The Rangers had scored just one goal in their previous three games, but they used a fast finish to overcome a slow start and defeat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 at Bell Centre. Goals by J.T. Miller, Matthew Robertson and Artemi Panarin in a span of 5:17 early in the final period turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead, and Jonathan Quick made it stand up despite allowing a goal to ex-Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson.

“I thought it was a real gutsy effort by the guys,” coach Mike Sullivan said after the Rangers improved to 3-3-1 for the season and 7-0-2 in their last nine visits to Montreal. They also ended the Canadiens’ four-game winning streak.

But the victory didn’t come easily.

The Rangers trailed by two goals before the game was four minutes old and were down 2-1 entering the third period before their offense, which had been virtually comatose during a three-game losing streak, came alive. Adam Fox’s shot hit Miller and went past Sam Montembeault 34 seconds into the final period to make it 2-2. Robertson, a rookie defenseman, picked a good time for his first NHL goal, putting the Rangers ahead with a long slap shot past Montembeault at 4:11.

Panarin, who had his third assist of the night on Robertson’s goal, gave New York a 4-2 lead at 5:51 with his first goal of the season, a top-shelf wrist shot from the right circle.

Montreal got one back on Dobson’s first goal with the Canadiens, a right point shot through traffic at 8:26. But Quick was perfect the rest of the way, making a couple of key saves in the late going, including one on Caufield with two minutes remaining.

Artemi Panarin doubles the Rangers lead 🍞 pic.twitter.com/QDvinuT054

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 19, 2025

The late comeback atoned for the face that the Rangers weren’t ready to go from the opening face-off and quickly found themselves in a two-goal hole.

Robertson got a bad bounce while trying to keep the puck in at the Canadiens’ blue line, and Montreal quickly turned it into the game’s first goal. Cole Caufield grabbed the puck, stepped around Robertson and was off on a 2-on-1 rush. He carried the puck into the Rangers’ zone before dishing a perfect pass to Juraj Slafkovsky, who beat a defenseless Quick 1:33 into the game for a 1-0 lead.

Urho Vaakanainen took a needless hooking penalty 38 seconds later, and the Canadiens doubled their lead at 3:42 when Nick Suzuki converted a perfect pass into the slot by rookie Ivan Demidov. Quick was again helpless, and Montreal owned a 2-0 lead.

Things looked even worse when Conor Sheary took a slashing penalty at 6:50. But the Rangers killed off this power play, then capitalized on their first man advantage when Mika Zibanejad rocketed a one-timer from the left circle past Montembeault at 11:56, making it 2-1.

Mika right on target. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/7U1ZgeeYkP

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

That goal seemed to energize the Rangers, who had the better of play for the rest of the period but left the ice down a goal. They began to dominate play again late in the scoreless second period before finally breaking through in the third.

After going 1-0-1 against their two Original Six rivals from Canada, the Rangers are back home for their next two games, Monday against the struggling Minnesota Wild and Thursday against the winless San Jose Sharks.

Key takeaways from Rangers’ 4-3 road win against Canadiens

1. Big guns finally start firing

Perhaps the best sign for the Rangers was which players led the comeback.

After six games of producing little offense, the Blueshirts got a power-play goal from Zibanejad, the tying goal from Miller and the eventual game-winner from Panarin, who was named the game’s First Star after his four-point night – one more than he’d put up in the first six games of the season combined.

A visit to Montreal might have been just what Panarin needed. He has 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists) in 24 games against the Canadiens in his career, including a 10-game point streak in Montreal dating back to 2017-18.

“That feel like [my] first goal in a life,” he said. “I was so happy.”

So were the Rangers, who won’t go anywhere but home on April 16 if their big guys – especially Panarin, who’s led them in scoring for six straight seasons – don’t start doing their thing.

2. Slow start nearly proves costly

Despite the win, expect to emphasize the need to “start on time” rather than have to chase the game for most of the night.

The Rangers came out in a fog and were down 2-0 before they knew what hit them. It was the fifth time in seven games they’ve given up the first goal – but the first time they’ve come back to win.

Playing from behind is a tough way to win in the NHL, and Sullivan knows his team can’t keep spotting opponents the first goal (or two, as was the case against the Canadiens) and expect to win enough to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing the postseason in 2024-25.

3. Rangers need goals at the Garden

The Blueshirts’ next two games are at home against two teams they should beat.

The Wild are 1-3-1 after blanking the St. Louis Blues 5-0 in their season opener and lost 2-1 in overtime in Philadelphia on Saturday. The Sharks, who finished last in the overall standings last season, entered the weekend as the NHL’s only winless team.

Of course, to beat any opponent, you’ve got to put the puck in the net – something the Rangers have yet to do at Madison Square Garden this season. Not only are they 0-3-0 at home, they’re also the first team in NHL history to be shut out in each of its first three home games.

The Rangers have allowed just three non-empty net goals in the three MSG games, meaning the defense and goaltending are doing their part. Sullivan has to hope that Saturday’s come-from-behind win is a sign of better things to come for his scorers.

New York Rangers GM Chris Drury and his counterparts around the League are making their lists and checking them twice as they look to see whether they’ll be buyers and/or sellers as the March 7 deadline approaches.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche got things started on Jan. 24 when the Avalanche sent two-time 100-point scorer Mikko Rantanen to the ’Canes for forward Martin Necas, center Jack Drury and two draft picks. Carolina also traded another draft pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Taylor Hall, who won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2017-18.

The Rangers pulled off a blockbuster of their own on Friday night by acquiring center J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks, giving up center Filip Chytil, rookie defenseman Victor Mancini and their first-round pick in the 2025 draft as long as it’s not in the top 13 — if it is, they’ll give up their 2026 first-rounder.

With five of the eight playoff berths in the East (two in the Atlantic Division, three in the Metropolitan) all but decided, teams also have to determine as the deadline draws nearer whether their playoff chances are worth adding talent — or if it’s time to sell.

Here’s an updated look at the Rangers and the teams they’re battling against for a playoff spot as trade season heats up. All deadline cap figures are from Puckpedia.

Related: NHL insider warns Rangers, NHL teams to do ‘homework’ on J.T. Miller before making trade

Breaking down what Rangers, East rivals could do ahead of NHL trade deadline

New York Rangers (24-22-2; 6th in Metro, 13th in East, 5 points out of wild card)
Deadline cap space: $16,418,170

Even before acquiring Miller, the he remodeled Rangers had made two major trades in December, sending their captain, defenseman Jacob Trouba, to the Anaheim Ducks and forward Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken. The return was two defenseman, Urho Vaakanainen and Will Borgen, who’ve fit in well on the bottom four. The Rangers also claimed 23-year-old forward Arthur Kaliyev off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings; he has two goals and an assist in 10 games.

New York got back into the playoff hunt with an 8-3-3 mark in January after a disastrous 4-15-0 stretch in their final 19 games of 2024, although the Rangers are coming off back-to-back home losses to Colorado and Carolina. But the solid showing in January hasn’t been enough to put them into a playoff position — hence the reason that Drury made the big swing for Miller.

