Is there an opposite to tidying up the house and looking good when hosting special visitors? If there is, that’s exactly what the New York Rangers did when Peter Laviolette and the Los Angeles Kings walked into Madison Square Garden during the 2026-27 NHL season. After the 6-3 loss, Mike Sullivan shared a heartfelt message about veteran James Reimer.
Going into the game, Laviolette cast Chris Drury and the Rangers’ front office in a bad light, and things didn’t look any better for the brass when Laviolette‘s Kings blew the Blueshirts out of the water at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
Making his season debut and fresh off signing a one-year deal for the veteran minimum, Reimer saw his night end in the first intermission after allowing three goals on eight shots and a 9.00 GAA. Rather than throw the goalie under the bus after the game, Sullivan showed mercy and instead blamed only himself for putting the 38-year-old in a tough spot against Los Angeles.
“I put [Reimer] in a tough spot. That’s on me,” Sullivan said postgame, via Mollie Walker of the New York Post. “For Reims, to come in the way he has in short order and come into a game like this, it’s not an easy challenge. It’s a tough challenge. I just felt like maybe Reims needs a little bit more preparation before we put him in that circumstance.“
New York Rangers manager Mike Sullivan.
Sullivan addresses NY Rangers’ current state
“Let’s just acknowledge we’re in a difficult circumstance when our top two goalies are injured,” Sullivan added. “We’re trying to find a way to shore this thing up as best we can. I think Dylan [Garand] has given us some really good games. His workload is mounting.“
The truth is, the Rangers as a whole are in a rough spot, but the troubles are only magnified when it comes to their crease. On the one night Sullivan hoped to give rookie-turned-starter Dylan Garand a breather and some much-needed rest, the 24-year-old was called into action and ended up playing most of the game.
Goaltending struggles
As great as Garand’s start to the year was, missing both Igor Shesterkin and Joonas Korpisalo was never going to be an easy storm to weather, and the Blueshirts are now figuring that out. Through his last five outings, Garand is 1-3-1 and has allowed an average of three goals per game while posting a .888 save percentage. It doesn’t help when the rookie’s number is called up just 20 minutes into what was supposed to be a night off.
Clearly, Garand isn’t to blame, as his recent poor numbers are a consequence of fatigue and consecutive starts. In Sullivan’s eyes, Reimer isn’t to blame either. It may all be part of the natural cycle of life in the NHL, but the Rangers are finding out that even teams fully bought into an identity will feel the effects of losing their franchise goaltender for the season, while the $4 million veteran netminder they traded for to serve as his backup is also sidelined with an injury.
NY Rangers need to snap losing streak
The only way for New York to see the light at the end of the tunnel is for the skaters to play lights out and give their goalies a chance, but even then, it might not be enough. The Rangers have lost four of their last five games. In their last six outings, they have been outscored 28-17.
Allowing an average of 4.7 goals per game will lead to far more losses than wins for any team in the NHL, and it takes more than a shaky goaltending room to concede that many goals on a nightly basis. The red-hot start is clearly over, and it’s time for Sullivan and the Rangers to take a long look in the mirror and figure out where they go next.
Key takeaways
- Mike Sullivan accepted the blame for James Reimer’s first game with the New York Rangers.
- Three goals allowed on eight shots ended James Reimer’s debut in the first intermission.
- Four of their last five games have resulted in losses for the New York Rangers.
