Daily Report – 10/14/26
Rangers
The Rangers are crafting a blueprint for success with their new style of play. It took them three weeks to achieve what took three months last season: win five home games. Each of their five home wins came in regulation, while last season, the Rangers didn’t earn their fifth home regulation win until March 27.
Despite losing Igor Shesterkin over the weekend, the Rangers keep winning. They are 2-0-0 since Shesterkin went down and 5-0-0 at home overall this season, their best home start since 1990. The Rangers lead the NHL with six wins, and their 12 points rank second.
“I think we’re really starting to establish an identity and what Rangers hockey looks like when we’re at our best,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “It started with our willingness and commitment to check.”
Dylan Garand has embraced his new role as the Rangers’ starting goalie. He matched the franchise record for the fewest starts to five wins, and his three wins this season are tied for fifth in the NHL. He has a fast glove and moves well between the posts. He has legitimate starting goaltender potential in this league.
Yesterday, Garand outmatched one of the best goalies in NHL history, Andrei Vasilevskiy. He credits his teammates for limiting one of the league’s most prolific offenses to four high-danger scoring chances (CSA Hockey). Garand allowed one high-danger goal, and the Rangers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1.
Offensively, the Rangers generated 13 high-danger chances and scored on three. Alexis Lafrenière scored twice, briefly moving into first place on the league’s scoring list with seven goals. He has a career-long four-game scoring streak, and all seven goals came in his last five games.
Lafrenière nearly scored a third goal yesterday, hitting the crossbar on a power-play deflection. He has become a versatile offensive force, getting chances from distance and the net-front. Last night, whenever he had the puck on his stick, he looked as confident as ever in his six seasons on Broadway.
Tye Kartye has helped Lafrenière’s line succeed. Being claimed off waivers last season, his background is very different from Lafrenière, a first-overall draft pick. Kartye plays with a chip on his shoulder, always grinding and winning puck battles.
Kartye scored the Rangers’ first goal 27 seconds into Sunday’s game and assisted on Lafrenière’s goal 62 seconds into yesterday’s. He slammed veteran defenseman Victor Hedman into the corner boards and spat the puck out to the slot.
Thanks to JT Miller’s netfront presence, Kartye’s initial pass deflected back, so he swerved around the net and found Lafrenière above the crease. 12 minutes later, Miller won a battle along the defense halfwall and pushed the puck out to Kartye, who shoveled it down the ice to a streaking Lafrenière.
“It feels good [to score],” said Lafrenière, who burst past two neutral zone defenders to score his second goal. “It feels good to win, too, especially at home after last year. It feels great, and the crowd was great again today. It’s a good feeling right now in the room.”
When asked about the success of Lafrenière’s line, Sullivan credited Captain Miller’s veteran presence. “[Our leadership has] done a great job at, first and foremost, leading by example, and leading the charge on what it takes to win and establish ourselves at home,” the head coach remarked.
Mika Zibanejad is another member of the leadership group who has stayed steady. He scored a shorthanded empty-net goal late in yesterday’s third period, his 14th shorty with the Rangers, tied for fourth-most in franchise history. He also led all forwards yesterday with two blocks and a takeaway.
Meanwhile, Will Cuylle continues to set the tone on the Rangers’ third line. The 24-year-old has consistently ranked among the league leaders in hits throughout his career. With 11 yesterday, six more than any teammate, he moved into second place in the league with 37 hits.
He also scored a goal yesterday, his third of the season, with less than two minutes left in the second period. Noah Laba dished the puck out to Marcus Pettersson. He sent it across to Sean Durzi, who fired it toward a crowd of two Rangers and three Lightning players.
The Rangers were outnumbered in the slot, but Cuylle muscled out of the pack and stuck out his stick. He got enough puck to deflect it past Vasilevskiy’s glove, but only because of his visible strength and physicality.
“They get a lot of D-zone starts against top lines,” Sullivan said of his third line. “They defend hard for us, but there’s an offensive dimension to their line, all three of those guys. I think that’s an important element of having a third line that’s capable of playing both sides of the puck.”
The Rangers’ fourth line got little playing time yesterday, but Matt Rempe tallied five hits in under four minutes. Rempe spent most of last season recovering from two thumb surgeries, but 14 minutes into the second period, he dropped the gloves with Jeffrey Viel.
Rempe cut his hand open during the fight, so he briefly went to the locker room, but returned to finish the game. After the fight, the entire Rangers bench swam across the ice to greet him in the penalty box. They appreciated his willingness to set the tone early against Tampa Bay.
“It’s five-man participation,” Sullivan said. “I think these guys value playing away from the puck and the importance of it.”
At the start of the season, the Rangers had to earn the right to establish an identity. So far, they have passed every test. Next, they must begin the Hudson River rivalry tomorrow with a win over the Devils at The Rock (7 PM, 6 PM CDT – MSG, DAZN).
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Rangers
