Daily Report – 12/24/25
Rangers
The Washington Capitals held a 16-0-0 record when leading after two periods of hockey. Last night, the Rangers obliterated that streak with five third-period goals, and they beat Washington 7-3. Yes, Giants fans, the Blueshirts – not Big Blue – have a kicker (five different kickers have attempted PATs for the Giants this season).
In a season riddled with shutouts and scoring droughts, scoring seven goals is an extraordinary achievement for the Rangers, especially on a night without JT Miller or Adam Fox. I’ve often written about how confusing this Rangers team is. Despite their seven shutout losses, including six at home, their 14 road wins lead the NHL. Also, their five third-period comeback wins are tied for the third most in the league.
Should we call yesterday’s win a Christmas miracle? It was the Rangers’ final game before Christmas, and they won’t play again until Saturday on Long Island.
The Rangers tallied 11 fewer shots on goal than Washington, but half of their scoring chances were high-danger (Clear Sight Analytics). That made life hectic for Logan Thompson, who could only stop five of 10 high-danger shots. Meanwhile, Igor Shesterkin had a terrific bounce-back game for the Rangers, allowing one goal on nine high-danger chances while saving every low-danger shot he faced.
Shesterkin almost had a highlight-reel moment in the second period, in which Washington scored three goals on 15 shots. On the power play, with 11:20 remaining, Dylan Strome fired Connor McMichael’s rebound from beneath the goal line into a seemingly open net, but Shesterkin reached out from the opposite post and grabbed the puck with his glove. However, he couldn’t reach far enough, as replay review showed the puck had already crossed the goal line – by mere inches – once he gloved it.
“That was pretty insane, to even think he had a chance of making that save,” said Taylor Raddysh, the Rangers’ best player last night. “That’s the only thing that sucks about cameras.”
Raddysh, who had fallen under the radar since his hat trick in an October 23 loss to San Jose, registered two goals, one assist, and three blocks against his former team. He scored the first goals of the opening and final periods, and his third-period lamp-lighter tied the game. It had been 23 games since his last goal.
“It’s always in the back of your mind,” Raddysh said. “You want to contribute as much as you can, whether it’s offensively or defensively. So, good to get one there and right before the break, just to kind of relax.”
Vincent Trocheck and Will Cuylle also recorded three-point games. Trocheck notched two goals and an assist, and Cuylle added a tally and two helpers. Neither player was responsible for the game-winning goal, which Alexis Lafrenière scored midway through the third period. It marked the 100th goal of his career.
“Big win,” said Lafrenière, the former Rangers’ first-overall pick. “Down after two, and we come back and play a really big third like that. It’s really good for us right before break, to have a big win like that.”
In the third period, Raddysh, Lafrenière, Trocheck, and Artemi Panarin each scored. Panarin’s goal came with Washington’s net empty. Trocheck scored twice, including the dagger PAT at 1:51, as he scored on a backhand shot from Will Cuylle off the rush.
“I think we played less defense and kind of held onto the puck a little more in the O-zone and made more plays,” Lafrenière pointed out. “When you’re playing in the offensive zone a lot, it helps the team have momentum there.”
The Rangers’ momentum revealed itself, as I mentioned, in the form of 10 high-danger scoring chances on 20 attempts. When the Rangers win puck battles, it leads to more time in the offensive zone, allowing them to create sufficient space to attack the net. High-danger chances are mostly achieved by dominating the trapezoid and breaking through dots-down defense. The Rangers did all of that last night.
“I was happy for the players,” said head coach Mike Sullivan. “They’ve worked so hard to generate more offense. It’s nice to see the puck go in the net for them.”
Notably, the Rangers are 6-0-0 this season when Gabe Perreault plays. He hasn’t been on the ice for any goals against yet this season, and he has four points in his six games played. As Sullivan has suggested previously, Perreault’s success comes from his aggressive style of play, and he has bought into the North-South approach his coaches preach. This has helped him encroach on goaltenders’ territory. His one goal came on a net-front deflection.
The Rangers deserve this Christmas break. Hopefully, they’ll return healthier and well-rested for their final three games, including another visit to DC, before the Winter Classic on January 2.
Knicks
Life without Jalen Brunson is tough enough for the Knicks already. Adding OG Anunoby to the injury report, which already includes Miles McBride and Landry Shamet, makes things even harder.
