentage that matched a season best.

But it was far from a perfect effort in the eyes of Sullivan, who noted after the game that, “I don’t think we were at our best.”

In comparison, a total of two goals were scored in 65 minutes in Columbus. New York’s Mika Zibanejad and Dmitri Voronkov of the Blue Jackets traded power-play goals, in the second period. Scoring chances were few and far between.

“Everybody played just a solid road game today,” noted captain J.T. Miller, who scored the shootout winner with a lightning-quick shot that beat Columbus goalie Jet Greaves up top. “We took care of the puck. It was kind of a greasy game. It wasn’t really super exciting, I don’t think.”

JT Miller wins it in the shootout and the Rangers stay hot on the road 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5k4Po1ZTsd

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 16, 2025

Columbus entered play with 41 goals at 5-on-5, tied for fifth in the League. But New York held the Blue Jackets scoreless at even strength and surrendered just 25 shots through three periods plus overtime, keeping things manageable for Igor Shesterkin.

“That’s a good team we played against,” Sullivan noted. “They’ve got a lot of young talent, they’re fast, they’ve got a real good transition game, they’re one of the best teams in the League off the rush. We knew that was gonna be an important aspect of the game, and I thought for the most part we played on top of them most of the night.”

“It seems like when we do give something up, it’s for the most part not the big ones,” Miller added. “We’ve done a good job of having a lot of layers and sticks in the middle of the rink.”

MSG analyst Steve Valiquette agreed.

“I think the outcome of the game, it all hinged on how the Rangers protected the inner slot against a very good 5-on-5 team from Columbus,” Valiquette said during the network’s postgame show. “They just didn’t let them get active in there.”

Headed by Kirill Marchenko and Norris Trophy-finalist Zach Werenski, the Blue Jackets rank fourth in expected-goals-for percentage at 5-on-5.

“They’re hard to play against at 5-on-5 because they’re so creative offensively,” Valiquette said. “But if you don’t let them in, you win the hockey game that way. And I thought that’s where the Rangers really won the game — it wasn’t offensively, obviously. It was how stout they were at protecting the house.”

“And I don’t think we compromised offense to do it,” Sullivan added. “We didn’t score a ton of goals tonight, but we generated offense. That’s what we’re looking for. I know the guys will score if they’re generating offense like they are.”

Rangers proving they ‘can win different ways’

In a two-game span, the Rangers have won despite putting two very different products on the ice.

“I just think it’s evidence that we can win different ways,” Sullivan said.

New York’s offensive resurgence, sparked by Vincent Trocheck’s return and Artemi Panarin’s inspired play of late, should help them keep pace in a high-scoring affair. But they’re still more than capable of playing shutdown defense and grinding out narrow victories — as they showed Saturday.

“A sign of a good team is when they have a comfort level playing in a one-goal game, in a low-scoring game,” explained Sullivan. “And I believe that we’re developing that comfort level — when you can play in your endzone and defend and you don’t have to hit the panic button, and you just have a certain level of confidence that everybody’s gonna do their job.”

New York has certainly developed a proficiency for eking out these types of wins on the road. The Rangers continue to boast the NHL’s best record away from home; they are 9-1-1 after their sixth consecutive road victory.

And even the flawed efforts, such as the win against the Lightning, seem easier to stomach when the final score ends in their favor.

“We were playing against Nikita Kucherov and [Brayden Point], they’re gonna get their looks. I don’t wanna overthink it too much,” Miller said. “Finding a way to win on the road against teams in your conference is huge. We’re happy to keep going.”

UPDATE: Borgen took part in the morning skate Saturday and Sullivan hopes he’ll be able to play against the Blue Jackets

It’s unclear when or how Borgen was injured — he played the entirety of Wednesday’s 7-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With Borgen not on the ice Friday, Carson Soucy, his regular partner, was paired with Braden Schneider while Matthew Robertson played alongside Urho Vaakanainen.

Borgen is one of those players who is easy to overlook despite averaging a career-high 18:43 of ice time. His goal in the win at Tampa Bay was his first of the season and his third point. He hadn’t hit the score sheet since assisting on the Rangers’ only goal in a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 20.

PUT IN THE WORK + PUT IT AWAY. pic.twitter.com/K8N1Jtdehe

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 13, 2025

“We’re not asking him to score a lot of goals,” Sullivan said earlier this week.

But not having Borgen on the blue line against a Columbus team that is 9-7-1 after a 5-4 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday would be a sizeable loss.

The Rangers have had a major turnaround defensively, and Borgen is a big reason why. They were 28th in the NHL last season in 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. Entering the game in Columbus, they are second (2.13).

Will Borgen has been key to solidifying Rangers’ defense

New York acquired Borgen from the Seattle Kraken last December in the trade that sent forward Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, to the League’s newest franchise. Less than two months later, general manager Chris Drury made a major commitment to his new defenseman, signing him to a five-year extension with an average annual value of $4.1 million.

Drury didn’t do it because of Borgen’s ability to score – the 28-year-old’s five goals last season was a career high – but rather because of his ability to help Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick keep the puck out of the Rangers’ net. He’s blocked 24 shots, fourth on the team, and he and Soucy have been on the ice for five 5-on-5 goals for and only two against during the 14 games and 138:02 they’ve played together.

“What we’re asking of Will is to be hard to play against and defend hard, help us on the penalty kill, defend the rushes aggressively, kill plays in the D-zone, be hard at the net front,” Sullivan said. “That’s the game that we think he excels at. That’s what he’s brought to us.”

Sullivan, who coached the Pittsburgh Penguins for 10 seasons before parting ways with them and signing with the Rangers in May, didn’t know much about Borgen before coming to Broadway. But in watching him on film during the offseason, the coach said he liked Borgen’s willingness to defend and how he uses his size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) to his advantage.

“Number one, he’s competitive, and he has a level of abrasiveness to his game that I think makes us a whole lot more difficult to play against,” Sullivan said.

Borgen looks like a legit shutdown defenseman who can handle top-four minutes and kill penalties, especially under Sullivan’s zone approach to defending. One thing that’s helped him, even with a coaching change, is that he’s more familiar with his new team as he nears the one-year mark since coming to New York. Borgen said this week that he’s feeling “more comfortable everywhere on and off the ice.”

Sullivan, who helped a number of defensemen, including Kris Letang, raise their game in Pittsburgh, has liked what he’s seen so far and hopes Borgen won’t have to miss time – especially with the Rangers playing the second half of a back-to-back when the Detroit Red Wings come to town on Sunday, followed by a three-game trip to Vegas, Colorado and Utah.

“He’s a reliable, trustworthy defenseman, and he’s predictable for his partner,” Sullivan said. “I think those are great attributes to have for a defenseman.”