The Rangers head to Detroit on Friday night with a quick turnaround, a tired roster and a chance to see whether the kind of game that beat Tampa Bay can travel.
That 5-1 win over the Lightning on Thursday was about more than the headlines. Sure, Igor Shesterkin scoring the first goalie goal in franchise history grabbed the attention.
But coach Mike Sullivan made it clear the real story was the way the team played together. After a disconnected 3-0 loss in Boston on Tuesday, the Rangers looked far more connected against Tampa Bay, and that showed up everywhere: J.T.
Miller, Will Cuylle, Tye Kartye and Joe Veleno all hounded the net, Albert Smits matched up against Victor Hedman, and the penalty kill was spotless at 7-for-7.
Now comes the harder part. This is the third game in four nights for the Rangers, who are 1-1-0, and the start of a stretch that has them playing five games in eight nights.
Detroit, meanwhile, is just getting started. The Red Wings haven’t played yet, which leaves the question Sullivan raised on Thursday: is it better to be in rhythm from games, or fresher from practice?
“I think sometimes there is value to playing games, you get into the routine a little bit, you get a chance to build some chemistry with your linemates,” Sullivan explained Thursday. “The challenge with it is fatigue becomes an issue, right?
You play three games in four nights, these guys haven’t done that in a long time. We’ve only had, whatever it is, 10 skates leading up to this.
So, it’s a little bit of a double-edged sword.”
The Rangers may also catch Detroit at a rough moment. The Red Wings are entering their opener without a full-time replacement for Steve Yzerman, who was moved on from during the summer.
One of their best young defensemen, Simon Edvinsson, went back to Sweden this week because the club still hasn’t sorted out a contract for the restricted free agent. Dylan Larkin’s situation adds another layer after he asked for a trade in the offseason.
He was stripped of the captaincy, attended training camp and won’t play Friday because of an upper-body injury.
The matchup itself has leaned heavily toward New York for a while now. Friday will be the 612th all-time meeting between these Original 6 teams, and the Rangers have controlled the series in recent years, winning eight of the last nine and going 24-5-8 in the past 37 matchups since March 21, 2012. Last season, New York won two of three, including a 4-1 victory at Madison Square Garden on April 4 when Gabe Perreault scored his first NHL hat trick.
With this being the first of 11 back-to-backs the Rangers will face this season, they are expected to turn to Dylan Garand in goal. The 24-year-old was recalled from AHL Hartford on Thursday after clearing waivers just days earlier because Joonas Korpisalo suffered a lower-body injury. Korpisalo is week to week.
Projected Rangers lineup: Gabe Perreault - Mika Zibanejad - Alexis Lafreniere
Oliver Bjorkstrand - J.T. Miller - Pavel Dorofeyev
Will Cuylle - Noah Laba - Eeli Tolvanen
Tye Kartye - Joe Veleno - Jaroslav Chmelar
Valdislav Gavrikov - Adam Fox
Marcus Pettersson - Sean Durzi
Alberts Smits - Braden Schneider
Dylan Garand
Igor Shesterkin
Rangers vs. Red Wings is set for Friday, October 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena and will be shown on TNT, truTV and HBO MAX.
In Other News...
Rangers Got A Feel-Good Night But One Goalie Concern Just Grew
Igor Shesterkin turned a routine win into a memorable one Tuesday night, becoming the first Rangers goalie to score a goal by sending the puck into an empty net in a 5-1 victory over Tampa Bay. New York also got an early lift from Mika Zibanejad and saw first goals with the club from Pavel Dorofeyev and Eeli Tolvanen, a collection of contributions that made it one of those nights when the goals kept coming from everywhere.
Shesterkin was sharp in his own end too, stopping 24 of 25 shots, but the bigger-picture note for the Rangers came on the backup side of the ledger. With Joonas Korpisalo injured, the teams goalie depth is being tested at a time when the schedule keeps moving, and Dylan Garand is now positioned to take the next start Friday night in Detroit. [Read more 🡒]
Cooper Sends Lightning An Early Warning They Can't Ignore
Jon Cooper did not wait long to send a message after Tampa Bays season opener against the Rangers, sounding far more concerned with the way his team played than with the final score alone. The Lightning opened at 0-1-0 after a 5-1 loss, and while there were some underlying numbers that could be viewed more favorably, Coopers tone suggested the issues ran deeper than a bad night in October.
For the Rangers, it was an opening win that looked increasingly convincing as Tampa Bays frustration grew. Cooper tied his critique to the kind of playoff shortcomings the Lightning have been trying to move past, and the next chance to reset comes quickly against the Washington Capitals. The early warning is clear enough, but whether Tampa Bay treats it that way is the real question now. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Home Opener Delivered The Reset Fans Needed
The home opener gave the Rangers a needed jolt after the frustration of their previous game, and the return to Madison Square Garden brought a more settled look right away. New York handled Tampa Bay with early offense and a cleaner overall start, getting goals from Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Dorofeyev before Eeli Tolvanen added another in the second period to help set the tone.
There was also movement in the roster before puck drop, with Dylan Garand rejoining the team as Joonas Korpisalo went on injured reserve. Jaroslav Chmelar made his season debut as part of the lineup shuffle, a reminder that the opening weeks can still be about sorting out roles as much as banking points. For a Rangers group looking to steady itself, the night offered a more encouraging reset, even if the deeper question is how long this version can hold. [Read more 🡒]