So, that means Rempe misses his 24th consecutive game Saturday, when the Rangers host the Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden.

“He will not play tomorrow. He was full contact today,” coach Mike Sullivan stated Friday. “Given the time he was out, we think it’s important he gets a couple of practices under his belt in a full capacity. We’ll monitor as he goes, but he’s getting close.”

When those practices come is anyone’s guess. The Rangers’ schedule turns fairly hellacious next week, when they play five games in seven days, including a pair of back-to-back sets bookending the week.

It’s certainly possible that Rempe practices hard in a morning skate or two and then gets back in the lineup later in the week.

The popular 23-year-old has one goal and seven penalty minutes in nine games this season.

He’s missed on the fourth line, which had several different looks in his absence. Veteran stalwart Sam Carrick will center Taylor Raddysh and rookie Jaroslav Chmelar against the Canadiens, based on practice Friday.

Rangers make ‘number of adjustments’ to top power-play unit

After the 3-0 shutout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, Sullivan alluded to making changes on the power play. The Rangers were 0-for-3 in Chicago and allowed a back-breaking short-handed goal. They’re now 0-for-11 in five games since PP1 quarterback Adam Fox went down with an upper-body injury.

So, the Rangers made a “number of adjustments” to the top unit at practice Friday, in Sullivan’s words. But the one thing that didn’t change was the five-forward personnel. Alexis Lafreniere moved to the bumper spot, and Mika Zibanejad replaced Artemi Panarin up top to fill Fox’s usual role. Panarin moved to the flank, and J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck continued to round out the top unit.

So, again, no defenseman manning the point. Why’s that, coach?

“Because we think they’re the best five guys right now to help us have success.”

Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov did quarterback the second power-play unit Friday. And Scott Morrow, the rookie defenseman who seemed most likely to join PP1 after the most recent game, appears to be the odd-man out completely. He skated as an extra, and it looks like Urho Vaakanainen replaces him in the lineup Saturday.

As for Zibanejad swapping places with Panarin?

“He’s a cerebral player. He sees the ice so well. He’s similar to ‘Bread’ in that regard,” Sullivan explained. “But I think Mika might add a little more defensive conscience back there. One of the things I’ve always admired about Mika is his willingness on both sides of the puck. I think that’s an important element on the power play, using five forwards.”

Sullivan also pointed to Zibanejad’s willingness to shoot more often, and to create rebound opportunities for his teammates.

“One of Mika’s strengths is that he can really pound the puck. He can really shoot it. Now that he’s up top, he can do the same thing from there, also,” Sullivan explained.

“Sometimes we want to pass the puck into the net. We need to create in different ways. We can create off the shot.”

Since Sullivan is also coach of the United States team for the 2026 Milan/Cortina Olympics, he has a big say in the construction of the roster. At one point, it seemed Miller was a slam-dunk candidate to make the team, especially after playing a gritty middle-six role for Team USA at the 4 Nations tournament this past February.

Now, there are doubts about Miller’s inclusion on the roster, based largely on his declining production with the Rangers this season. A former point-per-game player, Miller has seven goals and 18 points in 30 games

That leaves Sullivan in the unenviable position of, perhaps, informing the proud 32-year-old center that he didn’t make the team. Or the flip side — trying to keep the peace, Sullivan pushes for Miller to be included at the expense of players perhaps more deserving of the honor. No bueno either way.

“The whole thing with J.T. Miller, it’s more of a challenge then I thought it would be,” Elliotte Friedman stated Friday on the 32 Thoughts podcast. “I think he’s going to be on the U.S. team, but Miller’s played himself into a situation where you’re almost asking the question, ‘Should he be on the U.S. team?’ Like it’s a really tough spot on Sullivan because that’s his captain, and you want to take your captain, and you’re picking the team, and you’re worried about how Miller will handle it if he’s not going to be picked. But he’s really had a rough year.”

