The New York Rangers are in the midst of a rough stretch with a 1-3-1 record in their last 5 games. All of their losses were on the road, which has been a nightmare for the Rangers thus far. Their road woes are turning comical, which makes it good that the Rangers are home against the LA Kings before they get a much needed and very random five day break in the schedule. James Reimer gets the start in net for the Rangers as the club finally has a competent backup goalie to give Dylan Garand a break.

The Kings are going to be without Mats Zuccarello tonight, which gives the Blueshirts a significant scoring advantage on a team that is already having trouble scoring. In theory, this plays into the Rangers favor, especially at home. We shall see if the Rangers can right the ship.

Rangers Lines

Gabe Perreault-Mika Zibanejad-Alexis Lafreniere
Tye Kartye-JT Miller-Oliver Bjorkstrand
Will Cuylle-Noah Laba-Pavel Dorofeyev
Eeli Tolvanen-Luke Glendening-Taylor Raddysh

Vlad Gavrikov-Adam Fox
Marcus Pettersson-Scott Morrow
Alberts Smits-Braden Schneider

James Reimer gets the start.

Scratches: Matt Rempe
Injuries: Sean Durzi (day to day), Joe Veleno (IR – lower body), Joonas Korpisalo (IR – lower body), Igor Shesterkin (LTIR – lower body)

Kings Lines

Artemi Panarin-Alex Laferriere-Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore-Quinton Byfield-Erik Haula
Taylor Ward-Scott Laughton-Joel Armia
Andre Lee-Samuel Helenius-Corey Perry

Erik Gustaffson-Brandt Clarke
Joel Edmundson-Drew Doughty
Mikey Anderson-Brian Dumoulin

Darcy Kuemper gets the start.

Game time is 7pm.

The New York Rangers road woes are closing in on comical at this point. In a pure monkey’s paw twist of fate, the Blueshirts have just one win on the road and are (as of now) undefeated at home. Compared to last year when the Rangers could do no wrong on the road and saved all of their wrongs for MSG ice, this is both a welcomed change and an ironic outcome for those wishing to end their home issues. It’s amusing, but the New York Rangers road woes do need to come to an end if this team is to be taken serious.

So what is fueling the New York Rangers road woes? Is this fixable, or is this something we need to wait out?

The New York Rangers road woes are a bit of a recent development

As it stands today, the Blueshirts are 6-0-0 at home and 1-5-1 on the road. They’ve scored just 12 goals in those 8 road games, allowing a whopping 26 goals in those games. That 26 goals is a bit misleading, as 20 of those goals have come in the last 4 road games, and 19 in 3 of those games (New Jersey, Toronto, Ottawa). In the 3 road games prior, the Rangers allowed just six goals against, but won just one of those games.

“Removing” those 3 games isn’t really fair, but it adds context. Allowing 7 goals in 3 road games seems more accurate with the Rangers defensive game. But those games happened.

At home, the Rangers are obviously much better. They’ve scored 29 goals in 6 home games, allowing just 10 goals. It’s not exactly rocket science to say the Rangers shoot better at home and get better goaltending at home. That’s only a part of the story to the New York Rangers road woes though. It’s not about shooting and save percentages.

Possession splits are extreme

Small sample size warning, as it’s only been 7 road games, but the possession splits are pretty extreme. At home, the Rangers carry a 54.07% xG share, a 51.55% HDCF share, and a 55.24% HDSF share. They are also converting on those high danger chances, with 16 high danger goals and a 27.59% shooting rate on those chances. Away from MSG, those numbers drop to 44.63% xG share, 50% HDCF share, 47.42% HDSF share, and an abysmal 6.52% HD shooting rate. So not only are the Rangers taking an extreme drop in xG share, their high danger attempts just aren’t getting on net.

So now we know the goals and save percentages away from MSG took a steep dive, which correlates well to the drip in high danger chances getting through. There were two areas that jumped out: High danger shots for and high danger goals for. The former would be an explanation why raw xG totals away from MSG are down. The latter would explain the poor shooting percentages.

But why are the splits so bad?

The numbers tell the conclusion to the New York Rangers road woes, but we don’t necessarily know the story just yet. There are many possible reasons, and perhaps the best answer is the most logical answer. When at home, Mike Sullivan can get his preferred matchups. He gets the JT Miller or Noah Laba line out against top competition. He gets to shelter the Alberts Smits-Braden Schneider pair against weaker competition.

Away from MSG, without last change, the opposition has that advantage. Notably, teams are targeting Smits-Schneider, as Ottawa did on Saturday with the Tim Stutzle line. The Marcus Pettersson-Sean Durzi duo, the Rangers’ primary shutdown pair, mostly got the Dylan Cozens line. Toronto did the same thing with Auston Matthews, getting him out against Smits and Schneider.