The question is whether Drury will try to make a big splash for Miller, a top-six forward or perhaps another defenseman, or ditch a contract or two (See: Ryan Lindgren Reilly Smith, Jimmy Vesey) and let some of the Rangers’ young talent, such as forward Brennan Othmann, see what they can do in the heat of a playoff race.

In playoff position

Ottawa Senators (27-20-4; 3rd in Atlantic)
Deadline cap space: $3,330,833

The Senators wasted a two-goal third-period lead on Thursday but defeated the Washington Capitals 5-4 in overtime to maintain their hold on third place in the Atlantic.

Newf and Pinto's battle on the boards 👏
Chabby's finish 👏
The vibes 👏#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/eKujGh3W8M

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 31, 2025

The Senators are surviving the absence of starting goaltender Linus Ullmark, who’s been out since Dec. 22 with a back injury, thanks to the play of Anton Forsberg and rookie Leevi Merilainen. But injuries have forced them to use AHL call-ups like Nikolas Matinpalo on defense and Zack Ostapchuk up front, so depth trades could be a priority.

Ottawa hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017-18, so expect GM Steve Staios to make whatever moves he feels his team needs to get back to the postseason. The most likely ones, if he can find a partner, would be to acquire a righty-shooting defenseman and/or a wing who can score.

Columbus Blue Jackets (26-19-7; 4th in Metro, first wild card)
Deadline cap space: $46,151,240

After their best player, forward Johnny Gaudreau, was killed in a cycling accident in late August, it would have been impossible to imagine that the Blue Jackets would be in the playoff hunt. But the Blue Jackets continue to ride a sensational season by defenseman Zach Werenski and breakout seasons by young players such as Kirill Marchenko as they battle for a playoff berth that few, if anyone, thought they even had a chance to earn.

Columbus opened its four-game road trip Thursday with a 2-1 overtime win at Vegas to move back into the second wild card, then rallied for a 3-2 victory against the Utah Hockey Club on Friday to gran the first wild-card berth

The Blue Jackets expect the return of captain Boone Jenner and rugged defenseman Eric Gudbranson will add some toughness to the lineup. But if GM Don Waddell goes shopping, don’t be surprised if he looks for big forwards who can produce some offense and offer some protection for the kids.

The one veteran Waddell may be willing to trade is defenseman Ivan Provorov, an impending UFA who has said he wants to stay. Cap space isn’t an issue, but if Waddell is afraid of losing him in free agency without any return, the 28-year-old would likely bring back a significant haul in talent and draft picks.

TSN’s Pierre Lebrun reported Thursday that the Blue Jackets are speaking with the Canucks about Elias Pettersson, in what would be a massive move on their part if a trade is consummated.

Tampa Bay Lightning (27-20-3; 4th in Atlantic; second wild card)
Deadline cap space: $1,792,070

Few general managers have been more willing that Tampa Bay’s Julien BriseBois to go for it as the trade deadline nears. Whether he’ll have the assets – the Lightning are without their first-round draft pick — and cap room to do more than tinker around the edges is the question.

If an NHL roster had 10-12 players, the Lightning would be in great shape. They have Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli up front, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Erik Cernak and J.J. Moser (when he returns from injury) on defense and Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal. Vasilevskiy was in goal for a 3-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

Shutout hugs are the BEST hugs pic.twitter.com/vxCvVhguWV

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) January 31, 2025

The problem is that after third-line center Nick Paul, there’s no scoring depth in the bottom six. Expect BriseBois to try to bring in a low-priced two-way forward who can mesh with Paul and give the top six some support. Perhaps, that player could be two-time Stanley Cup champion Brandon Saad, who had his contract terminated with the St. Louis Blues this week but still appears to have something left in the tank on a League minimum deal.

In the chase

Boston Bruins (25-22-6; 5th in Atlantic, ninth in East; 1 point out of wild card)
Deadline cap space: $5,718,334

The Bruins are hanging on in the race despite a minus-29 goal differential. It’s hard to see that lasting unless GM Don Sweeney makes some moves. Firing the coach won’t help — he did that in November by sacking Jim Montgomery.

Sweeney opened his checkbook last summer with the thought that bringing in Elias Lindholm would fill the hole at No. 1 center. That hasn’t happened; Lindholm has been demoted to the third line, with Pavel Zacha manning the top spot between David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie. Zacha is a useful player, but he’s not an ideal No. 1 center. The two goaltenders, Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo, each has a save percentage below .900.

Boston will look for an offense-minded center. Finding one isn’t likely to be easy, even if the Bruins are willing to give up a first-round pick this year or next. With the Bruins having already played 53 times, every contender has games in hand on them – some have two or three. If his team continues to struggle, Sweeney could be a seller instead of a buyer.

Detroit Red Wings (25-21-5; 6th in Atlantic, 10th in East, 2 points out of wild card)
Deadline cap space: $8,397,971

The Wings appeared to be headed for their ninth straight non-playoff season when they reached the Christmas break at 13-17-4. But GM Steve Yzerman changed coaches, firing Derek Lalonde and bringing in Todd McLellan, and Detroit has looked like a different team since then. They won their fourth in a row on Thursday by overcoming an early two-goal deficit to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in a shootout to begin a four-game trip. The win moved the Red Wings within two points of the second wild card.

With his team so close to making the playoffs for the first time since 2016, it’s hard to imagine Yzerman being a seller (as it appeared he might be five weeks ago). If he adds, expect him to look for a scorer who can help not only this season but for years to come.

Whether that kind of player is available during the season is a separate issue, but the Wings need to add offense behind Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat — all three have reached the 20-goal mark; no one else on the team has hit double figures.

New York Islanders (23-20-7; 5th in Metro, 11th in East, 4 points out of wild card)
Deadline cap space: $1,806,667

The Isles made it six wins in a row and nine in their past 11 games with a 3-0 victory against the Flyers in Philadelphia on Thursday. They still don’t score much, and their power play is horrendous, but coach Patrick Roy has them playing terrific defense (seven goals allowed during the winning streak) and they’ve leap-frogged the Rangers, among other teams, to give themselves a chance at a wild-card berth.

Hug. Your. Goalie. pic.twitter.com/x6w2UyvsQM

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 31, 2025

The Islanders have the League’s fourth-oldest roster, almost no cap space and a weak prospect pool, so GM Lou Lamoriello doesn’t have much to work with. However, he’s found bargain-basement pickups Tony DeAngelo and Scott Perunovich to plug the holes on defense left by injuries to Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock, who should be back at some point. The Isles added another bargain-basement veteran D-man Friday when they claimed Adam Boqvist from the Florida Panthers.

If Lamoriello decides to sell, he has veterans such as centers Brock Nelson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, as well as forward Kyle Palmieri, who should attract a lot of attention and bring in some more much-needed young talent.

