One minute the Rangers look completely out of it. The next minute they are tying the game in the final minutes, turning back the clock with a vintage Mika Zibanejad power play goal, forcing overtime, and winning in a shootout. I desperately want to believe in this team, but with so many games like this where they don’t wake up, tie the game, and force overtime, it’s tough. Sometimes the team looks like what they should be, but most of the time the veterans in the top-six just can’t get it done. Luckily, yesterday’s matinee was the former.
Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Vincent Trocheck had great games. Igor Shesterkin had weird ebbs and flows, giving up stoppable goals but rebounding to make key saves in key moments. It’s been the story thus far of the 2025-2026 Rangers, sometimes they are good, and sometimes they are a complete dumpster fire.
For all of the flack that has come Mika’s way, I don’t think there’s a high-priced veteran on the team who has bought into the system more than him. Whether that was established when Mike Sullivan met with him over the summer in Sweden or not, Mika is a completely different player this year. He’s much more willing to commit to the forecheck, get to the dirty areas, and do things that made him a prolific scorer in his prime. His powerplay goal to tie the game was one that gave us “old timers” a big smile. Now tied for 6th all time in goals with Vic Hadfield and a goal away from tying his best friend Chris Kreider and Camille Henry for the power play goal franchise record, it may be time to say he’s back.
The difference from yesterday and three nights ago in St. Louis, with and without Artemi Panarin, is clear. Panarin is their best skater on the ice and clearly creates space by forcing the opposition’s attention, something he does even when he’s on a cold streak. He still needs to turn it up a notch to keep pace with the expected 90-100 points, but the Rangers generally are in a much better position to win games when Panarin is tangibly producing offense. His two goals yesterday, plus the shootout winner, were a prime example of how he can take over a game. Only Chris Drury can answer what his future is, but for now Panarin is the most important forward on the team.
But how about the rookie Scott Morrow? He had a pair of rough neutral zone turnovers, and those will stick out in many minds, but that’s why we look at things like game score. The turnovers were bad and something the kid will work on, especially since one led directly to a goal. Aside from those turnovers, he turned in a strong game and helped set up the tying goal.
There is a quiet confidence to his game that he wasn’t benched after the turnovers and allowed to work through it. He’s willing to make moves with the puck that you don’t often see from a 23 year old defenseman just getting acclimated to the NHL. Hopefully that assist on Zibanejad’s tying goal will give the coaching staff more confidence as well, perhaps enough to put him on the top powerplay unit while Adam Fox is still out. Rookies turn the puck over, it’s just what they do. So if he can lessen those, he might have a spot as a top four defenseman with the Rangers. He and Matthew Robertson have looked good together as well.
The Rangers are back at it tonight against another beatable team in Nashville. It’s a rough schedule to play yesterday at home and tonight in Nashville, but they only have two games next week to get some rest. Let’s see what the Rangers give us, and if we can regain some faith or come crashing back down to Earth yet again.
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