Daily Report – 10/13/26
Rangers
Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending leg injury was a devastating blow for a Rangers team that started its season so brilliantly. But on Sunday, in their first game without Shesterkin, Dylan Garand stepped up, and the Rangers did not back down.
The Vancouver Canucks are in the early stages of a rebuild, so they were not the Rangers’ toughest test. But any opponent was challenging on Sunday because the Rangers needed to prove to themselves they could win without their best player.
The Rangers won 6-2, powered by multi-point games from Will Cuylle, Tye Kartye, Alexis Lafrenière, JT Miller, Gabe Perreault, and Mika Zibanejad. The Rangers scored early in each period, including 27 seconds into the first, improving to 4-0-0 at home and 5-2-0 overall.
“These guys, they haven’t lost any level of enthusiasm,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “I think they believe in the team game we’re trying to build here, and I think they will continue to compete. […] Expectations don’t change. It’s the ‘next man up’ mentality.”
In a 3-1 road loss to the Capitals on Friday, Shesterkin exited early after crashing into the post and hyper-extending his leg. The Rangers were eager to put that behind them on Sunday, and Garand was excited for the opportunity. He made 19 saves, stopping every high-danger shot.
Despite waiving Garand for depth purposes a few weeks ago, the Rangers view him as an NHL-ready netminder. He made a few starts last season, going 2-0-1 with a .948 save percentage. He will be the Rangers’ starting goalie for the foreseeable future.
“It’s obviously tough when you lose your best player in Shesty, a guy who plays so well for this team and is such a big part of it,” Garand said. “It’s a blow to the group for sure, but it happens sometimes. It’s pro sports. Players get injured.
“I think the guys did a great job of stepping up tonight, and we’re going to need more of that, for sure.”
Aside from Shesterkin’s health, the biggest concern after his injury was whether it would expose the Rangers’ weaknesses. Last year’s team would have surely folded if they had lost Shesterkin so early in the season, but this year’s crew is more sound defensively and mentally.
The Rangers have heightened their physicality this season, which has helped them score more goals by getting more pucks to the net. Three of the Rangers’ six goals on Sunday came by crashing the net, and nobody embraced that style of play better than Will Cuylle, who scored his first two goals of the season.
“I feel like all the games we’ve played have been a pretty good 60 minutes, for the most part,” Cuylle said. “I feel like it helps, too. That’s the first first-period goal we’ve given up all year.”
Indeed, the Rangers hadn’t given up a first-period tally before Sunday, when Jake DeBrusk snuck a puck short-side past Garand, tying the score in the final three minutes. The Rangers also gave up their first shorthanded goal of the season with three minutes left in the second period.
But 90 seconds later, the Rangers answered back, as Kartye found the back of the net for the second time. Then, Lafrenière started the third period with an early power-play goal, and the Rangers never looked back. On his 25th birthday, Lafrenière earned second-star honors with a goal and an assist.
Lafrenière, who leads the Rangers with five goals and eight points, has continued to benefit from the increased workload he got after Panarin was traded last season. On Sunday’s MSG Networks broadcast, Dave Maloney referenced a point Kenny Albert once made: unlike Lafrenière, most first-overall picks go to a bad team.
The Rangers got pretty lucky with the pinballs in 2020. They also signed Panarin that offseason, and he assumed most of the workload Lafrenière would have had on a struggling team. Compared to players like Jack Hughes, Connor Bedard, and Macklin Celebrini, Lafrenière didn’t get his fair share of reps in his rookie season.
Now that he isn’t playing behind Panarin anymore (not to discredit Panarin, and it isn’t like David Quinn or Gerard Gallant ever did much for Lafrenière), Lafrenière has started to shine. On Sunday, Sullivan moved him up to the second line. He was also named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week last week with five goals and two assists.
“When you look at the growth of Laf’s game, he is creating offense in numerous ways now,” Sullivan said. “He’s multidimensional. He creates off the rush. You can see what he does off the rush. But his down-low game, the hanging on pucks, and creating offense from below the goal line, I think that aspect of his game has really grown.”
During training camp, Sullivan emphasized that the Rangers had to get grittier and play better down low. So far, they have passed the test, which has led to more goals and wins. Lafrenière didn’t always look like he could play that way. Panarin certainly didn’t. But this year’s roster no longer revolves around Panarin, and the Rangers can alter their strategy.
Tonight at 7:15 PM (6:15 PM CDT), the Tampa Bay Lightning will visit the Garden for the second time in two weeks (MSG, DAZN). Tampa Bay hasn’t lost since the Rangers beat them 5-1 on October 1. This will be another big test for the Rangers, especially Garand.
Schedule
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): 2026 NBA Preseason – NYK at TOR; MSG2, DAZN
7:15 PM (8:15 PM CDT): 2026 NHL Frozen Frenzy – NYR vs. TBL; MSG, DAZN
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Rangers