Montreal Canadiens (24-22-5; 7th in Atlantic, 12th in East, 4 points out of wild card)
Deadline cap space: $6,447,500

The Canadiens were flying high about 10 days ago, 10-2-1 in their first 13 games after the Christmas break. Then reality hit: Montreal is 0-3-1 in its past four games, including a 4-0 home loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

It’s hard to imagine the rebuilding Canadiens, led by former Rangers GM Jeff Gorton and loaded with young talent, doing any serious shopping. The lone exception might be on defense, where they need a right-handed shot to allow lefty-shooting Mike Matheson to go back to his natural side. The Canadiens also need to replace Kaiden Guhle, who’s out indefinitely after surgery to repair a lacerated quadriceps muscle.

Montreal has a lot of rentals, including veteran forwards Jake Evans and Joel Armia, as well as defenseman David Savard, who should attract interest if it decides to go in that direction.

Philadelphia Flyers (23-24-6; 7th in Metro, 14th in East, 5 points out of wild card)
Deadline cap space: $5,023,177

The rebuilding Flyers have lost four of their past five games after a 5-0-1 run that got them into the playoff race. Philadelphia desperately needs to get better up the middle; until that happens, it’s hard to envision the Flyers not falling out of the race in the next couple of weeks.

They got a head start on the deadline Thursday by sending a pair of 25-year-old forwards, Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost, to the Calgary Flames for forwards Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier, plus two draft picks.

Here's the heated exchange between John Tortorella and Matvei Michkov after the first Islanders goal. #Flyers pic.twitter.com/lDOFXC4WSc

— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) January 31, 2025

GM Daniel Briere doesn’t have any pending unrestricted free agents. Players who’ve been mentioned in trade talk (Rasmus Ristolainen and Scott Laughton are two of the most talked-about) have term left on their contracts, which figures to diminish interest.

Don’t be surprised if Briere does some more selling before the deadline as he prepares for the Draft in June, where he’ll have three first-round picks and four more in the second round.

The Rangers gave up the first of two goals by Andrei Svechnikov 56 seconds after the opening face-off and spent the rest of the night chasing the game. But few of their shots severely tested Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen before the ’Canes put the game away with three goals in 3:01 of playing time bridging the second and third periods. Svechnikov got his second of the night at 19:29 of the second and assisted on Sebastian Aho’s goal 1:04 into the third.

Seth Jarvis’ goal at 2:30 started a parade to the Garden exits not long afterward.

Fortunately for the Rangers, all but one of the six teams in the playoff scramble who played Tuesday and Wednesday also lost, meaning that while New York missed a golden chance to gain ground, it didn’t lose any. The only playoff hopeful to win was the Islanders, who made it five victories in a row when they defeated the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 at UBS Arena on Tuesday. They are a point behind their big-city rivals.

However, the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens all lost on Tuesday, followed by the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.

The Bruins, who own the first wild card, were demolished 7-2 in Buffalo, where Sabres forward Tage Thompson and J.J. Peterka each had a hat trick. The Lightning returned home from a four-game road trip and lost 4-1 to the 31st-place Chicago Blackhawks, and the Canadiens lost 4-1 at Bell Centre to the Winnipeg Jets. The New Jersey Devils, who lost 4-2 in Philadelphia on Monday, avenged that loss by blanking the Flyers two nights later.

The Rangers (24-22-4) finished January with an 8-3-3 record — although if they miss the playoffs, the points they left on the table might be the reason. The Rangers dropped OT decisions to the Dallas Stars, the Avalanche and the Canadiens, all in games they led well into the third period. Add that to the 5-4 loss to Colorado on Sunday, a game they allowed the Avalanche to score the game-winner with 14.7 seconds left, and it’s safe to say the Rangers can’t be happy about the points they’ve let get away.

Now it’s time for some serious scoreboard watching. The Rangers are in the midst of a three-day break in the schedule before they begin a stretch of five games in eight days prior to the 4 Nations Face-off break. The Rangers visit the Bruins on Saturday afternoon, followed by a game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday to get the final stretch underway.

Between the pipes. pic.twitter.com/EuezAdX0gp

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

Here’s a look at the playoff scramble in the East (all records through Wednesday’s games).

Related: Mind-numbing Rangers mistakes threatening to finally sink season

Metropolitan Division top three

None of the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division look like they’ll be threatened by anyone. The Washington Capitals (34-11-5) are the leaders in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy, the Hurricanes (31-16-4) are second in the division and the Devils (29-18-6) trail them by two points.

The Devils lead everyone else in the division by at least nine points, which gives them some runway as they continue to deal with the loss of starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who was ruled out of the 4 Nations tournament on Wednesday because of a sprained knee ligament sustained in a 5-1 win against Boston on Jan. 22. Jake Allen is 2-1-0 in three starts since Markstrom’s injury and will be expected to carry the load. He made 24 saves to shut out the Flyers on Wednesday.

However, as long as Markstrom doesn’t miss more time than expected (4-6 weeks), it’s hard to imagine the Rangers (or anyone else) being able to overtake the Devils.

Related: Rangers look to ‘keep the positivity’ heading into February schedule

Ahead of the Rangers (current wild cards)

Boston Bruins (25-21-6, 56 points)

The Bruins were 5-1-1 in their previous seven games before they got torched in Buffalo. The Sabres lit up Jeremy Swayman for six goals on 32 shots, and David Pastrnak, the NHL First Star last week, was limited to a garbage-time second assist.

Boston goes home for its next three games, hosting the Jets on Thursday before the Rangers come in two days later. The Minnesota Wild visit TD Garden on Feb. 4 before the Bruins come to the Garden for a back-to-back the next night.

The Rangers edged the Bruins 2-1 at the Garden on Jan. 2 and go to Boston for their nationally televised matinee before hosting them four nights later.

Tampa Bay Lightning (26-20-3, 55 points)

It’s hard to imagine than any of the 19,092 fans at Amalie Arena on Tuesday gave the Blackhawks, who are next-to-last in the overall standings, a chance to win. Though the Lightning lost three of four games on the road last week, winning only a 4-3 overtime decision at Chicago last Friday, they were expected to make quick work of the Blackhawks in their return home.

Instead, Chicago spotted Tampa Bay an early goal by Brayden Point before a spectacular shot by Connor Bedard tied the game, and scored three more times for Arvid Soderblom, who made 34 saves in the stunning win.

Tampa Bay plays its next four games at home, beginning Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings. The Islanders come in Saturday and the Ottawa Senators, who’ve jumped the Lightning for third place in the Atlantic Division behind the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs, play back-to-back games in Tampa on Feb. 4 and 6.

The Rangers lost 6-2 at Amalie Arena on Dec. 28. Tampa Bay comes to the Garden twice in the final 10 days of the regular season.

Ahead of the Rangers (but not in the playoffs)

Columbus Blue Jackets (24-19-7, 55 points)

The Blue Jackets have had to sit and watch the scoreboard since Saturday night, when they defeated the Kings 3-2 in overtime on a goal by Kirill Marchenko. That one home game is sandwiched between a pair of four-game road trips.