Allow yourself for a minute to picture that uncomfortable conversation, if Miller doesn’t make the team. Then ponder how that could possibly affect their relationship moving forward and what that could do to the Rangers (15-13-4), who already face considerable challenges to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“It is conjecture, so it’s hard to get into somebody’s heart, their mind, about how they feel about something like that,” NHL Network’s E.J. Hradek told Forever Blueshirts on the RINK RAP podcast. “I’m sure J.T. would be disappointed … the top players seemingly all want to compete in a best-on-best tournament, and J.T. Miller was part of Team USA at the 4 Nations.

“I ran into [Team USA general manager Bill Guerin] at an Islanders game at UBS Arena last week and, obviously, he keeps his cards close to the vest, but he said to me, ‘I’m going to have to deliver some tough news to a lot of good guys.'”

Even if Guerin was the one who delivered bad news to Miller, it still wouldn’t make for a great situation between the veteran forward and Sullivan.

Rangers coach, captain hope to lead United States at 2026 Milan/Cortina Olympics

This all be a moot point because Miller likely has enough cache as a relentless grinder and shutdown center to at least earn a spot in the Team USA lineup in a checking role on the third or fourth line. He’s consistently gone up against opposing teams’ top forwards this season with the Rangers, and he basically filled that role at the 4 Nations, too.

His physicality and intensity level rub off on his teammates — just some of the intangibles that favor Miller landing a roster spot for the United States.

“I think he’ll be there because I think they’ll look at it and say, ‘This is the team we’re going to need to beat Canada, and he can be that kind of player,'” Friedman said, before adding, “But it’s been harder this year for Miller, and less impressive, I think, for Sullivan, when it comes to him, than any of us expected.”

Interestingly, Hradek sees a major positive if Miller doesn’t participate in the Olympics. And that’s shutting it down for three weeks between games on the Rangers schedule, kind of a February vacation of sorts for their captain.

“In the case of J.T., if he doesn’t get selected, he gets the rest. I think he’s been dealing with an injury for pretty much most of the season. It might serve to spur him on to have a really strong post-Olympic stretch, which would be great for the New York Rangers.”

Fox, who quarterbacks New York’s top power-play unit, sustained a left-arm injury on Nov. 29 that landed him on long-term injured reserve. In his absence, coach Mike Sullivan opted to use a five-forward setup with the No. 1 power-play group, with their top scorer, left wing Artemi Panarin, running the show.

The 2021 Norris Trophy winner and a 2023 finalist was tied for the Rangers scoring lead with Panarin at 26 points when he landed on LTIR. Fox has resumed skating, but is expected to miss several weeks.

His absence brought the power play to a crashing halt.

The Rangers were 0-for-3 and allowed a short-handed goal in a poorly played 3-0 road loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. In the five games since Fox’s injury, the Rangers are 0-for-11 with the extra man and have a total of 14 shots on goal. Without Fox, the Rangers are out-scored 1-0 on their own power play.

“It’s one goal,” center Vincent Trocheck said about Louis Crevier’s shorty 7:08 into the second period that gave Chicago a lead it never relinquished. “We have a ton of game left. We can’t let that happen. That’s on us.”

Sullivan changed his power-play strategy during the game, moving rookie Scott Morrow into the quarterback role, and said afterward that he’s junking the five-forward approach, at least for now.

“They showed us enough to stay with it for as long as we have, but they showed us enough to make a change,” he said after the loss. “We put a defenseman up there. I’m not sure what we’re going to do moving forward, but obviously Fox is not an easy guy to replace.”

Rangers look for answers to Fox-less power-play issues

That’s an understatement. The Rangers were 13-for-61 (21.3 percent) on the power play in 27 games with Fox but have yet to score without him. He has a point on eight of the 13 power-play goals.

It’s also a big change from what Sullivan touted after practice Tuesday.

“I think the guys have done a really good job,” he said then. “We are competing hard. … I think the guys that have stepped in have done a really good job, just as far as bringing what they bring and not trying to do too much, playing within themselves, defending hard. So, we’ll continue to work at it.”

