The Rangers turned their home opener into a statement night at Madison Square Garden, rolling past the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1 after a flat opening-night loss in Boston. New York got goals from Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Dorofeyev, Eeli Tolvanen, Gabe Perreault and, in the biggest moment of the night, Igor Shesterkin.
There was also a late lineup tweak before puck drop. Dylan Garand rejoined the team after Joonas Korpisalo was placed on IR Thursday afternoon, and Jaroslav Chmelar made his season debut with Matt Rempe coming out. The rest of the lineup stayed largely the same from Tuesday’s game on the road.
The Rangers came out with far more purpose than they showed in Game 1. They controlled the puck early, built a 3-0 shot edge in the opening five minutes and then cashed in on the power play when J.J.
Moser was sent off for holding. With Victor Hedman losing his stick and the top unit buzzing, Adam Fox created the chance with a strong setup for Dorofeyev in the high slot.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped the first look, but Zibanejad was right there to bury the rebound for the first Rangers goal of the 2026-27 season.
New York kept pressing after that, and the Lightning’s own power play couldn’t swing the momentum. Braden Schneider took a holding penalty, but the Rangers’ penalty kill handled it cleanly, with Joe Veleno and Tye Kartye standing out.
Once the Rangers returned to five-on-five, Oliver Bjorkstrand sparked the next rush by breaking up a play in his own zone and driving it up ice. He turned it into a partial 2-on-0 with Dorofeyev, then fed the puck across for a quick finish that gave Dorofeyev his first goal as a Ranger and made it 2-0.
The period stayed physical, and Will Cuylle was called for holding with 6:30 left, though the Rangers again killed it off without trouble. After 20 minutes, New York held a 7-6 shot edge, even if Tampa had the advantage in shot attempts and scoring chances.
The second period started with more Rangers pressure and another goal just 1:30 in. A strong shift from the third line put Eeli Tolvanen in position to send the puck to the net, and the play appeared to glance in off Cuylle or possibly a Tampa defender before becoming Tolvanen’s first goal as a Ranger.
Shesterkin had to be sharp shortly after that. Tampa pushed back, the puck stayed loose after a save, and the officials finally blew the whistle as the Lightning kept jabbing at it.
That led to matching roughing penalties for Schneider and Jeffrey Viel and a stretch of 4-on-4 hockey. New York nearly added again during the extra space, but Miller forced a pass too close to the net on a 2-on-0 and Alexis Lafrenière was denied on a clean breakaway.
The Lightning finally got on the board midway through the period on a strange bounce. Nikita Kucherov picked up a carom off the boards behind the net, sent a backhand into traffic, and the puck went off Noah Laba and in. That trimmed the lead to 3-1.
The Rangers answered quickly. After Miller went off for hooking with seven minutes left in the period, the penalty kill stayed perfect again.
Then, about a minute after New York got back to even strength, Fox spotted Gabe Perreault in front and fired a shot-pass from the point. Perreault got a piece of it and redirected it home to make it 4-1.
By the end of two periods, the Rangers were still in command. Tampa had nudged ahead in shots, 19-18, but New York had the edge in faceoffs, winning 65 percent through 40 minutes, and had already done the damage on special teams.
The third period got a little messy, but not enough to threaten the result. Miller went back to the box for holding, the Rangers killed that off too, and then Moser was whistled again, this time for tripping Lafrenière in the slot. New York couldn’t convert on that power play, and soon found itself shorthanded once more when Fox was called for tripping.
That’s when Lightning coach Jon Cooper started getting aggressive with the goalie pull. He yanked Vasilevskiy with just under 10 minutes left to create a 6-on-4, then briefly brought him back before pulling him again with about eight minutes remaining. Tampa pulled him a third time with roughly 4:30 to go, but the night’s final and loudest moment belonged to Shesterkin.
With about two minutes left, the Rangers goalie launched a perfect shot the length of the ice and scored. It was a rare goalie goal, and it made Shesterkin the first goaltender in Rangers history to score a goal.
That capped a 5-1 win and a night the Rangers will remember for a long time. The teams finished tied at 25 shots apiece, and New York heads right back out Friday night for an Original Six matchup with the Detroit Red Wings.
In Other News...
Rangers Linked To Alexander Nikishin As Bigger Trade Questions Build
Alexander Nikishin has become one of the more interesting names to watch as the trade market starts to take shape around the league, and the Rangers were in the picture once before. Reports say a deal involving Nikishin and New York was explored around the 2026 NHL draft, though it never came together, leaving the defenseman still in Carolina and still looking like a player with a clear market.
The intrigue is only growing now because Nikishin is said to want a change of scenery for more ice time and responsibility, while the Hurricanes have also been working through bigger roster questions of their own. One recent thread has them considering how to use acquired assets in a possible move with the Winnipeg Jets for Connor Hellebuyck, which only adds to the sense that Nikishin could end up part of a much larger shuffle if the right deal emerges. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Need A Different Madison Square Garden This Time
Mike Sullivan did not spend much time looking backward when the Rangers opened the conversation around their home-ice issues from last season. He framed it as a reset, with a new season and a new group, while Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad both sounded optimistic about the clubs chances to defend Madison Square Garden more effectively this time around.
The timing matters, too, because the Rangers do not get much of a warm-up before the home opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. With a busy early schedule ahead, New York is hoping that a better start in its own building can help establish some momentum quickly, especially after a year in which the Garden was too often an advantage in name only. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Already Have An Opening Week Goalie Concern
Opening week has already brought a wrinkle in the Rangers crease. Joonas Korpisalo was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and the team has turned to Dylan Garand by recalling him from AHL Hartford. With Igor Shesterkin lined up for the home opener, the immediate burden still sits with the starter, but the depth chart behind him has changed quickly before the season has even settled in.
What makes this more notable is how little clarity there is around the injury itself. Korpisalo has not played this season, and the Rangers have not said how the issue first surfaced, leaving the club to manage a situation that is now being viewed on a week-to-week timeline. Garands call-up at least gives New York another option in the short term, with the schedule moving fast enough that the next crease decision could arrive sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]