Daily Report – 10/24/25
Rangers
I knew this wasn’t going to be much of a season for the Blueshirts, but I never expected it to get this bad. At least, not this early in the season. Not after the way they played to start the year. Now, their defense is gone. The Rangers’ bones are just as tender as they were a year ago. A scoring drought with solid defense has led to a plethora of goals with zero defense.
Go figure.
Last night, the Rangers fell to 0-4-1 on Garden ice as they suffered a 6-5 overtime loss to the young San Jose Sharks, who were winless before yesterday. “That’s pretty piss-pour out of us,” Adam Fox said. “Not the way we want to play hockey. So, there’s really, really not much to say.”
The Rangers’ five-game home losing streak to start this season ties the franchise record set in 1943 when half the team was serving in World War II. On a night where Taylor Raddysh scored his second career hat trick, so did Macklin Celebrini. He finished with a five-point game, and Will Smith registered four points.
The elderly Rangers were no match for the budding stars of San Jose, like the 20-year-old Smith, the 19-year-old Celebrini, and the 18-year-old Michael Misa. All three players were top-five draft picks in consecutive years, and they are already threats on the ice.
Head coach Mike Sullivan, an NHL veteran, cannot lose control of his squad, but so far this season, he’s failed to improve this team. “I look at our last two outings, and that’s not the game that we want to put on the ice every night that we think will give us a chance to win,” Sullivan said. “You can’t play two-thirds of the game or half of the game and think you’re going to win consistently. The last two games, that’s what we did. The other element of it is, I don’t think we played nearly as smart.”
Just over six minutes into the first period, the Rangers found themselves trailing 2-0 as Celebrini lit the lamp on the power play for his first goal of the game. San Jose won the faceoff, and they moved the puck to William Eklund at the right point. He fired a hard shot toward the net, and it took a wide rebound off Igor Shesterkin. That left the puck loose in the high-danger zone, allowing Celebrini to tuck it through the net.
Shesterkin had his worst performance of the season and one of his worst outings all-time in a Rangers uniform. Eklund’s long rebound was proof of that, and Shesterkin saved just 18 of 24 shots. Deflections didn’t help him, as the Rangers’ defense couldn’t handle San Jose’s speed and physicality, but ultimately, Shesterkin wasn’t good enough to give his team a chance to win.
Raddysh was able to cut the deficit with a hard wrist shot at 5:41, but with nine seconds left in the first period, Celebrini made it a two-goal game again as he unleashed a wrist shot from the hashmarks that Matthew Robertson couldn’t defend. Trailing 3-1 entering the second period, the Rangers went on the power play four minutes in, and Mika Zibanejad positioned himself perfectly to deposit a cross-ice pass from Alexis Lafrenière through a JT Miller screen. Two minutes later, Connor Sheary intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, and Jusso Parssinen worked the puck around Alex Nedeljkovic, tying the game.
Raddysh’s second goal was a temporary go-ahead tally for New York, and it came shorthanded midway through the second frame as he made a perfect stick-check, rushed up the ice, and fooled Nedeljkovic into thinking he was going to make a cross-ice pass. But the Rangers’ 4-3 lead didn’t last very long because, with six seconds left in the second period, Celebrini completed his hat trick. He became the second NHL player to ever score two goals in the final 10 seconds of different periods of a single game.
One of the Rangers’ biggest struggles last year was preventing late goals during games. “It’s a lack of awareness, situational play, managing the game the right way,” Sullivan said. “Controlling those situations is how you win. We obviously have to learn how to win.”
San Jose extended their lead to 5-4 when Will Smith scored his first goal at 13:29 in the third. The Rangers successfully killed a five-on-three power play, but one second after the second penalty expired, Smith scored. Eklund caught another wide rebound and passed it to Smith net-front for the goal. The Sharks never stopped applying pressure because they knew the Rangers couldn’t handle their endless youthful energy.
At 8:10, Raddysh completed the hat trick with a hard slap shot over Nedeljkovic’s glove, tying this wild game for the Rangers. But when they won the opening possession of overtime, only Igor Shesterkin recorded a shot on goal. The Sharks gained space in the offensive zone, and JT Miller whiffed on an attempt to clear the puck. The Rangers dodged one dangerous cross-ice pass before Celebrini fired the puck the other direction for a wide-open Smith. Meanwhile, Miller and Alexis Lafrenière were standing still in front of Shesterkin.
