The New York Rangers are heading into the first full week of November with their season already leaning hard on the next man up. They’ve shown enough offense to stay in the mix, but the real pressure point now sits in goal, where the loss of Igor Shesterkin has changed everything.
New York enters the week at 7-6-1, good for fifth in the Metropolitan Division. That record says the Rangers can hang around.
It also says they haven’t found much rhythm yet. A 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 27 was a sharp reminder that defensive lapses can snowball fast, especially when the team no longer has its usual safety net in net.
That is the central problem for this stretch and probably for the rest of the season. Shesterkin suffered a serious lower-body injury in the Oct. 9 game against Washington and has been ruled out for the remainder of the year.
His absence alone would be enough to reshape the conversation around the Rangers. But the situation gets even tighter with backup Joonas Korpisalo also sidelined by a foot injury, with a projected return no earlier than Nov.
That leaves Dylan Garand with a real chance to carve out a role at the NHL level, while veteran James Reimer adds another option after signing on Oct. 25.
The Rangers do not need Garand to be Shesterkin. They need him to be steady.
Reimer’s experience matters too, especially with the coaching staff trying to manage the workload and keep the position from becoming a weekly crisis.
The injury list doesn’t stop there. Defenceman Sean Durzi was day-to-day with an undisclosed issue on Oct. 31, and Braden Schneider was also day-to-day that day because of an illness.
The other absences are longer term: Aidan Thompson is on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury and is projected out until at least Nov. 13, Joseph Veleno has a lower-body injury and is projected out until at least Jan. 3, and Adam Sykora has a lower-body injury with a projected return no earlier than Jan.
That makes the blue line worth watching closely all week. Any extra disruption there only adds stress to a group already trying to cover for missing goaltending.
Adam Fox remains a key piece, both in the defensive structure and in getting the puck moving the other way. Against a team like Edmonton, that transition game becomes even more important.
Up front, the Rangers will keep leaning on Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière for production. But the burden can’t fall on just a few scorers. Better puck management, cleaner support from the forwards and tighter coverage in their own zone all have to show up if New York wants to avoid more nights like the one against Los Angeles.
The schedule gives them a chance to respond, but it’s not exactly gentle. The Rangers play four times this week, with three straight at home before a trip west.
Edmonton comes first on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 6:00 PM ET, followed by St. Louis on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 7:00 PM ET and Philadelphia on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7:00 PM ET.
The week wraps up in Seattle on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 5:00 PM ET.
Edmonton is the immediate test. The Oilers have the kind of offensive punch that punishes mistakes, which means Garand and the Rangers’ defensive group will be under the microscope right away.
St. Louis brings a different kind of challenge, one built around physical play and disciplined defense.
New York will need to stay patient, avoid giveaways and spend more time in the offensive zone than chasing the puck.
Philadelphia adds the extra edge that comes with a Metropolitan Division matchup. Those games matter directly in the standings, and the Rangers will want to make the most of home ice before heading to Seattle for the final game of the stretch. The Kraken close the week with a road test that will ask New York to stay organized even after travel.
For the Rangers, this is a week built around adaptation. The 7-6-1 record keeps them in the conversation, but the loss of Shesterkin and the uncertainty around the goaltending room have turned every game into a test of depth.
The offense can keep them competitive. What decides the week is whether the defense tightens up and whether the goaltenders behind it can hold the line.
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 🡒]