Who on Earth was that team out on Madison Square Garden ice? That was a Rangers team from between 2024 and 2026? That couldn’t be true, there’s no way they outshot the red hot Dallas Stars 41-25 and got their biggest win of the season when arguably their most important skater is injured. Hopefully this isn’t a blip, even if we all know better than to give hope and faith to this team right now.
Fans have been craving a team that can looks like what the Rangers looked like last night. They had critical momentum shifting penalty killing, controlled play in the offensive zone, didn’t force plays, and were actually clutch with the goalie pulled. The Rangers played their best game of the 2025 calendar year, and did so at MSG against a top team in the NHL. Again, hopefully this isn’t a blip and is a sign of better times.
In the absence of Fox, Vlad Gavrikov stepped up big time, scoring the game winner on a great read in overtime, collecting an Artemi Panarin rebound and slipping it past Casey DeSmith. It feels like Gavrikov was tailor made for Mike Sulliva. He’s primarily looking to disrupt, defend, and is also chipping in on offense. His 12 points in 28 games is well on his way to a career high, and his five goals is one shy of his current career high. With Adam Fox out, he is the most complete defenseman on the roster. This is the kind of partner Braden Schneider can hopefully grow with as the Rangers reach a crossroads with one of their prized homegrown defensemen.
Will Cuylle was probably miscast as a top six forward earlier in the year, but he’s starting to come into his own in that role. At the 28 game mark, he has been an effective forward in all situations. Cuylle’s tying goal with the goalie pulled was the first goal the Rangers have scored with an empty net since the Stadium Series game against the Islanders in 2024. Cuylle gets to the dirty areas of the ice, competes, and comes out on top of puck battles, skills that can translate into clutch scoring. His 4 points in the last 5 games aren’t too shabby either!
The only gripe with last night was Scott Morrow’s usage. It just seems odd that he isn’t on PP1, given his skill set. The Rangers acquired him in the K’Andre Miller deal for his puck moving abilities as an offensive defenseman. He’s not some wet behind the ears kid. He’s 23 and has both regular season and playoff experience. The five forwards on PP1 did not convert and looked a little stale again. With Fox out, this is the perfect time to see what Morrow can do. He will likely be an adventure at 5v5, but with some time and growth he can fine tune his defensive game and still serve as another much needed puck mover.
If the only complaint about a game is some odd usage for a prospect, then it was a solid game all around. This is the type of win teams build from. The surprising Ottawa Senators are up next as the Rangers hope to build momentum heading into a weekend gauntlet against Colorado and Vegas.
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