“This is a good league, and there are good players on every team,” said Sullivan. “If you don’t bring a certain diligence to your game every night, you run the risk of being beaten. You more than likely will.” Sullivan added that yesterday’s game “should be” a wake-up call for his team as they prepare for a four-game road trip to Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Seattle.
Six minutes into the first period, Matt Rempe got into a fight with former Ranger Ryan Reaves, during which the six-foot-nine forward suffered an upper-body injury. He did not return to the game for the Rangers. Fights are entertaining, but often unwise, especially when they sideline a player during a must-win game. As a result of Rempe’s absence, the Rangers have recalled former first-round pick Brennan Othmann from Hartford. He will travel with the team to Canada.
Giants
On Sunday afternoon, the Giants (2-5) will travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles (5-2). They can sweep the season series against the Eagles for the first time since 2007, following an unprecedented Thursday Night Football win in Week 6.
After becoming the first NFL team in 1,062 games to blow a fourth-quarter lead of at least 18 points, the Giants need a bounce-back victory. The Giants’ defense is dealing with injuries, including Brian Burns and Jevón Holland, who are questionable and doubtful, respectively, to play on Sunday. But the Giants cannot afford to lay another dinosaur egg. They must put on a show against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles.
Sunday Funday Injury Report (10/24):
CB Paulson Adebo (knee) did not practice this week and has been ruled OUT to play on Sunday.
DL Chauncey Golston (neck) did not practice this week and has been ruled OUT to play on Sunday.
S Jevón Holland (neck) did not practice this week and has been ruled DOUBTFUL to play on Sunday.
OLB Brian Burns (hip) practiced in a limited capacity yesterday and has been ruled QUESTIONABLE to play on Sunday.
TE Daniel Bellinger (neck) practiced in a limited capacity yesterday and has been ruled QUESTIONABLE to play on Sunday.
LB Swayze Bozeman (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity yesterday and has been ruled QUESTIONABLE to play on Sunday.
DL DJ Davidson (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity yesterday and has been ruled QUESTIONABLE to play on Sunday.
OL Jermaine Eluemunor (knee) practiced in a limited capacity yesterday and has been ruled QUESTIONABLE to play on Sunday.
LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (hamstring) practiced in a limited capacity yesterday and has been ruled QUESTIONABLE to play on Sunday.
WR Darius Slayton (hamstring) practiced in a limited capacity yesterday and has been ruled QUESTIONABLE to play on Sunday.
C John Michael Schmitz (concussion) was a full participant in practice today and has been ruled QUESTIONABLE to play on Sunday.
QB Jaxson Dart (ankle) was a full participant in practice today and has been ruled QUESTIONABLE to play on Sunday.
K Graham Gano (groin) was a full participant in practice today and has been ruled QUESTIONABLE to play on Sunday.
Big Blue Transactions:
10/23: NYG called up practice squad veteran WR Ray-Ray McCloud III.
10/23: NYG signed (international practice player signing) K Jude McAtamney.
10/23: NYG terminated DB LaMareon James from the practice squad.
10/22: NYG designated K Graham Gano to return to practice.
10/21: NYG signed free agent CB Korie Black.
10/21: NYG called up DL Elijah Garcia from the practice squad.
10/21: NYG terminated LB Jonas Griffith from the practice squad.
Schedule
Tonight 10/24:
7:30 PM (6:30 PM CDT): NBA on Prime – NYK vs. BOS; Prime Video
Sunday 10/26:
1:00 PM (12:00 PM CDT): NFL on FOX, Week 8 – New York Giants (2-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (5-2); FOX, FOXONE
1:00 PM (12:00 PM CDT): NFL on CBS, Week 8 – New York Jets (0-7) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-4); CBS, Paramount+
6:00 PM (5:00 PM CDT): NYK at MIA; MSG, Gotham Sports
8:00 PM (7:00 PM CDT): NYR at CGY; MSGSN, Gotham Sports
8:20 PM (7:20 PM CDT): Sunday Night Football (SNF), Week 8 – Green Bay Packers (4-1-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2); NBC, Peacock
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): Football Night in America (FNIA); NBC
8:00 PM (7:00 PM CDT): Hyundai Sunday Night Pregame; NBC, Peacock
8:10 PM (7:10 PM CDT): GEICO Sunday Night Anthem; NBC, Peacock
