Daily Report – 12/19/25
Rangers
In overtime this season, captain JT Miller continues to step up his game. Last night in St. Louis, he scored his second overtime game-winning goal of the week, his third of the season, and he now owns the mark for the most overtime goals by an American skater in NHL history.
Vladislav Gavrikov and Vincent Trocheck worked the puck down the ice and into the attacking zone. Trocheck carried the puck to the left halfwall and turned it to Miller at the point. As Gavrikov set a screen, Miller worked into the slot and fired a hard wrist shot past Jordan Binnington.
“Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t,” Miller said. “But I feel like I’ve had some success in previous years in overtime. Today was kind of a weird one. I was pretty tired out there, and they had a little breakdown in their coverage, and [Trocheck] made a hell of a play, so I tried to shoot the puck a little more today.”
After a couple of tough losses this week to Anaheim and Vancouver at home, Miller was determined to be the difference-maker for his team. In the first of four games in six days, ahead of a weekend back-to-back and a six-game road trip, the Rangers needed a win.
New York was without its star player, Artemi Panarin, last night because he was battling an illness. However, the Rangers compensated for the missing offense, even on special teams.
“You need [Panarin] in your lineup,” Miller said. “He’s a big part of our team. But for us, I think it’s an opportunity for different guys to step up and play.”
The Rangers recalled Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann ahead of yesterday’s game. The Blueshirts had been struggling to score goals, especially on the power play, but their second man-advantage unit found a way to score. Six minutes into the second period, on the power play, Perreault deflected Will Cuylle’s shot past Binnington to tie the game. It was the 20-year-old Perreault’s first NHL goal.
“I was happy for Gabe,” said head coach Mike Sullivan. “I thought he played a good game. Good things happen when you go to the net.”
Amid his team’s goal-scoring woes, Sullivan has preached North-South hockey as a strategy. Elevating pucks would help as well, but since his players are struggling in that department, Sullivan has decided that getting to the net is better than passing. Compared to, say, East-West hockey, the North-South strategy involves getting pucks down the ice and to the net with speed.
“We’re just trying to take what the game gives us,” Sullivan said. “We’ve got opportunities to make plays, we wanna make plays. We’re certainly not trying to take the stick out of anybody’s hands. But when we don't, we gotta be willing to put pucks behind teams. We gotta be willing to get on a forecheck, put teams in vulnerable spots, and try to force a turnover and create offense that way.”
Igor Shesterkin, who leads the NHL with 28 starts, earned his 30th win of 2025, and he has reached 30 wins in a calendar year for the fifth time in his career. When St. Louis raised their intensity in the third period, characterized by an 11-5 shots on goal advantage, Shesterkin stood tall in the crease.
“I thought the first two periods, we were probably the better team,” Sullivan said. “I thought they were the better team in the third period. You know, they pushed, they elevated their intensity in the third. I thought they controlled territory in the third, but I thought in the first and second, it was the other way around.”
Shesterkin’s strong play has helped the Rangers survive countless high-danger situations this season, and at times, he has looked like the only contributor on the ice. The Rangers played better overall yesterday, but when the pressure rose in the third frame, Shesterkin delivered.
“Just try to be in front of the puck, and don’t give up another easy goal,” Shesterkin said. “In the last couple of games, I didn’t play well.”
The Rangers have a tough weekend ahead, beginning with a matinee game at the Garden tomorrow against Philadelphia and a night game in Nashville on Sunday.
“Everybody’s schedules are demanding right now,” Miller said. “[St. Louis] played yesterday. We have a lot before Christmas here. It’s how the league’s going right now, and I thought it was just a hard-fought game, and I’m glad we got to come out the other side of it.”
Knicks
Have we seen this before? Yes, of course we have, but it’s always thrilling.
Captain Jalen Brunson is not normal.
I don’t know where his energy came from yesterday. Somehow, after an NBA Cup run, he played 34 minutes. While Indianapolis hadn’t played for a week, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson, and Josh Hart were unavailable for New York. Because of Brunson’s 26-foot step-back three-point shot with 5.6 seconds left, the Knicks achieved an improbable 114-113 comeback win against the bottom-feeding Pacers.
“I work at it, and it’s a shot I’m comfortable taking,” Brunson said. “Just happy it went in at that time.”
“Our MVP, the league’s MVP, is Jalen Brunson,” said head coach Mike Brown.
