Captains alert! In St. Louis, captain JT Miller scored the game-winning goal for the Rangers in overtime against the Blues. In Indianapolis, captain Jalen Brunson hit the game-winning three-point shot to help the Knicks complete an improbable comeback win over the Pacers.

Six shutout losses in 17 home games is absurd, embarrassing, and shameful. On Tuesday night, the Rangers lost 3-0 to Thatcher Demko and the NHL-worst Canucks. It was their seventh shutout loss of the season.

The Small Man conquered the Alien. David beat Goliath. Last night in Vegas, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks defeated Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs by a score of 124-113 to win the NBA Cup, their first title since 1973.

Tonight is a special night for the New York Knicks. If we have learned anything from the past week of Knicks basketball, it’s that the NBA Cup matters, and this team is committed to winning it. The Knicks’ performance in the NBA Cup tournament could be a preview of what’s to come in April, May, and June.

Tonight, the Small Man will battle the Alien. Tonight, the Knicks will play the Spurs in a race for the NBA Cup.

Mika Zibanejad has been scratched from tonight’s game, the same game in which Chris Kreider is scheduled to return to the Garden. It’s easy to fear that Zibanejad might, once again, be protesting against Chris Drury and upper management’s decision to trade Kreider this past offseason.

After the 2-11 Giants suffered a 33-15 Monday Night Football loss to the 11-2 Patriots two weeks ago, interim head coach Mike Kafka addressed his team in the film room. The head coach candidate showed very little confidence as he attempted to motivate his players.

I love the Rangers’ centennial jerseys. They’re a classic shade of blue with off-white letters and numbers made of felt. The jerseys are modeled after the club’s original jerseys from 1926. They look they’re best in contrast with another Original Six team’s centennial jersey, like in last night’s color-on-color matchup in Chicago.

There’s a television advertisement for the NBA Cup, and it features several NBA stars in a car chase across the desert in pursuit of the NBA Cup. The commercial asks, “Who will capture the Cup?” and it features Karl-Anthony Towns crashing through the glass of a New York City restaurant, jumping in a yellow cap, and speeding through the Vegas desert.

Before the Rangers hosted the Stars last Tuesday, if you had told me the Blueshirts were going to take six of eight points from Dallas, Ottawa, Colorado, and Vegas over the course of six days, I would have probably called you crazy. Dallas, Colorado, and Vegas are three of the best teams in the NHL, and given the Rangers’ abysmal record at home this season, they could never compete with such formidable opponents.

Artemi Panarin!

Last night in Ottawa, the Rangers beat the Senators 4-2, and Panarin recorded his 900th career point. He is the sixth undrafted player since 1964 to reach 900 points in at least 800 games (781). His 30 points this season lead the Rangers, and he’s scored 10 in his last six games, during which the Blueshirts have posted a 5-1-0 record.

It’s easy to beat Charlotte. The 6-16 Charlotte Hornets don’t threaten the New York Knicks.

The big bad Knicks think they’re so great. They can be. They should be. But they aren’t. Not yet.

Last night at the Garden, the Knicks beat the Hornets 119-104 and improved to 11-1 at home. However, it was clear the Knicks didn’t learn anything from their loss in Boston the night before.

Has any Rangers team ever been this confusing?

After putting up a season-low 13 shots on goal against Tampa Bay on Saturday, losing their best player, Adam Fox, for at least a month, and then losing Adam Edstrom in practice two days later, the Rangers somehow managed not just to beat, but to dominate the second-best team in the NHL with a season-high 41 shots on goal. They finally secured their third win at home, beating the Dallas Stars in overtime, 3-2.

This season hasn’t been easy for the Rangers or their fans, and on Saturday, it got even worse as the coochie coochie coo shirts went down quietly to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-1. The loss came one day after a dominant performance in Boston in which the Rangers held the Bruins to just five high-danger scoring chances while generating 11 in a 6-2 win.

Last Sunday, at home against Green Bay, interim head coach Mike Kafka started Jameis Winston over Russell Wilson, and the former first-overall draft pick offered a serviceable performance. However, the Giants’ defense collapsed in the same way it has all season, and as Green Bay went four-for-four in the red zone, New York lost the game 27-20.

New York shot 19-for-35 from the free-throw line, but Dallas turned the ball over just enough times for the Knicks to hang on. Dallas’ worst turnover came with less than one second remaining. As Brandon Williams drove for the game-winning bucket, he hooked Landry Shamet and got called for an offensive foul.

It’s still difficult to tell who these Rangers are. On Saturday, they celebrated their sixth straight road win. The next day, they were painfully reminded of their struggles at home. And two days later – last night – their six-game road win streak ended in Las Vegas as they fell to the Golden Knights 3-2.

The Blueshirts’ Backward Broadway Bloodbath continued on Sunday as the Rangers came out flat against Detroit despite a terrific shootout win in Columbus the night before. As great as their win in Columbus was, for they shut down the best even-strength scoring team in the NHL since last season, the Rangers went the entire weekend without scoring an even-strength goal.

It’s prove-it time for the Knicks. With OG Anunoby out for at least two weeks with a hamstring injury and Jalen Brunson day-to-day with an ankle injury, the Knicks will have to rely on unexpected sources to deliver necessary offense. With a five-game road trip beginning tonight in Miami, the Knicks seek their first road win of the season, and they’ll have to earn it without two of their best players.

Remember how much the Rangers were struggling at home to start their season? That 0-6-1 mark? Well, they now hold an 8-1-1 road record, and their 17 points through their first 10 road games are the most in franchise history.

Also, for the Knicks, that 7-0 home record was bound to eventually reach imperfection. If only it didn’t come at such a high cost. With 1:54 remaining in what became a 124-107 loss to the Orlando Magic, Jalen Brunson went down with an ankle injury.

“I think we’re a work-in-progress,” said Karl-Anthony Towns after yesterday’s 133-120 Knicks victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Hold up a minute. The Knicks have won five straight games. They are 7-0 at Madison Square Garden. They have scored over 130 points in three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. They attempted a franchise record-setting 55 three-point shots yesterday.

And Karl-Anthony Towns said what?