Two games. Two points. Two overtime losses. Two contests where the New York Rangers went head-to-head with two of the better teams in the league and took each to the extra session. Two different feelings at the end of each contest, especially Sunday, when the Blueshirts rightfully felt that the referees played a major part in the loss. With the Metro Division and Eastern Conference so tight, every point matters, so while earning a point in both games was a positive, leaving at least one on the board stings.
Game recap vs. Colorado:
Rangers lines vs. Avalanche:
Miller-Trocheck-Sheary
Panarin-Zibanejad-Lafreniere
Cuylle-Laba-Berard
Brodzinski-Carrick-Raddysh
Gavrikov-Schneider
Soucy-Borgen
Robertson-Morrow
Shesterkin
Quick
Scratches: Edström (lower-body injury), Vaakanainen, Othmann
LTIR: Fox (upper-body injury), Rempe (upper-body injury)
Game recap vs. Vegas:
Rangers lines vs. Golden Knights:
Panarin – Zibanejad – Lafrenière
Sheary – Trocheck – Miller
Cuylle – Laba – Berard
Brodzinski – Carrick – Chemlař
Gavrikov – Schneider
Soucy – Borgen
Robertson – Morrow
Quick
Shesterkin
Taylor Raddysh was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. Jaroslav Chemlař, called up in place of Brennan Othmann, makes his third appearance of 2025-26. Connor Sheary, who scored his first of the season Saturday, remains on a line with JT Miller and Vincent Trocheck.
A few thoughts:
1) Against Colorado, coach Mike Sullivan played the match-up game, utilizing the last change at home ice to utilize the same five skaters against the Avalanche’s top trio. JT Miller, Vincent Trocheck, and Conor Sheary up front and Vladislav Gavrikov and Braden Schneider on the blueline will be seeing Artturi Lehkonen, Martin Necas, and Nathan MacKinnon in their sleep after going head to head Saturday.
As Vincent Mercogliano noted, of the 17:13 time on ice that MacKinnon logged at five-on-five, roughly 15 minutes came against Miller and Trocheck. (Sheary received 12:07 due to Will Cuylle spelling him for a couple of shifts.) It was over 16 minutes for the pair of Gavrikov and Schneider, with the latter filling in fairly well while Adam Fox has been sidelined.
The Lehkonen-MacKinnon-Nečas line registered 12 shots on goal while allowing only four, but the underlying metrics were much closer. The players the Rangers countered with registered a slight edge in shot attempts (18-17) and high-danger scoring chances (4-3), according to Natural Stat Trick, while limiting them to one goal. That of course doesn’t factor in the game-winner in overtime by MacKinnon, who made a ridiculous toe drag move to get past Noah Laba and Will Borgen, then beat Igor Shesterkin with a howitzer backhand, top shelf over Igor’s shoulder.
While Schneider wasn’t perfect, he more than held his own. The good news is that he didn’t look overwhelmed, and he has raised his game while paired with Gavrikov. The same with Borgen and Carson Soucy as the second pair. The Avs held an 18-4 shots advantage with the 24-year-old blueliner on the ice, but the HD chances were 4-4, and they were limited to only one goal. Schneider also made a couple of strong defensive plays, evidencing his growth on that side of the ice
2) Another rally on home ice: while the script was flipped Sunday by Vegas scoring late to tie the game – I will get to that below – New York – for the second time this week – scored late in the third to tie the game. Monday, the Rangers got their first 6-on-5 goal late in a game since March 2, 2024. Monday, Will Cuylle notched the evener with 2:13 remaining. Saturday, Artemi Panarin, aided by a Cuylle screen, tied the score with 40.9 seconds left in the contest. Maybe the team has finally regained the late-game mojo that was such a part of their fabric.
3) Shesterkin was brilliant again in the loss, making 39 saves, several of those spectacular. Igor has certainly looked like a Vezina Trophy candidate lately, as New York has gotten back in the postseason race. Jonathan Quick played on Sunday, and his return affords Shesterkin rest when needed.
4) Against Vegas, while the Knights dominated the third period, the Rangers looked to be in good shape to potentially withstand a late push to notch the win. The referees certainly didn’t help. Peter Baugh summarized the consternation nicely in his column.
With 1:58 left, Will Borgen and Brett Howden got tangled up in front of the Rangers bench, and both were sent to the penalty box with roughing minors.
“There was nothing going on,” an exasperated Sullivan said after the game, and Rangers color commentator Brian Boyle (a former New York forward) expressed disdain for official Chris Lee’s handling of the situation on the MSG broadcast.
Though Vegas didn’t get a power play, the matching penalties led to the game being played at four-on-four rather than the typical five-on-five. So when Vegas pulled goalie Carter Hart, it had a five-on-four.
(No guarantee Vegas wouldn’t score if nothing was called. But the removal of a defensive defenseman and the creation of additional open ice 5-on-4 instead of 6-on-5 didn’t help the Rangers. The Knights carried play in the first, with a 73.48 percent of the five-on-five expected goal share, according to Natural Stat Trick, before the Rangers completely flipped the switch in the second. In the third, Vegas outshot New York 13-3, but that was neither the time nor the place for that call. Especially because every play had similar action and the referees let it go, but Lee inserted his way into the game at a brutal moment).
Howden, the former Ranger who came over from Tampa in the Miller trade and was dealt to Vegas with the pick acquired used to draft Noah Laba, and Borgen started overtime in the penalty box but were released two seconds in, so the period essentially started at four-on-four rather than three-on-three. If Mitch Marner had been called for tripping on Matthew Robertson (see video below), the Rangers would’ve had a four-on-three power play with a chance to win the game. Instead there wasn’t a whistle until Hart saved a Zibanejad shot with 18 seconds left. In total the teams played 4:40 of the overtime period at four-on-four. (The matching minors gets called but nothing here? That’s irrespective of New York having no power plays all contest, but make the right call as the missed tripping penalty impacted play).
Finally back at three-on-three, the Rangers had an offensive zone faceoff with 18 seconds to go. Howden won the draw, though, and Jack Eichel burst past Panarin and up the ice as soon as he did. Shea Theodore ricocheted a stretch pass off the boards and onto Eichel’s stick. (He beat Robertson down the ice – creating the question why Robertson was on, likely for offensive, and he should have been further back or someone else on the ice). The star center deked Quick on the breakaway, then finished with his forehand to give Vegas the win. (What’s even more failing as that Mika Zibanejad, who had a goal and an assist, won the first drop of the puck and Ryan Gibbons blew the whistle to cancel that draw. On the second faceoff, Eichel won the drop, resulting in the tally).
Two games. Two overtime losses. Two points against a pair of top teams. But the team and fanbase were left hoping and expecting more.
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