The solution is somewhat simple: Change the Rangers defense pairs. Even if there’s a desire to keep Schneider in the lineup, the Rangers are getting exposed without the Vlad Gavrikov-Adam Fox pair on the ice. This is fine at home when Sully gets his preferred matchups, but it’s burning them on the road. The Rangers need a bit more balance on the blue line, Schneider’s presence aside.

Perhaps the New York Rangers road woes work themselves out over the course of an 84 game season. Do the Rangers have enough time to wait that long? Is there truly any harm in trying something new, especially with a five day break coming up? The New York Rangers road woes have the potential to tank their season, and at the very least the coaching staff should be putting players in positions to succeed.

The New York Rangers lines tonight will be the same that ended Saturday night’s loss in Ottawa, with Pavel Dorofeyev on the third line and Oliver Bjorkstrand bumped back up to the second line. There are no changes to the defense pairs, as expected. In net, James Reimer will make his New York Rangers debut in net, finally giving Dylan Garand a much needed rest day after starting 7 games in a row, a number that is somewhat rare nowadays. Garand really started to show cracks in the last few games, and rest is clearly a need for him.

The lack of changes in the lineup, other than giving Garand the night off, might not sit well with some. But the New York Rangers lines tonight weren’t likely to see major changes with a 5 day break coming up after tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Kings.

2026-2027 New York Rangers Record: 7-5-1 (2nd in Metro)
Last Week’s Results: W 5-2 vs ANA, L 5-4 @ TOR, L 7-4 @ OTT
This Week’s Schedule: 10/26 vs LAK, 11/1 vs EDM
Last Week’s Rangers Fan Confidence: 4.63

Top stories last week:

• The New York Rangers continued their road struggles, beating Anaheim at MSG before losing in Canada to Toronto and Ottawa.
• In this week’s Patreon post (subscribe here!), Dave talked the need to remember the Rangers are still holding strong in the Metro Division, despite issues that need to be addressed.
  • On this week’s Blue Seats After Dark, Dave talked the Rangers inconsistency on offense and what needs to be done.
• Live From the Blue Seats (follow here!) talked Dylan Garand’s performance. He’s not Igor Shesterkin, and this is what human goaltending looks like.
• The Rangers signed Luke Glendening and James Reimer to PTOs in the NHL and Hartford before signing them both to the NHL.
• The Rangers powerplay needs to start giving different looks to have better success.
• As the Rangers figure out their fourth line, Brandon stated it clearly that it’s time for Matt Rempe to go.
• Pavel Dorofeyev’s early season struggles are catching fan attention, but the goals will come.
• Brandon re-ranked the Metro Division power rankings through the first month of the season.
• Aside from minor tinkering, the next move the Rangers need to make is for a center.
• Despite all the concerns, remember that the Rangers give-a-damn meter is up significantly, and maybe we should just enjoy the ride.

Please take a second to answer the NY Rangers Fan Confidence Poll below and give us an idea of how confident you are in the Rangers, their direction, coaching, management, prospects, and overall quality on the ice. You can click the tag “Fan Confidence Poll” to view historical polls.

When the New York Rangers traded Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings, it signaled an end of an era for the Blueshirts. Gone were the days of Panarin and the rest of the Rangers reaching the playoffs annually and fighting through rounds. Suddenly, the idea of a retool on the fly became a reality for the Rangers. Now, New York has Pavel Dorofeyev playing the Panarin role, replacing their top winger with another. But there is a clear hole, and the NY Rangers must trade for a center with their next move to address that hole.

This hole was evident when the Rangers shipped Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth (in a wise deal, I must add) and did not find an offseason replacement for the center. Instead, New York went into the season with Mika Zibanejad, JT Miller, and Noah Laba as their top three centers. If New York can remain healthy the entire season, the trio of centers isn’t bad. While one would never call them an advantage, they aren’t much of a disadvantage, either.

However if Zibanejad or Miller get hurt, the depth is perilously thin. We are currently living in a world where the Rangers are one injury away from Noah Laba and Luke Glendening as their second and third line centers.

The NY Rangers must trade for a center for multiple reasons

Compounding the issue is that both Miller and Zibanejad are both on the wrong side of 30 years old and will begin to regress sooner rather than later. Father Time comes for all, and the NY Rangers must trade for a center as their next move to help mitigate these risks. There are no ifs ands or buts about it. The Rangers may not be focusing on this season to a full extent, as tough of a pill as that is to swallow. The Rangers shouldn’t be making moves for veterans on expiring contracts.

Players like Braden Schneider and perhaps Nathan Aspinall or other prospects further down the pipe should be dangled, as the NY Rangers must trade for a center to keep their retool plans moving forward.

