Mike Sullivan urges NY Rangers to play a brand of hockey they can be proud of

With virtually nothing left to play for, the New York Rangers may as well be playing for pride in the 2025-26 NHL season. That is exactly what Mike Sullivan is pushing his players to compete for every time they go out onto the ice.

“Obviously, we’ve had our ups and downs throughout the course of the year. I think we’re competing hard. They’re playing for one another. It’s not perfect, but I think these guys are just competing extremely hard,” Sullivan said, via NHL.com.

“One of the things we talked about coming out of the break was just trying to use this as a fresh start. Just hit the reset button. Trying to feel good about what we do every day, and see where it takes us.”

The Rangers are last in the Eastern Conference. However, with the Toronto Maple Leafs mired in an eight-game losing streak with no signs of life whatsoever—and the Blueshirts gaining momentum—things could start to shift at the bottom of the standings. As a result, the NHL lottery draft picture could change as well.

Rangers are looking different after the break

So far, the recipe is seemingly paying dividends. Since the NHL resumed action after the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Blueshirts have managed to change the tune. The Rangers have played seven games, boasting a 4–1–2 record.

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Mike Sullivan encourages NY Rangers to iron out key details going into home stretch of season

With back-to-back wins over the Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames, New York is now eyeing its fourth three-game winning streak of the 2025–26 NHL season—its first since November.

What’s next for Rangers

To do so, the Rangers must take down the Winnipeg Jets on the road. The Jets have started Connor Hellebuyck in their last six games. Thus, Mike Sullivan and the Blueshirts will either face backup Eric Comrie or take on a perhaps exhausted Hellebuyck, whom Sullivan owes a lot after his performance in the Winter Olympics gold-medal game.

Either way, Sullivan and Hellebuyck are no longer in Milan, so when they meet in Winnipeg, they will be nothing more than NHL competitors. As Sullivan admitted, he hopes his Rangers’ team can put on a performance that makes him—and themselves—proud.