Last night, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 40 points against his former team, but the Knicks couldn’t stop Julius Randle, their former star, and the Minnesota Timberwolves from winning 115-104. The Knicks didn’t go down without a fight, though, consistently combating Minnesota’s large leads with extended scoring runs, but once the Wolves extended their lead to 17 points late in the fourth quarter, the Knicks couldn’t fight anymore.
Let me preface by saying that I don’t think the Knicks need to acquire another guard, unless he’s a strong defender. That’s because McBride and Shamet can defend well and support the pace-oriented style of play the Knicks have cultivated this season. However, I wouldn’t necessarily refuse a trade – and I’m following the rumor mill here – for Donte DiVincenzo, but it depends on what the Knicks would have to give up. The same goes for any trade the Knicks make before the February 5 deadline, because this team is already strong.
It was DiVincenzo, the former Knick and Villanova teammate of Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges, whose three-point shot gave Minnesota a 17-point lead with 4:12 left in the fourth quarter. The win was Minnesota’s first against the Knicks since they traded Towns for Randle and DiVincenzo two autumns ago.
Towns, who received a standing ovation from the Timberwolves fans upon his second return to Minnesota since being traded, reflected on how it felt to return to the place he called home for nine years.
“It’s always good to be appreciated,” Towns said. “There’s nothing more valuable in this league, this job, than to be respected. I left my heart, my soul, here in Minnesota. For the fans to just, even after two seasons away, to respect me the way they do and to think of me so highly and to appreciate what I left on the court tonight, it means a lot.”
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 38 points, and coupled with Julius Randle’s 25, the Knicks could not match up without Brunson. It felt like whenever the Knicks went on runs, an open three-point shot or a Randle drive was waiting for them.
“We battled back, and then we just didn’t play well enough to finish it,” said Hart, whose double-double, with 12 points and 15 rebounds, was shadowed by his game-leading six turnovers. “I had too many turnovers. Some of those turnovers turned into easy baskets, and that kind of kills any momentum we have.”
At the end of the third quarter, as the Knicks were battling for momentum, Hart was issued a flagrant foul for pushing Rudy Gobert’s knee. “We were battling for a rebound,” Hart said. “I felt like I got pushed, and then the other one, he kind of smacked me down, hit the ball, and then hit me. […] Just out of frustration. I gotta be better.”
Towns, in addition to his 40 points, turned the basketball over five times. The Knicks lost the turnover battle 19-11 and allowed 22 points off those turnovers. Towns’s six personal fouls didn’t help, either. Foul trouble is his greatest weakness.
“I knew what the situation was,” Towns reflected. “I knew that the ball would find me more today, and I wanted to be aggressive, impact winning. I thought I just wanted to do whatever it took to come out of here with a win. Obviously, we didn’t do enough. I didn’t do enough. This is going to be a tough plane ride home.”
Meanwhile, Tyler Kolek had a breakout game for the Knicks, and he was slotted as the starting point guard in Brunson’s stead. He scored a career-high 20 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes, along with eight assists and three steals.
“Any time you get an opportunity like that, you try to take advantage of it. These guys got confidence in me to go out there and play my game and do what I do,” Kolek said. “It’s too bad. We just couldn’t get the win.”
However, toward the end of the game, Kolek continued to struggle defensively, particularly by getting outmatched at the wings.
“For a young guy, [Kolek] tried to do what he could while he was out there,” said head coach Brown. “But we needed more from him, probably more so defensively than offensively at the end of the day if we expect to get a win on the road.”
Nevertheless, Brown continues to show that he trusts Kolek, the second-year guard out of Marquette. Perhaps the Knicks should pursue a backup point guard at the deadline, but once McBride, a strong defender, returns from his injury, the Knicks will be three-deep at the position. McBride has been upgraded to day-to-day with an ankle sprain, but he will not play against Cleveland tomorrow.
The Knicks will host the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow at noon in the first of five nationally televised Christmas Day games on ESPN and ABC.
Schedule
Thursday 12/25 – Christmas Day:
12:00 PM: NBA on Christmas Day – NYK vs. CLE; ESPN, ABC
1:00 PM: NFL on Christmas Day – Dallas Cowboys (6-8-1) at Washington Commanders (4-11); Netflix
4:30 PM: NFL on Christmas Day – Detroit Lions (8-7) at Minnesota Vikings (7-8); Netflix
8:15 PM: NFL on Christmas Day – Denver Broncos (12-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-9); Prime Video
