Just when the sun seemed to be rising on the New York Rangers, another disastrous outing changed the tune. Following the 4-1 loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning, captain J.T. Miller took it upon himself to deliver a wake-up call for Mike Sullivan and company.
Riding a three-game winning streak, Miller and the Rangers returned to Madison Square Garden. So far in the 2025-26 NHL season, the Broadway Blueshirts have consistently let their fans down at home—a lingering issue that remains unresolved. After the catastrophic loss to Tampa Bay, New York only saw that outstanding debt grow even larger.
This time, however, Miller knows exactly whom to point the blaming finger at. After the final horn went off, the captain made sure to address what can no longer be called a slump or a mental block. It seems to be a characteristic of Sullivan’s Rangers—one that could send the season down the drain.
“We did it to ourselves,” J.T. Miller called it as it was after the defeat on home ice, via NHL.com. New York now registers a 2-8-1 record when playing at Madison Square Garden—the worst home mark in the NHL. The world’s most famous arena has always been a bucket list in New York City. With the Rangers’ current form, it’s become a dream rink for the rest of the league as well.
Mike Sullivan at the Prudential Center on September 21, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey.
Miller calls out the team
Even after allowing three goals in a loss, goalie Igor Shesterkin was named the third star of the game. Far from encouraging, it goes to show just how badly the Rangers were outplayed by the red-hot Lightning. Miller certainly didn’t let the embarrassing effort go unnoticed.
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“There was no urgency today. We dipped our toe into the game and got outplayed basically the whole time. It’s unacceptable,” Miller added. “We’re trying to develop a standard and an identity around here and that was certainly not it.”
Lightning couldn’t be any different
As Tampa Bay bolted into MSG and brought back the ghosts from the not-so distant past to New York, the Lightning extended their great start to the 2025-26 NHL campaign. Outshooting the Rangers 35-13, the win was not once at threat during the cold night in the Big Apple.
After the game, Nick Paul’s comments reflected just how different the season is going for the Bolts. “I just feel like we found our team identity and we’re building on it,” Paul commented per NHL.com. “We found what it takes to win and we’re just buying in every single game.”