Columbus was 1-2-1 on the first trip, including a 1-0 shootout loss to the Rangers at the Garden on Jan. 18. They’re off until Thursday, when the second four-gamer begins against the Golden Knights.

The Rangers and Blue Jackets have three games remaining. The next one is in Columbus on Feb. 8 and is the last game for each team before the 4 Nations break. Columbus comes to the Garden again on March 9 and hosts New York six nights later.

Montreal Canadiens (24-21-5, 53 points)

The Canadiens stole a point Saturday when they overcame a pair of two-goal deficits before losing 4-3 in overtime to the Devils at Bell Centre. But they were beaten soundly at home three nights later by the high-flying Jets, the best team in the Western Conference.

Montreal hosts Minnesota on Thursday before beginning a three-game California trip on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Canadiens, seeking their first playoff berth since losing to the Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, have gotten back into the playoff race after a 5-11-2 start looked like it would doom them to another early summer vacation. The Rangers were 2-0-1 in the season series, winning 7-2 in Montreal on Oct. 22 and 4-3 at MSG on Nov. 30 before the OT loss 10 days ago.

Detroit Red Wings (24-21-5, 53 points)

The Red Wings continued their post-Christmas surge under new coach Todd McLellan on Monday by rallying from an early two-goal deficit for a 5-2 win against the Kings. Lucas Raymond, who continues to blossom into an offensive force, had a goal and three assists. Detroit has won three in a row, all with Cam Talbot in goal, to move within two points of the second wild card.

The Red Wings head out for a four-game swing through Western Canada and Seattle that begins against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

The Rangers swept the three games between the teams in a season series that ended before Veterans Day, outscoring the Red Wings by a total of 13-3.

Tied with or trailing the Rangers

We’ll assume that the Pittsburgh Penguins (50 points in 53 games) and the Sabres (43 in 50 games), who are last in their respective divisions, have too few points and too many teams in front of them to have a realistic chance at the postseason. But there are two other teams that are even or just behind the Rangers and still hold realistic playoff hopes.

Philadelphia Flyers (23-23-6, 52 points)

The Flyers looked like they might be ready to fold after back-to-back road losses against the Rangers (6-1) on Thursday and the Islanders (3-1) on Friday. But a couple of days off appeared to give them a spark on Monday, when they knocked off the Devils 4-2 at Wells Fargo Center in the first of a home-and-home set, only to lose 5-0 in Newark on Wednesday.

The Flyers return home to host the Islanders on Thursday before visiting Colorado on Sunday.

The Flyers’ split with the Devils and the Rangers loss to the Hurricanes left the two Metropolitan Division rivals tied, three points out of the second wild card — although the Rangers have played two fewer games.

The Rangers and Flyers have split two games this season. The Flyers won 3-1 at Wells Fargo Center on Black Friday before losing at the Garden last week. The teams don’t play again until the Flyers come to the Garden on April 9.

New York Islanders (22-20-7, 51 points)

The Islanders have worked their way onto the fringes of the playoff chase in the East by winning five straight games, all at home, giving them eight wins in their past 10 games. They got a superb effort by Ilya Sorokin on Tuesday in the win against Colorado and have allowed just seven goals during the winning streak.

PUCKS ON NET. #LGI | @Ford pic.twitter.com/Y0K0gtanq3

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 29, 2025

However, injuries have hampered the Isles all season, and they lost a couple of key pieces — defensemen Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock — last week. They were also without backup goalie Marcus Hogberg on Tuesday after he was removed before the start of overtime Saturday in a 3-2 win against Carolina because of an upper-body injury. They’ve already added ex-Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo to fill in for Dobson and acquired defenseman Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues on Monday.

But losing Pulock and/or Hogberg for any length of time (both went on injured reserve Monday) could be fatal to their already-slim playoff hopes, especially with five of their final six games before the 4 Nations break on the road, beginning Saturday at Tampa Bay.

The Rangers haven’t played their local rival since a 5-2 win at the Garden on Nov. 2; they play three times in the final seven weeks of the season, beginning Feb. 25 on Long Island.

MSG’s Joe Micheletti spoke for thousands of Rangers fans with that remark early in the telecast of their team’s 6-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. With most of the teams the Rangers are battling in the Eastern Conference playoff race in action, it would be hard to blame those in the sellout crowd of 18,006 from keeping one eye peeled for out-of-town results.

The victory against the Flyers extended the Rangers’ point streak to 10 games (7-0-3). The Rangers are off until the Colorado Avalanche come to town Sunday afternoon, so you can bet that they’ll be eagerly following the out-of-town action again on Saturday. The Carolina Hurricanes visit on Tuesday, and the Rangers then get three days off.

As for the game Thursday: Igor Shesterkin continued his superb play, finishing with 33 saves to extend his point streak to 6-0-1 as the Rangers improved to 24-20-4 – the same record as the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, each of whom lost on the road when the Rangers were winning at home.

The Avs and Hurricanes will look different than the last time the Rangers saw them. Colorado traded high-scoring forward Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes on Friday night for Carolina’s top scorer, forward Martin Necas, and center Jack Drury. The ‘Canes also added forward Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks. All four players should be with their new teams by the time they arrive at MSG.

Here’s an updated look at the playoff scramble in the East (all records through Friday’s games):

READ: Daily — Rangers making contenders look like pretenders, Gary Bettman retirement talk

Metropolitan Division top three

None of the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division look like they’ll be threatened by anyone below them. The Washington Capitals are the leaders in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy, the Hurricanes are second in the division and the New Jersey Devils trail them by three points.

#NJDevils head coach Sheldon Keefe said Jacob Markstrom “will miss some time” following his injury in the second period of tonight’s game.https://t.co/FiNg3cdD1y

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 23, 2025

The third-place Devils lead everyone else in the division by at least seven points, although starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom is out 4-6 weeks with a sprained left MCL. Markstrom was injured and had to leave early in the second period of New Jersey’s 5-1 win against the Bruins on Wednesday; Jake Allen finished the game and will be relied upon to carry the load in Markstrom’s absence.

The 34-year-old should be back before the playoffs but this next month could prove interesting. If the Rangers remain hot and the Devils falter without their No. 1 goalie, a top-three spot in the division is not out of the question for the Blueshirts, who have two games in hand on their Hudson River rivals.

Ahead of the Rangers (current wild cards)

Boston Bruins (24-20-6, 54 points)

A 2-0 win over the visiting Senators on Thursday nudged the Bruins past the Tampa Bay Lightning and into third place in the Atlantic Division, behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers — for one night. But the Lightning (26-18-3) jumped back into third on Friday by rallying for a 4-3 overtime road win against the Chicago Blackhawks, dropping Boston back to the top wild card. The Lightning also have three games in hand on the Bruins and at least one on all the other playoff contenders as they prepare for the second of back-to-back road games against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.