As New York continues to improve on the ice, their chances of acquiring such a player continue to increase. Connor McDavid has reportedly long enjoyed New York, and could become a free agent in the coming years. The Rangers would have a far easier time recruiting him to a winning team, though he still has another full season on his contract and waiting for him to sign as a free agent for a second time isn’t the best plan. Similarly, a Dylan Larkin type has years left on his contract, though the Rangers would have to give up plenty of assets that they don’t likely have.

It’s clear the NY Rangers must trade for a center with their next big move. Where that center comes from is a difficult question. Larkin isn’t the best option due to trade cost acquisition. Waiting for McDavid again seems like a bad idea. The Blueshirts have a plethora of young defensemen that are blocked and young wingers that are equally blocked. There’s a way to make this work, but Chris Drury will need to pull something out of his bag of tricks.

The Rangers are getting some goaltending reinforcements, as they have signed goalie James Reimer to a 1 year, league minimum contract ($850,000). Reimer will replace Spencer Martin as the backup goalie for the Rangers, while Martin will likely be returned to the AHL to backup Callum Tung. Dylan Garand is in desperate need of some rest, having carried the Rangers to a pretty impressive 7-5-1 record through October. Garand isn’t Igor Shesterkin, and neither is Reimer, but a capable NHL backup goes a long way to keeping Garand sharp.

No disrespect to Martin, he’s just not an NHL goalie. Garand has not looked sharp the last two or three games, and fatigue is likely a factor. Martin simply wasn’t usable for the Rangers, and they knew that. James Reimer is a stopgap that can hopefully play to league average goaltending, which is around a .892 SV% thus far.

The bar is somewhat low for Reimer. Just be better than Martin and put up a .892 SV%. Assuming the defensive structure holds, which isn’t a given, that’s doable.

Matthew Robertson has been reassigned to the AHL after a quick recall yesterday.

In some odd twist of fate, the New York Rangers seemingly can’t win on the road anymore. After a full season of not being able to win at MSG, the tables have turned. The last road win for the Blueshirts was 22 days ago, though last night the Rangers played well after a horrid start. There’s a definite possibility that this could be getting in their heads, much like last year with their games at home, but with only 13 games under their belts there is thankfully still some time to even out the away record. The good news is the Rangers have one more game before a much needed five day break, and that game is at Madison Square Garden. Dylan Garand looks like he’s hit a wall and desperately needs the rest.

Speaking of hitting walls, is 13 games enough of a sample size to start to have takes that Alberts Smits just might not be ready for the NHL? He’s certainly a bit inconsistent, which is expected for an 18 year old. It doesn’t help that he needs a better defense partner, but there’s also merit to returning him to Hartford during this break to get some confidence back. Smits has shown some bad tendencies in the last few games that film sessions can course correct. Remember Gabe Perreault needed a little extra time in the AHL last season. We are at a point where we can begin to trust the Rangers’ development plans.

One player who is not hitting a wall whatsoever is Alexis Lafreniere. Lafreniere is showing that perhaps the Rangers should have traded Artemi Panarin earlier, as he’s been on a tear since the trade. This season he’s been otherworldly, with 9 goals and 15 points in 13 games. It took him 54 games to hit the 9 goal mark while playing on the vaunted “kid line.” It’s hard not to wonder what could have been if he was put in this kind of position to succeed earlier in his career, but you also need to give Chris Drury credit for not selling low and too early before giving him a real chance. He’s now one of the best bargains in the NHL on his current contract.

We don’t have enough games to judge, and he does need some rest, but perhaps Dylan Garand is simply a good goalie and not a great goalie. Not everyone is Igor Shesterkin or Henrik Lundqvist, and as Dave said on Live From the Blue Seats, this is what human goaltending looks like. The sloppy defense hasn’t helped, but Garand’s rebound control and athleticism is starting to get exposed. This is where Rangers fans have been spoiled, as both Lundqvist and Shesterkin would be able to bail their team out, and four goals would certainly have been enough to secure a win.

That’s just how this season is going to go. The Rangers are going to have to tighten things up in front of Garand, Joonas Korpisalo, and whomever else winds up in net for the Rangers. We’ve been a bit spoiled for 20 years, and this is why you pay Igor Shesterkin his money.

The New York Rangers are in the midst of a very mediocre run, going 1-2-1 in their last four games including a blowout loss to the Devils and the sloppiest game of the season in Toronto. Now perhaps without Sean Durzi, the Rangers will look to right the ship with improved structure and better overall three zone play in Ottawa. Durzi is a game time decision for the Rangers, and it’s assumed Scott Morrow will take Durzi’s spot tonight if he can’t go.

Ottawa is an interesting team as they are probably a bit better than their record indicates with solid depth up front, but their defense leaves a bit to be desired, allowing around 3 goals per game right now. The Rangers have the skill to take advantage of Ottawa’s questionable defense depth and mediocre penalty kill.