It looked like Morrow was going to be quarterbacking the power play when the Montreal Canadiens come to Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. But he was not on the top power-play unit at practice Friday — in fact, he and forward Johnny Brodzinski were not among the four forward lines or three defense pairs on the ice, indicating they’re unlikely to play Saturday.

Instead, Mika Zibanejad replaced Panarin at the point on PP1, and Vladislav Gavrikov, Fox’s regular partner, played on PP2 with four forwards.

But perhaps a bigger problem is the Rangers’ inability to draw power plays in the first place.

They’ve had just 72 opportunities in 32 games, an NHL-low 2.25 advantages per contest. In the five games without Fox, that average is 2.20 – including the 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, when they didn’t have a single power play. They have more than three power plays in a game just three times this season.

Of their three man-advantages against the Blackhawks, two came in the final 13 minutes of the third period — after Chicago took a three-goal lead. They had all of one shot on goal in six minutes with the extra man, matching the Blackhawks total shorthanded.

Captain J.T. Miller said his team wasn’t very good with or without the extra man.

“They outcompeted us and outexecuted us,” Miller said. “We had trouble getting on the inside. It’s hard to score when you’re on the outside on the O-zone. They’re a man-on-man team. They kept us on the outside most of the night, created a lot of turnovers and defended well.”

The Rangers lived by the power play in 2023-24, scoring on 26.4 percent (65-for-246) of their opportunities when they won the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL regular-season champion. They dropped to 17.6 percent (37-for-210) last season, when they missed the playoffs, and are on pace for just 34 PPGs and 185 attempts this season. Those are numbers that could well keep them out of the postseason again.

But Zibanejad opened his New York City home and personal life to a camera crew last week, and the result is a segment on the first episode of “Road to the Discover NHL Winter Classic.” The behind-the-scenes, four-part docuseries returns in advance of the 2026 game between the Rangers and Florida Panthers at loanDepot park in Miami on Jan. 2.

The first episode debuts Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT, one hour before the network’s telecast of the Rangers’ game against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center.

Zibanejad, who leads the Rangers with 11 goals this season, admitted to NHL.com that he wasn’t sure what he was hoping to get out of the experience — but was certain there would be value in it.

‘Road To Winter Classic’ debuts with look into Zibanejad’s life away from rink   https://t.co/3nmUb00rri

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) December 9, 2025

“Hopefully through showing some outside the rink stuff there might be a little more understanding for who I am as a person,” Zibanejad told the League’s website. “I think anyone from outside looking in has no idea who I am. They know what I do but not much of me as a person.”

That should change a bit when Zibanejad is seen through the lens of the camera that followed him from the Rangers suburban practice facility in Tarrytown, New York, to his home in Manhattan. His wife and 2-year-old daughter join him in the segment.

The 2026 Winter Classic is Zibanejad’s fourth outdoor game. He played for the Ottawa Senators in the 2014 Heritage Classic at BC Place in Vancouver, and for the Rangers at the 2018 3-2 Winter Classic win against the Buffalo Sabres at Citi Field in New York and the 2024 Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, a game that saw him score the tying goal in a 6-5 overtime win against the New York Islanders. But it’s the first time a camera crew followed him.

Mika Zibanejad shows personal side on ‘Road to the Winter Classic’

“I think for the people that are not in this environment, just from outside, getting a little bit of a different look is cool,” the native of Stockholm, Sweden, said. “You see some of the interviews we do, but you don’t see a whole lot of personality. Obviously, there are some that are better in front of the camera and more inviting than others, but I think this is cool.”

Like many players, Zibanejad said he wrestles with how much of his off-ice personality he wants to show. That includes social media; he said he doesn’t post a lot.

“As much as we play a sport, a lot of attention is on us,” he said. “We get covered by media and all that. I don’t know if ‘selective’ is the right word, but keeping things more private, maybe.”

This might just be the cutest thing you see today. 🥹

Episode 1 of Road To The NHL Discover #WinterClassic presented by @Enterprise premieres tonight at 6:30p ET on @NHL_On_TNT and tomorrow at 7p ET on @Sportsnet! pic.twitter.com/1XWpKBi70c

— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) December 10, 2025

The behind-the-scenes access offers Rangers fans a different perspective, Zibanejad said. The segment shows the human side of a player – that he’s more than just a guy who wears No. 93 and scores goals for their favorite team.

Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said the show lets fans get to know that players face a lot of the same everyday challenges they do.

“I just think [this show] gives people more of a window into the human side of it,” Sullivan told NHL.com. “When you get to know some of our players, I think what people are going to find is that they’re really good human beings and they live for the most part fairly normal lives other than their livelihood. But they have kids and they’re married and they have challenges, and they go through things just like everybody else does.

“I think the best asset that our NHL has is the players themselves, the way they carry themselves, these guys, they have a certain humility to them, and I think that is admirable. When fans get to know some of the players in that regard, maybe they’ll be more inclined to root for them.”

There’s also away-from-the-rink footage of injured Rangers forward Matt Rempe and Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, as well as on-ice sound via mic’d up players and coaches.

MacKinnon broke a 1-1 tie when he scored with 4:34 remaining in the third period. But with Igor Shesterkin on the bench for an extra attacker, Artemi Panarin forced overtime when he beat Mackenzie Blackwood through traffic from above the left circle with 40.9 seconds left.

However, MacKinnon dangled his way past defenseman Will Borgen during the 3-on-3 overtime and beat Shesterkin with a high backhander for the win, leaving the Rangers disappointed but not heartbroken after another solid effort.

“I thought we played a good game,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We played hard and competed all night against one of the best teams in the League.”

It was a disappointing ending for the Rangers, who went toe-to-toe with the team that leads the League with 46 points all afternoon. Shesterkin made 39 saves to keep the Rangers in position to earn a point, and Conor Sheary scored his first goal with the Rangers.

The Rangers (15-12-3) lost for the first time in three games. But they’re 5-1-1 in their past seven entering the second half of a back-to-back against the Vegas Golden Knights at The Garden on Sunday.

ARTEMI PANARIN.

TIE GAME WITH UNDER A MINUTE LEFT 🚨 pic.twitter.com/6N8xnFLxwe

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) December 6, 2025

The Rangers had the better of the play for most of the scoreless first period, holding the League’s highest-scoring team without a shot on goal for more than 10 minutes in one stretch. New York got the only power play of the period when Cale Makar went off for interference at 7:26 and beat Blackwood twice in a 17-second span – but Panarin drilled the left post on a one-timer from the left circle and Will Cuylle did the same from close in.

Shesterkin made his best save of the period and drew chants of “Igor” from the Garden crowd with 1:34 left by denying Martin Necas after he got behind the defense and came in alone.

The Avalanche stepped things up in the second period and took a 1-0 lead at 7:06. Sam Malinski took a shot from the right point that Parker Kelly, while on his knees, deflected just enough to beat Shesterkin, who never saw the puck through a maze of bodies.

But after Colorado dominated the first 12 minutes of the period, the Rangers found their game again. They pressed the play and controlled the tempo but still couldn’t beat Blackwood, who made his best stop in the final minute on a snap shot through traffic by Panarin from the high slot.

Sheary got the Rangers even at 4:23 of the third period with his first NHL goal since April 11, 2024, with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 33-year-old forward took a pass from Vincent Trocheck near the red line, raced into the Colorado zone and saw that Necas was the only Colorado player back. Sheary drove into the left circle and shot against the grain, beating Blackwood past the catching glove.

SHEARY ON THE BREAKAWAY pic.twitter.com/Qmz9WZlHuz

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 6, 2025

MacKinnon batted an airborne rebound into the net to put Colorado ahead, then got the game-winner after Panarin forced overtime – giving him four goals (and two game-winners) in two games against the Rangers this season.

“It was a hell of a hockey game I think for both teams,” Rangers captain J.T. Miller said. “There’s a lot of things we can look for and build on going into tomorrow.”

Key takeaways after Rangers lose 3-2 to Avalanche in OT

Shesterkin steals a point

No. 31 had to settle for being the game’s No. 2 star after being No. 1 on Thursday in the 4-2 win at the Ottawa Senators. But make no mistake – he was the Rangers best player, as he’s been for most of the season.