Tampa Bay is coming off losses at Toronto and Montreal earlier in the week, but the Lightning’s .585 points percentage is sixth in the conference, and it’s hard to believe they won’t end up in the top three in their division.

However, the Rangers, Canadiens and Senators each have two games in hand on Boston.

The Rangers edged the Bruins 2-1 at the Garden on Jan. 2 and go to Boston a week from Saturday before hosting them four nights later. New York lost 6-2 at Tampa Bay on Dec. 28 and plays the Lightning twice in the final 10 days of the season.

Columbus Blue Jackets (23-19-7, 53 points)

Columbus dropped from the first wild card to the second after blowing a 2-0 lead in Raleigh on the way to a 7-4 loss to Carolina on Thursday that completed a 1-2-1, six-day road trip – including a 1-0 shootout loss to the Rangers on Jan. 18. The one win was a 5-1 victory in Toronto on Wednesday, with hometown boy Adam Fantilli getting his first NHL hat trick.

But the Blue Jackets can keep their suitcases packed; after a home game against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, they’re back on the road for four more games, beginning Jan. 30 against Vegas. Their last game before the 4 Nations break is against the Rangers on Feb. 8. Columbus comes to the Garden again on March 9 and hosts the Rangers six nights later.

Now’s a good time to point out that the Blue Jackets are 7-14-4 on the road this season.

Even with the Rangers

Montreal Canadiens (24-20-4, 52 points)

Even with a 4-2 loss at Detroit on Thursday, the Canadiens are 10-3-1 since the Christmas break – including a 5-4 overtime win against the Rangers at Bell Centre this past Sunday. They host New Jersey on Saturday.

The Canadiens, seeking their first playoff berth since losing to the Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, have come together under former Rangers forward Martin St. Louis after a 5-11-2 start that looked like it would doom them to another early summer.

The Rangers were 2-0-1 in the season series, winning 7-2 in Montreal on Oct. 22 and 4-3 at MSG on Nov. 30 before the OT loss.

Ottawa Senators (24-20-4, 52 points)

The Senators were on a 5-0-1 run before their offense disappeared in the past two games; they were shut out 5-0 at the Garden on Tuesday before being blanked 2-0 in Boston on Thursday. They hope playing back-to-back home games against the archrival Maple Leafs on Saturday and Utah on Sunday will help perk things up.

Though this won’t help the offense, Ottawa is hoping that No. 1 goalie Linus Ullmark, who’s been out injuring his back Dec. 23, will be ready to return shortly. Rookie Leevi Merilainen preserved the Senators’ playoff chances with a 6-3-1 record and two shutouts in Ullmark’s absence, but he struggled in his past two games and could be headed back to the AHL when Ullmark is ready to go.

New York defeated Ottawa 2-1 on Nov. 1 in their only meeting before this week’s win; New York makes its lone visit to Canadian Tire Centre on March 8.

Behind the Rangers

We’ll assume that the New York Islanders (47 points) and Buffalo Sabres (41), who are last in their respective divisions, have too few points and too many teams in front of them to have a realistic chance at the postseason. But there are three other teams that begin Saturday trailing the Rangers but still hold realistic playoff hopes.

Philadelphia Flyers (22-22-6, 50 points)

The Flyers’ loss at the Garden on Thursday dropped them two points behind the Rangers. The loss also ended a 5-0-1 run by Philadelphia after the Flyers looked like they might be falling out of the race two weeks ago.

Thursday began a busy stretch for coach John Tortorella’s team. The Flyers lost 3-1 to the Islanders at UBS Arena on Friday, then have a home-and-home against the Devils and host the Islanders on Jan. 30 – that’s five games in eight days. The Rangers don’t see them again until the Flyers come to the Garden on April 9.

Detroit Red Wings (22-21-5, 49 points)

The Wings are still looking to host their first playoff game at Little Caesars Arena, which opened in the fall of 2016, but it’s going to be an uphill battle. Detroit ran off a seven-game winning streak under new coach Todd McLellan, then was 1-3-1 in the next five games before defeating the visiting Canadiens on Thursday.

The pass. The finish. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/6ainBoJTQF

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 24, 2025

The Red Wings have home games against the Lightning on Saturday and the Kings on Monday before a swing through Western Canada and Seattle. The Rangers swept the three games between the teams in a season series that ended before Veterans Day, outscoring the Red Wings 13-3.

Pittsburgh Penguins (20-22-8, 48 points)

The Penguins have three games remaining on their marathon seven-game road trip that will take them through the end of January. They followed up one of their best efforts of the season, a 5-1 whipping of the Kings in Los Angeles on Monday, with a 5-1 clunker Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks, a team all but assured of missing the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

That loss dropped the Penguins two games below NHL .500, and they likely need to win at least two of the remaining three, beginning Saturday night against the Seattle Kraken, to stay in the hunt.

The Rangers are 2-0-0 against the Penguins, winning 6-0 in Pittsburgh on opening night and 4-2 at the Garden on Dec. 6. The teams play again at MSG on Feb. 7 and in Pittsburgh on Feb. 23.

If anyone deserved a win here, it was Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick, who battled through injury, made several incredible stops, and put up 33 saves in the loss, leaving him at 399 wins. He’s now lost two straight games in overtime and three total looking for that elusive 400th NHL win.

The Rangers played a very good first two periods, but sat back in the third, when the Canadiens fired away at Quick, and eventually tied the game with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation. Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes was outstanding in extra time, making several stops on grade-A chances from the Rangers. Unfortunately, Quick did not have one last vintage stop in him, and Patrik Laine scored his 12th goal in just 18 games this season to seal it in overtime.

The Rangers had four different goal scorers in the loss, with Alexis Lafreniere, Will Cuylle, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider all finding the back of the net. Three defenseman registered assists, with Adam Fox (2), Ryan Lindgren, and K’Andre Miller all adding helpers. Artemi Panarin had an assist as well.

Related: Rangers building confidence during extended point streak

3 takeaways from Rangers 5-4 overtime loss to Canadiens

Here are three takeaways from the OT loss Sunday.

1. Rangers can’t secure 400th win for Quick, again

Quick absolutely deserved his 400th NHL win in this one. He did everything possible to keep the Rangers in the lead or tied, but their inability to extend four separate leads and close out the game with a one goal lead in the third proved costly. This is the third time in the past seven games that the Rangers gave up a one-goal lead in the third period, and in each game, they lost in overtime.

Unfortunately for Quick, he was on the wrong end of two of those losses, first against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 7, and again on Sunday night, in pursuit of his 400th win. Even after Quick was visibly injured in the second period, he battled through and came up big time and time again to keep the Rangers in a position to win the game. The team in front of him could not repay the favor.

2. Point streak extended to eight games in playoff-like battle

Though the Rangers came out on the losing side of this playoff-like game, they did extend their point streak to a season-high eight consecutive games (5-0-3). They now have 48 points, and sit three points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hold the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The extra point was a vital one for the Canadiens to walk away with, as they now have 50, and are just one point back of Columbus.

