Rangers’ Slow Starts Becoming a Costly Habit as Struggles Continue in San Jose
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Rangers aren’t pretending to be contenders right now - and with good reason. They’re missing two foundational players in Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox, they’ve openly acknowledged they’re in a retooling phase, and the roster, as it stands, doesn’t have the depth to go toe-to-toe with the league’s elite.
But even in a season like this, how you lose still matters. And right now, the Rangers are losing in ways that don’t help anyone - not the players, not the coaches, and certainly not the fan base.
Friday night’s 3-1 loss to the Sharks was another case study in how not to start a hockey game. It took all of 29 seconds for things to go sideways when Mika Zibanejad took a tripping penalty on Tyler Toffoli. Just over a minute in, San Jose’s rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini - who’s already drawing Sidney Crosby comparisons from Mike Sullivan - made them pay with a power-play goal.
Fourteen seconds of even-strength play later, the Rangers were back on the kill. This time it was Matthew Robertson sending the puck over the glass for a delay of game.
The penalty kill held off the Sharks’ top unit, but Pavol Regenda found the net on a backhander after the second group came on. Two goals down before most fans had settled into their seats.
“They come out flying,” said Rangers captain J.T. Miller.
“They draw two penalties. They capitalize.
The building was rocking. We just kind of beat ourselves.”
Zibanejad didn’t sugarcoat it either: “There’s no avoiding the fact that the start kills us, really.”
Sullivan, trying to stop the bleeding, burned his timeout just 3:08 into the game. That tells you everything about how fast things unraveled.
Celebrini struck again later in the period, this time finishing off a slick feed from Will Smith after a turnover by Carson Soucy. Sam Carrick got one back for New York, but by then the damage was done. The Rangers actually settled in and played better as the game wore on - they even led in five-on-five expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick - but the early collapse left them chasing a game they never truly threatened to take back.
“You can’t start a game like that and spot a team a couple of goals and then take seven penalties along the way and think you’re going to give yourself the best chance to win,” Sullivan said. “It’s just not a recipe for success.”
Zibanejad echoed the same sentiment: “You don’t win like that.”
The penalties were a problem - no doubt. But the real issue was the start. And unfortunately for the Rangers, this isn’t new.
They’ve now allowed 14 goals in the first five minutes of games this season - tied for third-worst in the NHL. Their first-period shot differential sits at minus-79, and their goal differential in the opening frame is minus-8. Those numbers paint a clear picture: this team doesn’t just start slow, it starts flat.
And January’s been especially brutal. With Shesterkin and Fox sidelined, the Rangers have allowed seven goals in the first five minutes of games this month alone - only Seattle has been worse.
Against the Kings on Tuesday, they gave up a goal 18 seconds in. The week before, Ottawa scored twice in the opening five minutes.
Buffalo needed just over four minutes to take the lead on Jan. 8.
All three games ended in regulation losses.
“We’ve just got to be ready to play,” said Vincent Trocheck. Simple, but true.
Sullivan knows it, too. “Trust me, I’ve thought about it,” he said.
“I think the last few games we haven’t had the best starts. I’ve gotta do a better job preparing for it, I guess.
I’ve got to find a way to make sure they’re ready from the drop of the puck.”
Miller pointed to a lack of urgency early in the San Jose game. The Sharks were winning puck battles, skating harder, and setting the tone - all while the Rangers were still trying to find their legs.
“When you don’t have a great start, and you get down in a game early, and then you combine the circumstance that we’re in right now, it doesn’t make for an easy environment to play,” Sullivan said.
The numbers since the Winter Classic tell the story. The Rangers are 1-7-1 and have been outscored 45-25 over that stretch. That’s not just a slump - that’s a free fall.
Miller didn’t hide his frustration. “This really sucks,” he said.
“Losing every night, it’s hard to stay positive. … Everybody’s really trying hard.
That’s what really sucks.”
And that’s the toughest part for this group. The effort’s there.
The will is there. But the execution - especially early in games - is nowhere close to where it needs to be.
And until that changes, the results probably won’t either.