So far into their centennial season, the New York Rangers have set NHL history, and not in a way they hoped.
In five games played, the Rangers sit with a 2-3 record, as of publication. They have yet to win a game at Madison Square Garden, and that’s not even the most interesting part.
The Rangers have not scored a goal on home ice. You read that right.
They have not scored a goal on home ice; that is the current history the team has set.
The two games won so far by the Rangers were both on the road. Currently, the Rangers hold a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabers on Oct. 9 in Buffalo, N.Y. And a 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 11 in Pittsburgh. P.A.
While the Rangers, as of publication, have outscored their opponents 10 to seven, all 10 of their goals have come in two games.
On home ice, the Rangers have faced off against the Pittsburgh Penguins (3-0), Washington Capitals (1-0) and Edmonton Oilers (2-0), getting shut out by each team. Additionally, in these games, the Rangers have only let in three goals with a goaltender in net, with the remainder being scored on open net opportunities.
In their three games at Madison Square Garden so far, according to nyrbluecrew on Instagram, the Rangers sat with a 9.73 expected goals, coming out with zero.
So what could be the issue here?
While it’s hard to pinpoint one exact issue, let’s highlight some team aspects and changes that may be affecting the Rangers’ strange struggle thus far.
Goaltending
Some may fall back to the goaltending, but even taking a deeper look at the goaltending stats, nothing obviously wrong is shown. Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, in his two games on home ice, finished with a .966 and .952 save percentage, while Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick ended his sole game on home ice with a .951 save percentage.
Moreover, Shesterkin has not fallen off his A game, with a 7.4 goals saved above expected in four games played, as of publication, according to nyrbluecrew on Instagram.
Coaching
In the off-season, the Rangers hired Mike Sullivan as their next head coach, providing years of athletic and coaching experience to the franchise. Sullivan played in the NHL for 10 years, on the San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins and the now-non-existent Phoenix Coyotes, according to his Elite Prospects. During his time playing, Sullivan made six playoff appearances.
Sullivan has coached since 2002 for the AHL Providence Bruins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins, along with multiple USA teams, most recently for the Four Nations Faceoff.
During his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sullivan coached back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion teams in 2016 and 2017.
Roster
Taking a look at the roster, as of publication, defenseman Adam Fox leads the team in points, with four, and in goals, with three goals and one assist in five games played. While center Sam Carrick leads the team in assists with three in five games played.
After finishing last season with 89 points on 37 goals and 52 assists, left winger Artemi Panarin has been struggling thus far in the season, only tallying two assists in five games played.
In January, the Rangers acquired center J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks. Miller played for the Rangers from 2012 to 2018 before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning and then the Canucks. In his last full season in Vancouver, Miller recorded an astounding 103 points on 37 goals and 66 assists in 81 games played.
Just a month ago, Miller was named the 29th captain in franchise history, while he hopes to lead his team into the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year. Yet, the Rangers do have a history of trading their captains, trading away their last three captains since 2011.
A huge loss, five games into the season, comes with the upper-body injury of center Vincent Trocheck, early in the Rangers’ matchup against the Sabers. Trocheck was placed on injury reserve after leaving the game early, but was then placed on long-term injury reserve, expected to miss seven games. Last season, Trocheck tallied 59 points for the Rangers, coming on 26 goals and 33 assists.
In the offseason, the Rangers traded long-time Blueshirt left winger Chris Kreider. Kreider had been a key member of the Rangers franchise for years, despite having a lackluster 2024-25 campaign, finishing with 30 points.
However, as of publication, he leads the Anaheim Ducks in points with five on four goals and one assist in three games played.
So while the franchise is plagued with a mysterious inability to score on home ice, the Rangers will return to Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20 to face off against the Minnesota Wild. Win or lose, let’s just hope they can finally get one then.