Nonetheless, the Rangers going eight consecutive games without a regulation loss is a much better run to start the New Year than their 4-15-0 stretch to close out 2024. The Canadiens put up quite the fight in their home arena, and the Rangers did a great job of matching the intensity. From start to finish it looked like a playoff game, from the physicality to the speed and energy level.

But the Rangers fell short. And now they face yet another similar game with playoff implications when they host the team sitting in the first wild card, the Ottawa Senators, on Tuesday.

3. Chris Kreider continues strong play since returning to lineup

Despite the loss, the Rangers got another strong performance from Kreider, who potted another goal, his third in his past five games dating back to before he missed four games with an upper-body injury. He played big minutes in the loss to Montreal, logging 19:07 TOI. It’s his highest ice time since returning from injury, after he he logged 16:48 or less in the three games prior to Sunday.

CHRIS KREIDER SCORES IN MONTREAL!

New York leads AGAIN… 4-3! pic.twitter.com/fFntB9iqDw

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 20, 2025

If Kreider is still dealing with the back problems that he had earlier in the season, it’s near impossible to tell. He’s looked like his former self since taking a brief stint on injured reserve. Not only did he score what was a big goal to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead, but he also provided a great screen in front of Dobes, which allowed Zibanejad to find the back of the net on the power play to make it 3-2 earlier.

Kreider led the Rangers with four shots on goal and tied Artemi Panarin for most shot attempts (seven). The Rangers had a solid xGF of 55.28 percent with Kreider on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick. His resurgence has certainly helped the Rangers over the past four games.

After the Rangers grinded out a 1-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets decided on Vincent Trocheck’s goal in the second round of the shootout and Igor Shesterkin’s first shutout since the season opener, they make the trip north to visit an improved version of the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

IG🚫R. pic.twitter.com/o1TN42WTII

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 19, 2025

The Rangers (22-20-3) are three points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and need to overtake the Philadelphia Flyers, Canadiens (22-19-4) and Boston Bruins first. The Rangers already earned a 2-1 home win over Boston on Jan. 2 and following the trip to Montreal have home games against the Senators and Flyers.

It is possible the Rangers could be further behind the Senators, who could pass the Blue Jackets for the first wild card, by the time the opening face-off rolls around at Bell Centre. Ottawa is visiting the New Jersey Devils in a Sunday matinee after its 6-5 shootout win over Boston on Saturday.

The Rangers are coming off their sixth win of this season when scoring two goals or fewer — and three of those victories are in the past two weeks. New York has scored 23 goals during its season-high points streak and survived committing 19 giveaways Saturday, thanks to the brilliant play of Shesterkin.

The Rangers scored three goals on their first seven shots in the opening 6:40 and four in the opening period of 7-2 rout at Montreal on Oct. 22 when Filip Chytil scored twice and had a three-point night. It was their most goals in Montreal since a 7-3 win at the Forum on Feb. 22, 1972.

A little over a month later in New York, the Rangers scored three power-play goals and blew a two-goal lead before Kaapo Kakko scored with 24 seconds left in a 4-3 victory.

New York’s big win in the first meeting was part of its 12-4-1 start and part of Montreal’s rough opening weeks when it began 4-9-2.

Since then, the Canadiens are making a steady climb up the standings and are 14-7-1 since the last meeting. The Canadiens also are 11-3-1 in their past 15 since a 9-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12, though they are looking to rebound from one of their worst showings all season.

On Saturday, Montreal was dealt a 7-3 home loss by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Montreal allowed seven straight goals after taking a 3-0 lead in the first period and allowed two power-play goals along with a pair of short-handed tallies.

Auston Matthews makes it FIVE unanswered for the Leafs 🤯@Scotiabank | #HockeyDay pic.twitter.com/jskv2Jrv4b

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 19, 2025

Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from hugely important 1-0 shootout win against Blue Jackets

3 things to watch for when Rangers visit Canadiens

1. Potential milestone for Jonathan Quick

Since it’s the second end of a back-to-back, Jonathan Quick is likely to start. Quick will make his third attempt at becoming the first United States-born goalie to reach 400 career victories in the NHL and the 15th overall. Quick is also attempting to join Sergei Bobrovsky and Marc-Andre Fleury as the third active goalie with 400 wins.

The 38-year-old earned his 399th victory with a stellar 32-save showing against the Boston Bruins on Jan. 2 but allowed 11 goals in his next two starts against the Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals. He is 14-9-4 with a 2.34 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in his career against the Canadiens.

2. Carryover of animosity

The first two games in this season series featured a combined 80 penalty minutes, including former defenseman Jacob Trouba’s thunderous hit on Justin Barron in the first meeting. Barron was helped off the ice dazed and bloodied, and Trouba was not penalized. In the immediate aftermath Montreal defenseman Mike Matheson took an instigator penalty for starting a fight with Trouba at 7:11 of the third period.

In New York, Trouba fought Josh Anderson 1:58 into the contest and late in the second period, there were seven roughing penalties handed out for a full scale skirmish and it took officials a little over 10 minutes to figure out how the distribute the penalties.

Trouba no longer is with the Rangers and visited Montreal last month in his Anaheim Ducks debut, so it’s possible the Canadiens may have moved on from their animosity towards him and the Rangers.

3. Facing another top offensive defenseman

For the fourth time in five games, the Rangers will face a productive defenseman when they attempt to contain Montreal rookie Lane Hutson, after holding Norris Trophy contender Zach Werenski to one shot and blocking three other attempts on Saturday. The Rangers faced Werenski after going up against Cale Makar and Shea Theodore of the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights respectively on the road trip. Makar had an assist Tuesday and Theodore had four shots blocked in a scoreless outing Jan. 11.

Hutson leads all first-year players in scoring with 37 points and is sixth among NHL defenseman. His 34 assists are three behind Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes for the League lead among D-men. The 20-year-old has 11 points (one goal and 10 assists) in a seven-game point streak, though he was on the ice for five even-strength goals Saturday.

Hutson was on the ice for four goals in the first meeting and collected an assist in New York.

New York Rangers projected lineup

Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere

Cuylle – Zibanejad – Smith

Kreider – Chytil – Kaliyev

Edstrom – Carrick – Rempe

Lindgren – Fox

Miller – Borgen

Vaakanainen – Schneider

Quick

Shesterkin

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

Who: New York Rangers vs. Montreal Canadiens

When: Sunday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Bell Centre

How to watch: MSG

The Rangers come into the new week after winning back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 14-19, when they won three in a row. They rebounded from a 5-4 overtime loss to Dallas that saw them blow an early 3-0 lead and a late 4-3 advantage with perhaps their two best games of the season, a 3-2 OT home win against the New Jersey Devils and a 2-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights in the opener of a three-game road trip. After finishing 2024 with a brutal 4-15-0 stretch in their final 19 games, they are 4-1-1 in their first six contests in 2025.

