The New York Rangers didn’t waste any time making sure Madison Square Garden felt different this season.
After last year’s painfully long home scoring drought, Mike Zibanejad broke through less than six minutes into the Rangers’ second game of the 2026-27 season, hammering home a power-play rebound after Pavel Dorofeyev rang a shot off the crossbar. That goal changed the tone fast, and the Rangers rolled from there in a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Captain J.T. Miller said the team was determined not to let last year’s early home frustration hang around again.
“We all remember last year. Like, I'd be lying to you if [I said] we couldn't.
But I think we owed it to our fans, and to ourselves, to get rewarded finally, especially to start the season,” Miller said. “And we don't have that lingering on us moving forward at home, which is nice.
We just played a great game.”
The milestone moment at MSG also came with a little extra shine. Igor Shesterkin’s goalie goal - making him the first Rangers goaltender to score a goal - can’t be ignored. Still, the first goal on home ice this season carried the most weight after what happened a year ago.
Last season, the Rangers went more than 180 minutes without scoring at Madison Square Garden. Their home start was so bleak that they became the first team in NHL history to be shut out in three straight home games to open a season. It was also the second-longest home goal drought to begin a season since 1928.
Zibanejad was among the players who felt that sting last October, and he made that clear at the time.
“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” he had said previously per NHL.com.
This time, he was the one who snapped the narrative in a hurry. The 33-year-old now has 820 career points and 349 goals.
The Rangers improved to 1-1 after the win over Tampa Bay. They opened the regular season with a 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sept. 29, and they finished the preseason 2-2, including a 6-1 win over the New York Islanders.
Next, the Rangers head to Little Caesars Arena to face the Detroit Red Wings as Detroit opens its season, though Dylan Larkin will be out of the lineup.
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