Shesterkin did his best work in the third period, when the Rangers were outshot 19-8 and allowed seven of the nine high-danger chances at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. MacKinnon’s go-ahead goal in the third period came when he swatted a rebound out of the air and into the net; the puck was barely below the crossbar, and Shesterkin had no chance. The game-winner was a great shot by MacKinnon after he slipped through the defense.

Without another Grade A effort from Shesterkin, who made his season-high seventh straight start, the game would never have gotten to overtime and the Rangers wouldn’t gained an important point in the standings.

“He looks so comfortable out there right now,” Hall of Fame goaltender Henrik Lundqvist said on MSG Network’s postgame show. “He’s patient and on his feet all the time.”

Sheary scores at last

The Rangers signed Sheary to a PTO during the summer, and he earned a roster spot with a solid training camp. But he produced just six assists in 26 games and was scratched for three in a row before injuries gave him an entry back into the lineup this week.

Sullivan, who coached Sheary with the Pittsburgh Penguins, moved him into a top-six role for most of the win Thursday and kept him there Saturday as the left wing on a line with Trocheck and Miller. It paid off in the third period.

“I feel like I’ve been getting a lot of good chances, and throughout this year it’s a relief to get one,” Sheary said. “Hopefully I can build off that.”

Right back to work

The Rangers are playing back-to-back games for the second straight week and the fourth time this season. Shesterkin played both ends last week, when they won 6-2 against the Boston Bruins on Friday before no-showing (except for their goaltender) in a 4-1 home loss to the Lightning on Saturday.

But with Jonathan Quick activated off IR before the game Saturday and Shesterkin having played seven straight games, expect the winningest U.S.-born goaltender in NHL history to be in the crease against Vegas on Sunday.

Quick hasn’t played since Nov. 22, when he sustained a lower-body injury during a 3-2 road loss to the Utah Mammoth. He finished the game after Michael Carcone slid into him late in the third period but hasn’t played since.

The 39-year-old, who was on the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup-winning team in 2023, is 3-3-0 this season. But he has the lowest goals-against average (1.69) and is tied for the best save percentage (.944) of any NHL goalie who’s played at least six games.

“He’s a great defenseman, and he can play offense,” Shesterkin said Tuesday after his fellow Russian’s overtime winner gave the Rangers a 3-2 victory against the Dallas Stars at Madison Square Garden. “I’m not shocked he scored the OT goal.”

Gavrikov didn’t score more than six goals in any of his first seven NHL seasons. The six-goal season came in 2023-24, two years after he set a career high with 33 points. But the overtime winner Tuesday was his fifth goal in 28 games this season, matching his total for all of 2024-25 with the Los Angeles Kings. His two goals and two assists in the Rangers’ past five games are a big reason they are on a 4-1-0 run ahead of their game against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

GAVI CALLED GAME. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/GSD11CqEmW

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 3, 2025

On the winning goal, Mika Zibanejad fed Artemi Panarin, who teed up a shot from the slot. Dallas goalie Casey DeSmith made the save but couldn’t control the rebound; Gavrikov was alone in front, grabbed the rebound, and backhanded the puck into the net for the win.

It was a victory the Rangers desperately needed after they no-showed in a 4-1 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

This one didn’t come easily. They trailed 2-1 with less than three minutes remaining before Will Cuylle scored with Shesterkin on the bench for an extra attacker – the first time they tied a game in the final three minutes of the third period since March 2, 2024.

Cuylle’s goal gave Gavrikov the opportunity to be the overtime hero, and he delivered.

“Mika and ‘Bread’ (Panarin) made a great move and I saw an opportunity to jump in front of Bread and create a little confusion,” Gavrikov said of his goal. “He got a shot. Obviously, I thought he was going to score, but the rebound, got it done with that.”

Coach Mike Sullivan is among those who’s been pleasantly surprised by Gavrikov’s contributions on offense.

