If you’re checking your phone or refreshing your feed to find out what is the score of the New York Rangers game, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this. It was rough. Actually, "rough" is an understatement. It was a disaster. The New York Rangers lost 8-4 to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Yeah. 8-4. At home.
Honestly, the scoreline doesn't even fully capture how lopsided this thing felt from the jump. If you weren't watching, the Garden was filled with "boo birds" by the end of the first period, and for good reason. The Rangers allowed four goals in the first 20 minutes alone. It's the first time in the Senators' 33-season history that they’ve put up four goals in a single period at MSG.
Breaking Down the 8-4 Mess
The Senators basically treated the Rangers like a JV team in that opening frame. Drake Batherson got things started just 2:18 into the game on a power play. Then came Nick Jensen, followed by Brady Tkachuk—who snagged his 200th career goal on an odd-man rush—and finally Dylan Cozens, who beat Jonathan Quick with only 5.7 seconds left in the period.
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Quick, who was making his 800th NHL start, didn't even get to finish the milestone night. He was yanked midway through the second period after Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot made it 6-0. You can't really pin this all on the goalie, though. The defense in front of him was non-existent.
The Silver Linings (If You Can Call Them That)
There was a tiny bit of life in the third period, mostly thanks to the kids. Gabe Perreault, the rookie everyone’s been waiting to see break out, actually had a great night. He scored twice. His first one was a slick give-and-go where he snuck behind the Ottawa defense, and his second showed off some serious "silky mitts" with a forehand-backhand finish.
- Gabe Perreault: 2 Goals
- Alexis Lafrenière: 1 Goal, 1 Assist
- Noah Laba: 1 Power-play Goal
- Mika Zibanejad: 2 Assists
- J.T. Miller: 2 Assists
But let's be real. Scoring four goals and still losing by four is the hockey equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig. By the time the Rangers started finding the back of the net, the outcome was already a foregone conclusion. Tim Stützle put the final nail in the coffin with an empty-netter at 19:11 of the third.
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Why the Rangers Are Spiraling
This loss marks the fifth straight defeat for the Blueshirts (0-4-1). Ever since Igor Shesterkin went down with that lower-body injury against the Utah Mammoth about nine days ago, the wheels haven't just come off—they’ve exploded. Without Igor masking the defensive flaws, the Rangers have been outscored 30-12 in their last five outings.
The situation at Madison Square Garden is becoming a legitimate crisis. They’ve won just five times in 22 home games this season. Think about that. For a team that was supposed to be a Cup contender under Mike Sullivan, being dead last in the Eastern Conference in mid-January is almost impossible to wrap your head around.
What's Next for the Blueshirts?
The schedule doesn't get any easier, and the vibe around the team is getting darker by the day. General Manager Chris Drury is under immense pressure, and fans are already starting to do the "draft lottery math" instead of looking at playoff seeds.
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If you're looking for a reason to keep watching, it's the development of guys like Perreault and Laba. At this point, the veterans aren't getting it done, and the "win-now" window looks like it might have slammed shut. The Rangers head to Philadelphia on Saturday to take on the Flyers. Hopefully, they can find some semblance of a defensive structure before then, or we're going to see another lopsided scoreline.
To keep track of the team's attempt to climb out of the basement, watch the line combinations in practice this Friday. If Sullivan keeps Perreault in the top six alongside Zibanejad and Miller, at least there’s a reason to tune in for the offensive spark, even if the defensive side remains a total gamble.