The biggest thing the Rangers want to take into the new week is the work ethic and compete level they demonstrated – traits that were rarely seen during the slump. Forwards are going to the net, the defense has stopped surrendering large numbers of Grade A chances and the special teams look special again.

But this week will be a challenge. From Tuesday to Sunday, the Rangers will play four games in four different cities. That includes a pit stop at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night for what might be the most important game; they host the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hold the second wild card berth in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers enter the week four points behind Columbus; however, there are four teams between them.

The Rangers are back to the League’s version of .500 at 20-20-2. There’s a playoff berth there for the taking – and they need at least five points to begin making up ground on the teams in front of them.

Who’s hot

Maybe a week off to recuperate from an upper-body injury is just what Igor Shesterkin needed. Shesterkin returned Thursday and allowed just three goals in back-to-back wins against New Jersey and Vegas. He got some help from his teammates, who blocked 20 shots in each game, but No. 31 looked sharper than he had in weeks.

Mike Zibanejad has been a whipping boy (and deservedly so) during the Rangers’ end-of-2024 slump, so it’s only fair to acknowledge that his game is perking up. Zibanejad had the primary assist on Vincent Trocheck’s game-tying power-play goal against Vegas, giving him assists in four straight games and points in all six games in 2025.

Who’s not

Will Cuylle’s offense has disappeared. The second-year forward still works hard and plays a physical game, but he’s gone 11 games without a goal and 10 without a point after racking up 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in the season’s first nine weeks.

Related: Sam Carrick emerges as unlikely key factor in Rangers revival

Rangers lookahead this week includes …

Four games in six nights in four cities, including their first-ever trip to Salt Lake City and a weekend back-to-back.

Rangers at Colorado Avalanche (Jan. 14, 9 p.m. ET; MSG)

The Rangers figure to see a familiar face in the opposing net when they step on the ice at Ball Arena. Mackenzie Blackwood, acquired by the Avalanche from the San Jose Sharks last month, is 6-9-0 lifetime against the Rangers, including a 5-8-0 mark while he played for the New Jersey Devils from 2018-19 through 2022-23. He is 8-2-1 with the Avs and recently signed a five-year contract that will keep him with Colorado through 2029-30.

Each of the past four games between the teams has gone past regulation, with the Rangers winning the past three, including both games last season – 2-1 in overtime at the Garden and 3-2 in a shootout in Denver.

The Rangers have “limited” the star center Nathan MacKinnon to 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 18 games. They’ve had less success with his linemate, Mikko Rantanen, who has eight goals in 11 games against New York.

Shesterkin has never lost to Colorado in regulation. He is 3-0-1 in four career starts with a 1.90 goals-against average and .949 save percentage.

Rangers at Utah Hockey Club (Jan. 16, 9 p.m. MSG)

The Rangers pay their initial visit to Delta Center when they face Utah for the first time since the home opener on Oct. 13, a 6-5 overtime loss.

Shesterkin allowed all six goals in the OT loss but was 4-0-0 against the UHC’s predecessor, the Arizona Coyotes, allowing just seven goals in the four wins.

Offense has been Utah’s biggest problem in recent weeks. The newest NHL franchise enters the week having scored more than two goals just once in its previous nine games, 2-6-1 in that span.

Clayton Keller leads the offense with 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in 41 games. Two of those goals, including the overtime winner, came against the Rangers three months ago.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Rangers (Jan. 18, 7 p.m. MSG)

The Rangers and Blue Jackets play for the first of four times this season in New York’s only home game of the week.

Columbus has been one of the biggest surprises in the NHL and begins the week holding the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

Little was expected of the Blue Jackets this season after their best player, forward Johnny Gaudreau, was killed in a cycling accident in late August, and another top player, Patrik Laine, was traded to the Montreal Canadiens. But they’ve had little trouble filling the net; Columbus enters the week fourth in the NHL with 149 goals. Forward Kirill Marchenko leads the Blues Jackets with 18 goals, and defenseman Zach Werenski is having a career year with 48 points (13 goals, 35 assists). Seven Blue Jackets have reached double figures in goals.

They have two problems: keeping the puck out of their net (151 goals, tied for 29th in the NHL) and winning on the road (they are 6-12-3 away from Nationwide Arena).

Artemi Panarin, who played two seasons with the Blue Jackets before signing with the Rangers in July 2018, has torched his old team; he has 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) and is plus-11 in 18 career games against Columbus.

Rangers at Montreal Canadiens (7 p.m.; MSG/NHL Network)

The Canadiens, who will host the Rangers for their Sunday night meeting at Bell Centre, bear little resemblance to the team that the Rangers routed 7-2 in Montreal on Oct. 22. The Canadiens, seeking their first playoff appearance since going to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, enter the week 20-18-4 and barely outside the top eight in the East.

Fatigue figures to be an issue for both teams. Each will be playing its fourth game in six nights, the first two on the road against Central Division teams and the third one at home.

Nick Suzuki, who leads the Canadiens with 43 points (13 goals, 30 assists), scored both of Montreal’s goals in the loss to the Rangers and has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 13 games against New York.

Jonathan Quick was in goal for a 4-3 win against Montreal at the Garden on Nov. 30 and figures to start the second half of the back-to-back. He is 9-4-1 with a 2.34 GAA and .919 save percentage.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News release ↓https://t.co/NPjDiuGZB0

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 6, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 7, 2025

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

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

The Hall of Fame center not only was their first player to break the 100-point mark (109 points in 1971-72). But his 22nd goal of that season came on Dec. 25, 1971, and is the last ever scored by a member of the Rangers on Christmas Day.

Ratelle’s goal at 19:11 of the second period gave the Rangers a 2-1 victory against the Minnesota North Stars, their 24th win all-time on Dec. 25. Ed Giacomin got the win by making 22 saves. Defenseman Rod Seiling had the Rangers last Christmas fight when he squared off against Minnesota center Jude Drouin at 17:11 of the first period.

Before the NHL stopped playing games on Christmas, the Rangers had more fun on the holiday than Jolly Old St. Nick. In their first 45 NHL seasons after entering the NHL in 1926, the Rangers played 37 times on Christmas (plus six more on Christmas Eve, when they were 4-0 with two ties). 

Their 24-11-2 record on Dec. 25 is by far the best of any NHL team, and they went more than 20 years without a loss on Christmas, going 15-0-1 from 1928-49; the Detroit Red Wings ended the streak with a 4-1 win on Dec. 25, 1950.

Related: Rangers week ahead includes Christmas break, trip to Florida

Christmas was usually a happy day for Rangers

Even when the Rangers were at their worst, Christmas was often a feel-good day.

One example was Dec. 25, 1942, when World War II had decimated the Rangers roster. New York came to Detroit with a 4-12-2 record on the way to a last-place finish. The Red Wings were third in the six-team league at 8-5-5 and had not lost at home all season.