“I don’t know that we thought 20-something games in he’d have five goals,” the coach said postgame. “Obviously, his core competency is his ability to defend. He’s hard to play against. He’s one of the better defending defensemen, we think, in the League. Having said that, we believe has the ability to help our offense, whether it be with outlet passes or joining the rush or being active off the offensive blue line.

“I won’t lie. I’m surprised with how effective he’s been just with his instincts — in particular, the way he jumps off the offensive blue line.”

Vladislav Gavrikov giving Rangers unexpected offensive boost

The winning goal came on a play that saw Gavrikov go to the front of the net, something the 30-year-old defenseman’s been doing effectively of late. He scored on a deflection from in front during the Rangers’ 6-2 win against the Bruins in Boston on Friday, and displays more willingness to get involved in the attack in New York that he did in his previous stops in Columbus and Los Angeles.

“Turns out he’s also one of our better net-front guys, too,” center Vincent Trocheck said. “He’s always at the net now. Two tips, he scores a rebound goal in overtime. Just stick him there.”

The Rangers need more from Gavrikov with Fox on long-term injured reserve. Braden Schneider moved up to partner with him on the top pair against Dallas, and Sullivan used a five-forward setup on his top power-play unit. The Blueshirts overcame the loss of their top puck-moving defenseman and power-play quarterback for one night, but Gavrikov said over the long term, compensating for Fox’s absence must be a group effort.

“It’s going to be probably on all of us, I would say,” he said. “Every single one of the D got to make a step in the game. Obviously, ‘Foxy’ is big for our team, playing big minutes offensively, on the power play. So it’s hard to replace him, but we got to try and [that] responsibility [falls] on all of us.”

To that end, veteran defenseman Carson Soucy also scored in the win Tuesday.

“We showed (Tuesday) how we can play. Raise the bar. Got to keep the standard like that and play like that every night”

Sullivan is confident that Gavrikov will continue to be the tentpole for the defense corps while Fox is sidelined.

“We have a lot of faith in him,” he said. “He’s helped us on the offensive side more than we had expected. He’s confident and the way he’s jumping off that offensive blue line is certainly instinctive.”

New York placed Fox on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) after he sustained an upper-body injury during a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. That means the 2020-21 Norris Trophy winner must miss at least 10 games or 24 days before he can return to the ice.

“‘Foxy’ is not an easy guy to replace for so many reasons,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged after practice Monday. “I’m sure I’m stating the obvious when I say that.”

Fox’s 26 points through 27 games are tied with Artemi Panarin for the team lead, and are second-most among all NHL defensemen, trailing only Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche (32).

His impact is felt particularly on the power play, where he quarterbacks New York’s top unit.

Despite a slow start this season, New York’s power play ranks 12th in the League with a success rate of 21.3 percent. Fox recorded points on eight of New York’s 13 power-play goals, including assists on five of their past six.

“Foxy is an elite power-play defenseman with how he distributes the puck up there, the way he sees the game,” Sullivan lauded. “He’s got really good instincts.”

Replacing Fox is no easy task. The Rangers don’t have another defenseman on par with Fox’s playmaking skills nor ability to drive offense — few teams across the League do.

That’s why Sullivan is opting to roll with five forwards on the top power-play unit, when the Rangers host the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. The coach decided to bypass defensemen Vladislav Gavrikov, Braden Schneider, and Scott Morrow on PP1 for a simple reason.

“We don’t think that’s the strength of their games to this point,” Sullivan explained. “We’re trying to put a power play together that we think gives us the best opportunity to have success.”

For now, that’s the unit they rolled out against the Lightning after Fox’s injury in the third period. It features Will Cuylle joining fellow forwards Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, and J.T. Miller.

Rangers coach keeps open mind on 5-forward power-play unit

Though Cuylle won’t replace Fox positionally at the point, it’s wise to pivot to a player who’s already had success on that unit this season.

Cuylle got a six-game stint earlier this season with PP1, manning the net front and scoring twice — including a goal on his first shift with the top group. In that stretch, the Rangers’ No. 1 unit scored power-play goals in all but one game.

