Life is full of ironies and the New York Rangers seem to be living through them all in their first NHL season under Mike Sullivan. The goals have finally arrived in bunches for the Broadway Blueshirts, but the new bench-boss is far from pleased with the team’s performance.
No team in the NHL had scored more than five goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning so far in the 2025-26 season. That was until Sullivan and New York travelled down to Central Florida. The Rangers erupted for a seven-goal performance in the 7-3 victory. However, it wasn’t exactly a picture-perfect game for the new head coach in The Big Apple.
“I thought tonight, I don’t think we were at our best,” Sullivan admitted postgame, via The New York Post. “We were opportunistic. We had some pretty good looks and we scored on them. You could say the same about the last game. So, I don’t think they were the cleanest games from an execution standpoint on either side of the puck.”
The Rangers will gladly take it
Though Sullivan isn’t fully satisfied with the Rangers’ on-ice product, there are far worse outcomes than a 7-3 road win over the Lightning. Injury-riddled? Yes—but Tampa Bay remains a competitive team capable of holding its own against any opponent in the NHL. Regardless, when the Rangers visited Benchmark International Arena, New York’s squad painted the town red—along with white and blue.
Mike Sullivan delivered a clear message on developing Gabriel Perreault
“It obviously gives us a boost of confidence,” Sullivan commented. “The irony of it is, I feel like the games where we didn’t score, the effort and execution on both sides of the puck was really high.“
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For a team that just days ago had yet to win a game at Madison Square Garden, stringing two victories together—with a combined score of 13-6—is all the Rangers could ask for to turn the tide. Now, they can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Moreover, the Rangers extended their red-hot form away from Manhattan, boasting an 8-1-1 mark on the road.
All they need
With their victory over the Bolts, another trend continued for the Rangers. So far in the season, the Blueshirts are undefeated in regulation (8-0-1) when scoring more than one goal. Instead, when scoring one or fewer goals, the Rangers fall to 0-7-1 in the season. One-goal games won’t cut it in the NHL, and New York’s case perfectly exemplifies that.
Vincent Trocheck: the C-less captain
Much speculation surrounded New York’s offseason decision on who would become the 29th captain in Rangers history. Among several strong candidates, J.T. Miller was eventually handed the honors. However, many argued Vincent Trocheck was exactly what the locker room needed for a leader.
It’s far too early to declare the decision a hit or a miss, but Trocheck has made it clear that with or without the ‘C’, he’ll give his best and rally the troops in The Empire City. Making his return from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for 14 games, Trocheck hasn’t missed a beat.
Vincent Trocheck #16 of the New York Rangers arrives for a game.
In his first two games back, the 32-year-old veteran recorded consecutive two-point performances. He can do it all—against the Nashville Predators, he tallied two assists, and against the Bolts, he did it himself, scoring a brace that halted any comeback attempt from Tampa Bay in its tracks.