When the reigning Clutch Player of the Year finds his groove late in games, it isn’t a coincidence when his shots begin to fall. Last night, he shot just 10-for-23 from the field and scored 25 points. It wasn’t much of a performance to write home about, but his late heroics were.
“We called a timeout, took another timeout, drew up another play,” Brown recalled. “As Jalen’s walking out on the floor, he turns to me. He says, ‘I’m getting this win. I’m going for it.’”
The Knicks had overcome a 16-point deficit earlier in the fourth quarter, but Indianapolis regained the lead. Brunson’s clutch three-point shot, with 5.6 seconds remaining, erased another deficit, but the Knicks had to hold on because Indianapolis was only trailing by one point. The Pacers got to inbound the basketball from the Knicks’ side of the court, but Anunoby stole it to deliver the victory.
The Knicks were powered by their bench again last night, especially Tyler Kolek, who recorded 16 points, 11 assists, and a +13 rating in 26 minutes. Jordan Clarkson netted 18 bench points and went five-for-nine from behind the line.
“The way our bench came in was phenomenal,” said Brunson. “They gave us an opportunity to win, so it’s much credit to them. Kept fighting and kept cutting into the lead.”
Due to their shorthandedness, the Knicks slotted Mohamed Diawara and Ariel Hukporti into the starting lineup. Additionally, Trey Jemison III played 18 minutes off the bench. Those unfamiliar faces played key roles for the Knicks, who are facing an aggressive schedule after tearing it up in Vegas. They will finish their back-to-back tonight against Philadelphia at the Garden before hosting Miami on Sunday.
There is no compensation in the standings for winning the NBA Cup. In the end, it’s nothing more than a trophy. But it means much more than that to the Knicks, who have established a strong culture that ensures every victory matters, no matter the cost. The Knicks won’t be hanging a banner to celebrate their NBA Cup victory, but that’s because they have embraced the importance of winning a championship.
“[Winning the NBA Cup] is a taste of what we can do,” Brown said. “We can’t afford to get comfortable because of winning it at this point in the season, and so we’ve got to go back to work. And it’s going to be tough because everybody is human, and it’s natural to accomplish something like that and then relax to a certain degree, thinking you’ve arrived, and now it’s time to take a deep breath. No, no, no, no, no. Now, there’s an extra target on our backs, and we have to live up to what we believe the expectations are.”
Schedule
Tonight 12/19:
7:00 PM: NYK vs. PHI; MSG, Gotham Sports, Prime Video
8:00 PM: 2025 College Football Playoff (CFP), Round 1 – Alabama (9) at Oklahoma (8); ESPN, ABC, ESPN App
Saturday 12/20:
12:00 PM: 2025 College Football Playoff (CFP), Round 1 – Miami (10) at Texas A&M (7); ESPN, ABC, ESPN App
12:30 PM: NYR vs. PHI; MSG, Gotham Sports
3:30 PM: 2025 College Football Playoff (CFP), Round 1 – Tulane (11) at Ole Miss (6); TNT, TRUTV, MAX
5:00 PM: NFL on FOX, Week 16 Saturday Double-Header, Game 1 – Philadelphia Eagles (9-5) at Washington Commanders (4-10); FOX, FOXONE
7:30 PM: 2025 College Football Playoff (CFP), Round 1 – James Madison (12) at Oregon (5); TNT, TBS, MAX
8:00 PM: NFL on FOX, Week 16 Saturday Double-Header, Game 2 – Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) at Chicago Bears (10-4); FOX, FOXONE
Sunday 12/21:
1:00 PM: NFL on FOX, Week 16 – New York Giants (2-12) vs. Minnesota Vikings (6-8); FOX, FOXONE
1:00 PM: NFL on CBS, Week 16 – New York Jets (3-11) at New Orleans Saints (4-10); CBS, Paramount+
6:00 PM: NYK vs. MIA; MSG, Gotham Sports
7:00 PM: NYR at NSH; MSG2, Gotham Sports
8:20 PM: Sunday Night Football (SNF), Week 16 – New England Patriots (11-3) at Baltimore Ravens (7-7); NBC, Peacock
7:00 PM: Football Night in America (FNIA); NBC
8:00 PM: Hyundai Sunday Night Kickoff; NBC, Peacock
8:10 PM: GEICO Sunday Night Anthem; NBC, Peacock