It’s a formula that’s worked before, and it’s worth revisiting. Plus, with Cuylle in front of the net, players like Zibanejad and Miller have more freedom to hunt scoring chances on the wing.

As for who replaces Fox at the point, Sullivan mentioned Panarin and Zibanejad as the top options, although it was Panarin who played quarterback at practice Monday.

“I think ‘Bread’ sees it really well,” noted Sullivan. “His ability to get pucks down to the net — into the areas of the rink where we want to get them — I think is a particular attribute that he’s good at.”

If the Rangers seek a player who can best mimic Fox’s playmaking on the power play, Panarin’s skillset provides the closest match. Much like Fox, Panarin has the vision and patience necessary to be an elite distributor, and it shouldn’t limit him from being a scoring threat.

Here's Artemi Panarin on playing the point for PP1:

"I think I have more options. More play with the puck, which I like… It's probably the best position to see the ice, because you can go on both sides. From the right side or left side, it's hard to make it seam (passes) and…

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) December 1, 2025

While there’s nothing that indicates this unit will suddenly ascend to an elite level in Fox’s wake, there’s enough talent remaining to keep it competitive. Bigger issues lie on the defensive side.

The main concern with an all-forward power play is the increased risk of short-handed chances going back the other way. And though the Rangers are more reliable defensively this season, they’re far from immune to surrendering odd-man rushes.

“We’re going to see how it plays out,” the coach said. “Obviously, we need to have some conscience when we’re on the power play with five forwards — without a doubt — and that’s a conversation that we’ll have.”

For the time being, it’s a risk New York should accept. The Rangers struggled to put together a successful second power-play unit in past years, and this season is no different.

Thus, the onus falls on the top unit to find the back of the net. And for now, a five-forward group is the most potent look New York can piece together.

Rangers can pivot to defensemen if top power-play unit falters

Sullivan isn’t locked into a five-forward power play if results disappoint, or if the defensive risk is too much.

Gavrikov ranks second among Rangers defensemen with 11 points. Schneider is third with six points. Each would be defensively responsible substitutes, albeit a bit lacking as power-play distributors — something Sullivan indicated. Schneider will take Fox’s spot on the top pairing at even strength alongside Gavrikov, however.

Of course, the most intriguing option is Morrow, who profiles as a puck-moving defenseman and, in theory, a natural fit on the power play.

Morrow was an offensive standout at the University of Massachusetts and displayed similar ability in the American Hockey League last season with the Chicago Wolves, tallying 39 points in 52 games en-route to an AHL All-Star nod.

But he’s been less impressive thus far with the Rangers, who acquired him over the summer from the Carolina Hurricanes in the K’Andre Miller trade. Inconsistent play on the back end led to sheltered minutes through four NHL games with New York, and he didn’t stand out with the Hartford Wolf Pack either. Morrow was minus-6 with one goal and three points in 12 games to begin the 2025-26 AHL season.

With stronger competition and a faster game in the NHL, it’s quite the leap to thrust Morrow — who’s logged under a minute on the man-advantage with the Rangers — into the top power-play unit after limited production and playing time.

Asked what Morrow needs to do to earn trust, Sullivan responded, “Assertive play, making decisions with conviction, and not being in between — eliminating hesitation from his game.”

It’s likely Morrow will have the chance to showcase that ability since he practiced with the second power-play unit on Monday. Should he impress, it’s not unreasonable to think the 23-year-old could get bumped up to the top group at some point.

As it currently stands, though, New York is better off banking on their star forwards to keep an inconsistent power play afloat.

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 will 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. But on Sunday, the Rangers reportedly placed him on long-term injured reserve with a left shoulder injury, effectively meaning he won’t play at least until after the Christmas break.

The injury isn’t believed to be long-term or season-threatening, but The Athletic, citing unidentified sources, said the Rangers plan to label it as week-to-week and reevaluate his status around Christmas.

Losing Fox will make a tough situation even tougher. But a more important issue is their compete level — or lack thereof — against the Lightning.

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.