Daily Report – 3/26/26
Rangers
The Rangers couldn’t outrun it: Elimination. For the second straight season, they have been eliminated from playoff contention. This time, they did it before any other Eastern Conference team. The Blueshirts’ elimination came as a formality.
Since Opening Night, the reality has been that this team lacks it. All of it. Which led to the official announcement of a retool that really began last season.
On Monday night, as Mika Zibanejad skated in his 1,000th game, the Rangers tied the all-time Modern Era low for shots on goal in a single game – nine. Fortunately, upon review, that number was changed to 10. The Rangers, to some extent, were saved from embarrassment, so in Toronto yesterday, they recorded a season-high 43 shots on goal.
This means the team’s game plan finally involved shooting the puck, even with elimination knocking at their door. However, in typical 2025-26 fashion, not even 43 shots on net were enough for a victory. The Rangers lost 4-3 to the Leafs.
“I don’t think anybody thought we’d be where we are right now, eliminated with this many games left,” said captain JT Miller.
Wrong. It was pretty easy to predict from the start.
“But that’s not where my mind is right now.”
Where is it, then?
“Right now, we are just worried about playing good hockey games to end the season and feel good about our game going into the summer. We failed in reaching our goal this year, but right now, we [were] worried about playing a good game against Toronto, and I thought we played a good game and gave ourselves a chance to win.”
On the bright side, at least the Rangers are trying to win games. 43 shots on goal is a good response to nine-turned-10. In his 1,001st career game, Mika Zibanejad scored twice on 10 shots. Additionally, Alexis Lafrenière and Will Cuylle went a combined 1-for-14 from the ice.
Also, being in last place means the kids get to play. Goalie Dylan Garand made his NHL debut on Sunday, Drew Fortescue will probably make his tomorrow, and 21-year-old Adam Sykora played his first game yesterday. Six rookies have debuted for the Rangers this season.
Sykora is best friends with Jaroslav Chmelar. “My happiness for him is through the roof,” Chmelar said before yesterday’s game, in which Sykora posted three shots on goal in 13 minutes.
“I thought he was great,” said head coach Mike Sullivan. “His speed was evident. He made a couple of nice wall plays, didn’t panic with the puck, made good decisions at the lines, and didn’t force things that weren’t there. I thought he made an impact. I thought he had a really good game.”
Seven minutes after Jake McCabe scored Toronto’s first goal, Igor Shesterkin gave up a bad one to Nicholas Robertson. The tally Shesterkin allowed to Dakota Joshua in the second period wasn’t great either, which gave Toronto a 3-0 lead nearly six minutes into the second frame.
The Rangers bounced back five minutes later when Alexis Lafrenière scored on the power play with a snazzy net-front wrist shot. Zibanejad followed in the final two minutes with a power-play goal from beneath the left circle.
Placing a premium on shooting pucks sometimes leads to poor defense the other way, which was exactly how John Tavares regained the Maple Leafs’ two-goal lead 12 minutes into the third period. It was Toronto’s third goal off the rush, signifying a poor defensive night for the Rangers and a subpar performance in net by Shesterkin.
The Rangers will return to action tomorrow night when the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Garden (7:00 PM, 6:00 PM CST – MSG, Gotham Sports). Chicago’s 67 points are tied for the second-fewest points in the Western Conference.
Schedule
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CST): NYK at CHA; MSG, Gotham Sports
