Scott Morrow spent his 24th birthday exactly where he had been stuck for most of the season - until Sunday. The Rangers finally pulled him out of the press box and into the lineup, and while the night ended in a 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden, Morrow still walked away with a performance that stood out.
With Sean Durzi unavailable because of a lingering unspecified injury, Morrow stepped into the lineup for his first game of the season. He started a little shaky while paired at even strength with rookie Alberts Smits, but settled in and looked increasingly comfortable as the game went on. The Rangers were already chasing the game, and Morrow showed plenty of confidence jumping into the attack while trying to help them climb out of the early hole.
He finished with the primary assist on New York’s lone goal, when Pavel Dorofeyev buried the rebound of Morrow’s right-point shot at 13:22 of the second period. That made it 3-1 and briefly gave the Rangers some life. Morrow kept pressing after that, tying Mika Zibanejad for the team lead with eight shot attempts and adding three shots on goal in 15:02 of ice time.
It was his first game action since the preseason on Sept. 24.
Before Sunday, his last NHL appearance came on Feb. 28 last season, and his most recent NHL point was an assist against the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 20.
After a season-ending run with Hartford of the American Hockey League in 2025-26, he spent an extended stretch in the press box to open this season. The Rangers likely would have sent him back to Hartford again if they hadn’t been worried he wouldn’t clear waivers now that he is no longer waivers exempt.
He made the most of the opportunity. His 65.87 percent expected goal share at 5v5 led all Rangers skaters, and coach Mike Sullivan liked what he saw afterward.
“I thought he had a strong game, especially after being on the sidelines for as long as he has. That’s something that’s not an easy challenge,” Sullivan said postgame. “I just thought he did a real good job keeping the game simple, not trying to do too much, but making plays when they were there.”
Dylan Garand, meanwhile, took the loss hard. He gave up a goal 50 seconds into the game on the first shot he faced, with Connor McDavid blowing by Vladislav Gavrikov, cutting to the middle and beating him clean. That’s the kind of play McDavid makes look routine, and he entered the night with 39 points in 15 games this season, plus three Hart Trophies and six Art Ross Trophies on his résumé.
Garand wasn’t as sharp on the second goal, either, when Colton Dach beat him from the left circle at 6:19. It looked like the Oilers had made it 3-0 on five shots when Evan Bouchard blasted one over Garand’s shoulder at 8:53, but officials waved it off because Dach had entered Garand’s crease of his own accord.
Bouchard eventually got his second chance and buried another long-range rocket at 9:49 of the second period to make it 3-0 Edmonton. From there, Garand settled in and made several key stops, including a huge right-pad save on Mattias Ekholm in the final seconds of the second period to keep the Rangers within reach at 3-1.
Afterward, Garand put the loss on himself.
“Honestly, I felt really, really good in the second 30 minutes, and I thought my first 30 minutes was awful. Honestly, inexcusable,” the 24-year-old rookie said postgame.
“Let the guys down … so yeah, pretty disappointing … Put that loss on me. And yeah, it sucks.”
It was Garand’s 10th straight appearance, including eight starts and two relief outings, and his 11th game overall this season. He is now 4-6-1 with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage, and the Rangers need him to find his best form again with Igor Shesterkin injured and out for the season.
Sullivan didn’t buy the idea that the Rangers simply weren’t ready when the puck dropped. He pointed instead to the scoreboard and the goals Edmonton put up early.
“Just from an energy standpoint or even a momentum standpoint, I felt like the guys had the right intentions,” Sullivan explained afterward. “The first goal is a tough one.
McDavid is a unique player. He ramps up speed like that, he’s hard to stop.
Other than that, I thought for the most part, I don’t feel like the start was the reason - the start of the scoreboard was, but I don’t necessarily agree that it was a lack of being ready when the puck drops. I didn’t feel like that was the case tonight.”
The numbers backed up some of that view. The first period finished with scoring chances even at 7-7 at 5v5, and the Rangers actually held a 3-2 edge in high-danger chances. They also outshot Edmonton 29-26 overall, including a 15-7 advantage in the second period.
Still, the Rangers spent the night trying to dig out of the same kind of hole that has followed them through their fourth straight loss, including Monday’s 6-3 defeat to the Kings. They came out of a five-day break with energy and effort, but by the third period the Oilers had done enough to shut things down for fourth-string goalie Matt Tomkins.
Gabe Perreault’s night also took a quick turn. He began on the third line after spending the season next to Zibanejad, but didn’t stay there long before switching spots with Oliver Bjorkstrand on J.T. Miller’s line in the top six.
Perreault, Noah Laba, and Will Cuylle didn’t manage a shot on goal in 5:55 of 5v5 ice time together, though Perreault set up a couple of good looks that his linemates couldn’t finish. He then skated with Miller and Tye Kartye, where the group produced two shots on goal in 6:28 at 5v5 but was outshot 5-2 and posted a 22.20 expected goal share.
Perreault finished with two shots on goal and five attempts in 18:09 of ice time. Dorofeyev, who moved up to Zibanejad’s line, scored the Rangers’ only goal and picked up his second in three games, though that came on his lone shot on goal of the night.
In Other News...
Oilers Could Arrive Shorthanded For Rangers After Early Injury Scare
The Rangers may catch a break on the schedule with Edmonton dealing with an early injury scare from Isaac Howard, who went down after a knee-on-knee collision against the New York Islanders and needed assistance getting off the ice. For a moment, it looked like the Oilers might be facing a much bigger problem, but head coach Mike Babcock said the injury is not as serious as first feared, which at least eased the immediate concern around the winger.
Even so, Howard is expected to miss the upcoming game against the Rangers while the Oilers continue to sort through his status and adjust their lineup. Edmonton is already considering different options to fill the opening, and how it handles that spot will be worth watching for a team trying to keep its forward group intact through a busy stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Sullivan Is Already Facing The Rangers Pressure Test
Mike Sullivan arrives behind the Rangers bench with the kind of rsum that usually buys a coach some patience, but New York rarely offers much of that. He steps in after Peter Laviolettes exit, inheriting a team that has already gone through a difficult first season, a front office reset under Chris Drury and the sort of retool language that signals expectations are still very much alive. Even before a full training camp has settled in, Sullivan is being asked to shape a roster that has been trying to find its footing while carrying the weight that comes with coaching in this market.
The early read is encouraging enough to make the job even more interesting. The Rangers have improved after a season in which injuries and inconsistency could have sent them backward, and Sullivan has already had to adjust his approach to fit the realities of New York pressure. With the team still in the thick of the race, the challenge is no longer just about installing a system. It is about proving that the new voice can steady a group that has to perform while everything around it keeps asking for more. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Brutal Test As Lineup Questions Linger Out Of Break
The break is over, and the schedule does not exactly ease the Rangers back in. They open a demanding eight-game stretch in 16 days Sunday at Madison Square Garden against Edmonton, a matchup that immediately asks a lot of a team trying to settle back into rhythm after time off. The Oilers arrive with Connor McDavid and the leagues highest-scoring attack, while New York is still sorting through some uncertainty on the back end because of injuries and illness among its defensemen.
Dylan Garand is set to start in goal, giving the Rangers another look at a netminder who has been thrust into a heavy workload since Igor Shesterkin went down with a season-ending knee injury. Edmonton is expected to counter with Matt Tomkins, but the bigger issue for New York is how its lineup holds up against a top-tier opponent when the blue line is not fully settled. For a team trying to navigate a brutal run of games, Sunday feels like an early stress test. [Read more 🡒]