Mike Sullivan is reportedly satisfied with the New York Rangers‘ first victory at home following a painful streak of defeats that had plagued the team at Madison Square Garden. The losing skid finally came to an end with a comfortable win that allowed them to jump ahead of the Florida Panthers in the conference standings.
“We would’ve liked a cleaner third period,” Sullivan said about the first home win of the year, which was a 6-3 victory over Nashville. “Maybe not go to the penalty box as much, it would’ve been better for the coaching staff if it was less eventful. I couldn’t be happier for the group though.”
This victory is not only the first win for the Rangers at home this season, but it is also their third victory in November, marking a turnaround after what had been another difficult start to the month for the team. New York is now ahead of the Panthers with 18 points, while the defending champions have 17 points.
Relief for some of the Rangers
Sullivan was not the only one who felt relieved after winning the first home game of the season; at least two players publicly expressed their happiness after defeating Nashville. “We’ve got to do it again next time. We just got to keep building and play our game and I think it’s gonna be alright,” said Vladislav Gavrikov about the crucial first home victory.
Alexis Lafrenière was another to speak out. “The first seven games we didn’t like,” he said, referencing their rough home streak. He noted how difficult it had been to win at home before: “We played some decent hockey, but couldn’t score, couldn’t win. It was good today to score a couple.”
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“It’s definitely a sigh of relief,” added Vincent Trocheck, another player who had watched the team lose multiple games at home in such a short period this season. The Rangers will now play two more games on the road before returning home on November 16.