But the Rangers played Grinch for the fans who filled the Olympia that night by winning 3-1. Rookie Red Garrett, at 18 years and 154 days old, set an  NHL record as the youngest defenseman to score his first goal. Since then, five defensemen have been younger when they scored their first NHL goal, but Garrett’s mark is still a Rangers record.

Even more amazing was what took place in Toronto a year later. The Rangers were 3-15-1 and on the way to an historically awful 6-39-5 record (.170 points percentage) when they arrived at Maple Leaf Gardens. Much to the shock of Toronto fans, the Rangers scored five straight goals and held on for a 5-3 victory. Ossie Aubuchon scored three of his 20 NHL goals for his only hat trick, and goalie Ken McAuley, who played all 50 games for one of the worst teams in history, kept the Maple Leafs off the scoreboard until there were less than 14 minutes remaining.

“This was Santa at work,” said a grinning coach Frank Boucher afterward, according to hockey historian Stan Fischler. “Everyone in the League believed the Rangers were Santa’s favorites — for one night at least.”

How unlikely was that Christmas victory? The Rangers won just twice more all season.

The best Christmas Eve-Christmas Day combo for the Rangers came in 1966, when New York re-emerged from the doldrums of the early 1960s under Emile Francis. Despite playing a back-to-back holiday set on the road, the Rangers found themselves in first place when they went to bed on the night of Dec. 25 after defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 at the Forum before ruining Christmas for the fans at Chicago Stadium with a 1-0 victory.

“I liked the Christmas Eve game more,” said Rangers Hall of Fame forward Rod Gilbert, a Montreal native. “My parents were probably at the game, and I had a chance to spend a little time with my family.”

Gilbert, who was single during the years when the Rangers played on Christmas, said that made a difference.

“The fact that I was not with family, directly — I had brothers, nephews, but I wasn’t married — I didn’t have that feeling that it was preventing me from enjoying [the holiday],” he said. “If it made sense to the League and sense to the fans that were at the game for me to entertain them, that was fine. It wasn’t depriving me of anything. … I didn’t have a family, so it didn’t affect me as much as the other guys.”

However, it was another Montreal native, Bernie “Boom-Boom” Geoffrion, who was the holiday hero for the Rangers. The longtime Canadiens star came out of retirement in 1966 and helped spark the Rangers to their first playoff berth in five years. He scored twice in the win at the Forum, then had the only goal of the game late in the second period to back Giacomin’s 27-save shutout.

The Rangers were 2-0-1 in their last three Christmas games, ending with the victory at Minnesota. Their 24 wins on Christmas Day represent an NHL record that will never be broken.

The New York Rangers didn’t lose in their six Christmas Eve games. But perhaps the most memorable of those six contests was one they didn’t win – or even score a goal.

The Rangers arrived at the Montreal Forum on Dec. 24, 1949, in a three-way battle for the final two playoff spots in the six-team league. The Canadiens were second with a record of 12-11-8, good for 32 points; the Rangers came to town 11-11-6, tied with the Boston Bruins for the fourth and final spot, although the Rangers had four games in hand on Boston.

Daily: Last-place Rangers hit holiday break, plus latest NHL news, links

Rangers, Canadiens played 0-0 tie on Christmas Eve 1949

What followed was the only scoreless NHL tie ever played on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, a battle for the ages between future Hall of Fame goaltenders Bill Durnan of the Canadiens and Chuck Rayner of the Rangers.

A crowd of 12,085 showed up at the Forum to see the two lowest-scoring teams in the NHL face off. The Montreal Gazette pointed out before the game that, “(Coach) Lynn Patrick is having his trouble with the Rangers, and they are virtually the same troubles that (coach) Dick Irvin is having with Canadiens.”

Both teams were excellent defensively, though. The Canadiens came into the game having allowed a League-low 61 goals; the Rangers were next at 68.

Patrick said before the game that “We can’t put the puck in the net. There’s nothing wrong with us defensively, but we can’t score goals and you need goals to win.”

Still, the idea that neither team would turn on the red light even once was a shocker – remember, the Canadiens had stars like Maurice “Rocket” Richard, who ended up leading the NHL with 43 goals in the 70-game season, as well as future Hall of Famers Elmer Lach up front and Doug Harvey on the blue line. But that’s exactly what happened.

“Close checking kept goal shots at a minimum,” the New York Daily News wrote. “The Canadiens held an edge on play, outshooting the Rangers, 30-15. They missed plenty of scoring opportunities.”

However, those shots on goal numbers aren’t official; the NHL didn’t keep official shots totals until 1955-56.

Durnan and Rayner were clearly the stars of the night.

“Big Bill Durnan [of the Canadiens] and Bonnie Prince Charlie Rayner [of the Rangers], the two top net-minders in the game today, were in peak form as they turned aside every shot directed at them,” the Daily News added.

Rayner had to work harder; the Rangers were called for four minor penalties to two for the Canadiens. Jack Lancien and Fred Shero (yes, THAT Fred Shero) each was assessed two minors, giving Montreal a total of eight minutes of power-play time. Richard led the NHL that season with 13 power-play goals, but he couldn’t beat Rayner on Dec. 24.

This shutout was Durnan’s fifth of the season and the 31st of his career. Rayner earned his third shutout of the season and the 17th of his career. Durnan was playing his last of seven seasons for the Canadiens, having earned the Vezina Trophy (then given to the No. 1 goalie on the team that allowed the fewest goals) in all but one of them.

Rayner, Durnan matched zeroes on Dec. 24, 1949

Rayner, who had played two seasons with the New York Americans before joining the Rangers in 1945 after World War II ended, was on the way to the best season of his career, even if his numbers weren’t as good as Durnan’s. He finished with a 28-30-11 record, 2.62 goals-against average and six shutouts. He wound up winning the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP after carrying the Rangers to a fourth-place finish.

But that was just a warmup for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Rayner and his teammates shut down Richard and the Canadiens in the Semifinals, winning in five games.

That got them into the Final against the Detroit Red Wings, who had run away from the pack on the way to a first-place finish. The Rangers couldn’t play at Madison Square Garden, so five of the seven games were at the Detroit Olympia, with two “home” games for New York played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

“We beat Montreal in five games, which was quite an upset,” Rayner told longtime hockey maven Stan Fischler after his retirement. “That put us in the Cup Final against Detroit — really, a David and Goliath matchup since the Wings finished more than 20 points ahead of us.”

With Rayner standing on his head and Don Raleigh scoring overtime goals in Games 4 and 5, the Rangers took a 3-2 series lead – only to see the Red Wings rally to win Game 6 and capture Game 7 in double overtime on a goal by Pete Babando.

Rayner, who died in 2002, didn’t get his Cup, but he did get inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973 despite a 138-207-78 record.

“The best way to understand how great a goalie Charlie was,” longtime hockey publicist Stan Saplin said, “is that he never had a season with a winning record and yet, the hockey experts voted Rayner into the Hall of Fame.”

His play on that Christmas Eve in Montreal 75 years ago sure didn’t hurt his case.