NHL News: Mike Sullivan makes ‘outplayed’ admission after NY Rangers’ home loss to Wild despite scoring first

The New York Rangers continued their rough start to the season with another low-scoring setback. On Monday night at Madison Square Garden, the Blueshirts scored first but ultimately fell 3-1 to the Minnesota Wild, marking their fifth loss in eight games.

Head coach Mike Sullivan reflected on the team’s effort after the contest. “We scored early, which was great, but I thought we got outplayed. We got outplayed all night,” he said, per The New York Post. The loss also extended the Rangers’ struggles at home, though they avoided setting a record for the longest home-scoring drought to open a season.

Minnesota’s game-winning goal came in the third period when rookie Danila Yurov jammed in a rebound off a wraparound shot from Marcus Johansson, marking his first NHL goal.

Despite the goal, Rangers captain J.T. Miller remained candid about the team’s performance. “It’s happened to us so far, just not good enough. We’re gonna turn the page and move on to the next one… We just got to bear down,” Miller said.

Rangers get first home goal, but struggle to sustain play

Artemi Panarin scored the Rangers’ first goal at MSG this season at 180:57, assisted by Mika Zibanejad, but Minnesota tied quickly on a Jonas Brodin deflection. The Wild dominated the opening frame with 17 shots on goal to New York’s six.

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Rookie Noah Laba had a scary moment on a penalty kill after taking a slap shot to the face but returned wearing a full face shield, a display of toughness Sullivan praised: “That’s scary… The fact that he came back speaks to his competitiveness, his toughness.”

Wild control pace, Rangers seek adjustments

Overall, Minnesota controlled puck possession and most battles, leaving New York unable to sustain offensive pressure. Sullivan will need to make lineup and tactical adjustments to reverse the team’s early-season struggles.