Rangers Lines (assumes Durzi does not play)

Gabe Perreault-Mika Zibanejad-Alexis Lafreniere
Tye Kartye-JT Miller-Pavel Dorofeyev
Will Cuylle-Noah Laba-Eeli Tolvanen
Oliver Bjorkstrand-Luke Glendening-Taylor Raddysh

Vlad Gavrikov-Adam Fox
Marcus Pettersson-Scott Morrow
Alberts Smits-Braden Schneider

Dylan Garand gets the start.

Scratches: Matt Rempe
Injuries: Sean Durzi (day to day), Joe Veleno (IR – lower body), Joonas Korpisalo (IR – lower body), Igor Shesterkin (LTIR – lower body)

Senators Lines

Fabian Zetterlund-Tim Stutzle-Claude Giroux
Warren Foegele-Dylan Cozens-Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig-Shane Pinto-Michael Amadio
Nick Cousins-Stephen Halliday-Andre Burakovsky

Jake Sanderson-Artem Zub
Tyler Kleven-Jordan Spence
Nikolas Matinpalo-Carter Yakemchuk

Jonas Johansson gets the start.

Game time is 7pm.

The New York Rangers seem to be good again! With a great start under their belts and Dylan Garand thus far proving to be capable of handling a starting goalies workload, the present and future look bright for the Blueshirts. This is usually when we start setting expectations to make a Cup run, naturally with Pavel Dorofeyev’s snakebitten first 12 games coming to focus. Dorofeyev will get going, but it highlights an important aspect of this season as fans. Given the last two seasons, it’s important to enjoy the ride, Rangers fans.

It’s going to be natural to pick apart some of the club’s deficiencies. Dorofeyev’s rough shooting start is naturally number one. This has been amplified by New York’s hot start, his contract, and the significant trade cost in the offseason. Rather than being one of a bunch of players finding their footing, Dorofeyev has been the sore spot for fans excited about New York’s excellent play. He’s doing everything else right, and the goals will come.

Meanwhile, Dylan Garand is proving a lot of doubters wrong. We will still see rumors about goalie trades and we certainly won’t get Igor Shesterkin type numbers. Joonas Korpisalo is still around, but his foot infection appears to be a bit trickier than initially anticipated. He hasn’t skated yet, which means he’s at least 2-3 weeks away. The Rangers need a backup, which is how these conversations should be framed. Still, Rangers fans can enjoy the ride of watching Garand grow into the role.

The overall point? Enjoy the ride, Rangers fans. This isn’t going to be a bad season. It will have its ups and downs, but it won’t be like the last two seasons of atrocious vibes and even worse play. We are being treated to not just competence, but winning. The Rangers aren’t just winning the games they should win, they are winning games that in previous seasons they would have been boat raced.

The defense is stronger than ever thanks to solid play from Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi. Braden Schneider has not looked like a weak link, and Alberts Smits has played his part in the early season success. Up front, Alexis Lafreniere looks like a legitimate NHL star, Gabe Perreault isn’t having a sophomore slump, and Mika ZIbanejad continues to look like a first line center.

The coaching has improved, with Mike Sullivan correctly utilizing Oliver Bjorkstrand, Tye Kartye, and Eeli Tolvanen. Will Cuylle looks far more comfortable on the third line. Though it’s fair if this is to be debated. The debates aren’t about whether they should play, but where they should play, a welcomed change from the last two seasons.

As all of this shows, the Rangers finally look like a competent organization again after back to back years of pain, pain, and more pain. Sure, there are areas the Rangers could improve, but that’s true of any team. We can nitpick all we want, but what’s the fun in that? The expectations were non-existent going into this season, so every win is a big boost upon how we felt going into the year.

Enjoy the ride, Rangers fans. We don’t know how long or if this will last. Sometimes, it’s more important to just appreciate the present.

The New York Rangers have made three roster moves in advance of tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators. To make room for newly signed Luke Glendening, the Rangers reassigned center Justin Dowling to the AHL. The Rangers have also recalled defenseman Matthew Robertson, as it appears Sean Durzi is injured and won’t play in tonight’s game in Ottawa. Durzi had missed the last couple of practices for maintenance, and this looks to be a precaution more than anything serious.

As of now, it’s unknown if there will be any defense shakeups. Even though Robertson was recalled, there’s a chance Scott Morrow will finally draw into the lineup, preferably alongside Marcus Pettersson, which would be consistent with the last couple of practices. This would be Morrow’s first game of the season. Pettersson or Vlad Gavrikov would be the preferred defense partners to help with Morrow’s weaknesses.

Glendening will slide into the 4C role with Oliver Bjorkstrand and Taylor Raddysh as his wings.