Daily Report – 10/13/25
Rangers
The all-too-obvious bottom line for the Boys in Blue is that after skating 120 on home ice this season, they have yet to score a goal. They scored 10 combined goals in Buffalo and Pittsburgh, but they have not tackled Garden ice.
Despite a 1-0 loss at home last night, though, the Rangers played their best game of the season. Unlike last year, when a 1-0 shutout almost resulted from an offensive dud, a shorthanded group of Rangers outshot the reigning division champion Capitals 35-21.
So, what happened? Charlie Lindgren happened. The Rangers are usually on the other end of games like this, but sometimes it doesn’t matter how much offense you generate. Lindgren, who is of the rarer breed of goaltenders who catch right-handed, was unstoppable for Washington. He recorded his second career shutout in five starts against New York.
Lindgren’s brother, Ryan, used to play for the Rangers before a mid-season last year trade sent him to Colorado. When Charlie played the Rangers last season, there was a hint of revenge – maybe more than just a hint – in his game after Ryan’s displeasure about his trade.
This time, it was the opportunity to make his season debut at Madison Square Garden that captivated Lindgren.
“They got some key saves at key times, give them credit,” said Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan. “If we continue to play with that kind of effort and that kind of focus and attention to detail, I think we’re going to win more games than we lose, that’s for sure.”
Lindgren’s best save came in the second period as he robbed Mika Zibanejad’s one-timer during an odd-man rush. Zibanejad received a perfect forehand east-to-west pass from Artemi Panarin and shot it hard into Lindgren’s glove.
“I’m confident I can say I score eight out of 10, or nine out of 10, on that,” Zibanejad said.
The Rangers only had two power plays in this game, and their first didn’t come until the second period. At one point during that power play, Zibanejad uncorked another well-struck one-timer, this time from the slot, and despite initially fumbling the save, Lindgren was able to stop the puck.
The Rangers were without Vincent Trocheck and Carson Soucy in this game, who suffered upper-body injuries midway through consecutive road games. Both players have landed on injured reserve, and although Soucy’s timeline is undefined, Trocheck is week-to-week.
Late in the third period, the Rangers had plenty of chances to cash in with their net empty, but they came up short every time. It’s been over a year since the Rangers have scored a goal with six skaters on the ice and their goalie on the bench.
Yet, Sullivan said, “I think this was the best game we played all year. The most complete game that we’ve played all year.”
And he’s right. The Rangers never allowed more than nine shots to Washington in any period, allowing their most in the first. They generated 12 high-danger chances while holding Washington to six. According to Steve Valiquette, despite the Rangers’ 2-2-0 record to start the season, they have posted one of the lowest rates of high-danger chances against through the first week of the NHL season.
“We talked after the first game of the year [about] how you lose, and that was unacceptable,” said Rangers captain JT Miller after last night’s loss. “But I think we can hang our hat [on] how we worked today. Created a lot of offense. Felt like we outplayed them for a majority of the game. We can sleep better tonight knowing that we played a much better game.”
Washington’s only goal against the 39-year-old Jonathan Quick came at 13:47 in the second period as former Islander Anthony Beauvillier positioned his stick perfectly to deflect Alex Ovechkin’s hard shot through the net. Beauvillier was lurking at the post on Quick’s stick side.
There’s a lot of good for the Blueshirts to take from yesterday’s performance and from their two road victories. Tomorrow, they will host the reigning Western Conference champions from Edmonton, who just extended Connor McDavid’s contract.
Schedule
7:30 PM (6:30 PM CDT): 2025 NBA Preseason – NYK vs. WSH; MSG, Gotham Sports
8:00 PM (7:00 PM CDT): Monday Night Football (MNF), Week 6 – Chicago Bears (2-2) at Washington Commanders (3-2); ABC
