The Rangers have done enough through the first quarter of the 2026-27 season to stay in the mix, but the bigger picture around them in the Eastern Conference is getting crowded fast.
New York is 11-8-1 after 20 games and sits third in the Metropolitan Division with 23 points. That’s a solid place to be considering the club has had to push on without Igor Shesterkin, who is out for the season after knee surgery. Even so, the Rangers have shown they can hang around in the playoff race for the long haul.
The problem is that the road to the postseason looks tighter than ever. The East’s two wild-card spots could easily come out of the Atlantic Division, which would leave only the top three teams in the Metro to qualify.
Carolina, the defending Stanley Cup champion, looks set to own the division again, and New Jersey is rolling after its franchise-changing trade for Connor Hellebuyck. That leaves the Rangers fighting in a packed middle for third place.
Washington is right there, too. The Capitals are only three points behind New York, and they have three games in hand. Their points percentage, .588, is already better than the Rangers’ .575, so in practical terms they’re in a stronger position than the Blueshirts.
The Islanders are also three points back, with two games in hand, and they’ve done it without a single game from Mat Barzal, who is closing in on his season debut. That’s a surprising development for a team few expected to be in the conversation this early.
New York does have some breathing room thanks to a few teams around the conference stumbling out of the gate. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, both playoff teams a year ago, have dug themselves into ugly starts.
Columbus is still Columbus - some promise, plenty of roster holes. And then there’s Toronto and Detroit, two Original 6 rivals that are both carrying five-game losing streaks into their next games and slipping in the wild-card chase.
Still, the Rangers can’t rely on chaos elsewhere. They need to handle the games in front of them, especially against teams they should beat.
Friday’s matchup with the Vancouver Canucks is one of those spots. So is the broader task of stacking points inside the division and conference.
So far, the Rangers are 2-2-1 against Metropolitan opponents and 5-5-1 against the conference. They host the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, and the Hurricanes are scheduled to visit the Garden twice later this month. Those are major tests for a team that is 3-5-0 against clubs currently in a playoff spot.
That’s why this race figures to stay tight right down to the finish.
There’s also a chance Friday brings a familiar face back into the picture. Two years after the Rangers dealt Filip Chytil to Vancouver, the injury-prone center appears healthy enough to play when the teams meet at Rogers Arena.
Mika Zibanejad’s two-goal night against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday was a timely boost for New York, and Lou DiPietro also takes a deep dive into 10 current or former Rangers players and coaches who could someday reach the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Around the NHL, Colorado is dealing with major injury trouble after Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar were both hurt in the Avalanche’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators, according to Aarif Deen.
Kevin Fiala returned to the NHL lineup for the first time since breaking his leg at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, and he picked up an assist in the Kings’ 5-2 loss to the Islanders.
Dan Kingerski examines the Erik Karlsson trade chatter, with reports saying the Hurricanes have a “ton of interest” in the veteran defenseman.
Frank Seravalli argues that the Wild should keep pending UFA Quinn Hughes past the trade deadline even if he remains unsigned.
In New Jersey, James Nichols reports that every one of GM Sunny Mehta’s most recent call-ups found the scoresheet in the Devils’ divisional win over Washington.
And in Vancouver, the Sedin twins met with reporters and gave a candid look at where the organization stands after a rough first quarter of the season.
In Other News...
Chris Kreider's MSG Return Suddenly Feels Far Less Certain
Chris Kreiders first season with the Canadiens has already taken an unexpected turn, and now his next trip back to Madison Square Garden is suddenly in question. The veteran winger left the game against the Bruins with a lower-body injury after favoring his left leg, did not return, and there was no postgame update on his condition.
For Rangers fans, the timing is notable because Montreal is scheduled to visit MSG next, which had already made Kreiders return a point of interest. Instead, the focus has shifted to whether he will even be available, turning what looked like a familiar reunion into something far less certain. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Fans Are Already Split On A Debate That Could Grow Fast
Early-season hockey always invites a quick verdict, and Rangers fans have already found a few names to argue about. Pavel Dorofeyevs scoring has drawn attention, but so has the minus rating attached to his start, while the goaltending conversation has naturally drifted toward Igor Shesterkin and Dylan Garand. Even Matt Rempe has become part of the debate, with some fans focused on his ice time and others on what he can realistically bring beyond the physical edge.
A scout quoted in the piece urges some patience before turning those first impressions into hard conclusions, which is usually the sensible way to handle October noise. Still, the split is real because these are the kinds of players and roles that tend to shape how a season feels long before the standings do. Whether the skepticism is about Dorofeyevs all-around impact, Garands comparison to Shesterkin, or Rempes fit in the lineup, the larger question is how quickly Rangers fans want to decide what theyre seeing. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Need More From Scott Morrow Than They Planned
Scott Morrow has already started to look like more than a depth call-up for the Rangers, even in a small sample. Through six games, his even-strength numbers have been encouraging, and the club has begun using him on the second power-play unit while he settles in as a third-pair defenseman playing about 13 minutes a night.
The next question is whether New York is ready to give him a bigger look before the season gets much deeper. There is a case for moving Morrow up alongside Marcus Pettersson on the second pair, not because the Rangers need to force a decision immediately, but because his underlying performance suggests he may be worth testing in a role that asks more of him. [Read more 🡒]