Playing 1,000 games in the NHL is nothing short of a remarkable achievement. Thus, the New York Rangers made sure to celebrate Mika Zibanejad’s accomplishment. Even in such a special event, J.T. Miller and the rest of the team couldn’t turn the tide, and the Blueshirts lost their fifth straight as the Ottawa Senators walked into Madison Square Garden and did what virtually every team does in Manhattan this season: come away with two points.
“I don’t know what to say,” J.T. Miller admitted after the game, per NHL.com. “We got outplayed, we got outcompeted. Things that we’re just not OK with as a group and it’s a shame on a night like tonight.”
Mike Sullivan, who held Drew Fortescue out of his NHL debut, has much work to do if he wants the Blueshirts to finish the 2025–26 season with a slight beacon of hope. If the Rangers don’t show signs of improvement, they could be in for a very long and tiring offseason.
Hearing the culture-changing captain sound defeated amid a five-game losing streak is anything but an encouraging sign for the organization in the City That Never Sleeps. Something has got to change for the Rangers, or they might be another changing of the guard in The Big Apple.
J.T. Miller #8 of the New York Rangers at the TD Garden
NY Rangers bested by Senators
Scoreboard-watchers may be deceived if they only stick to the 2–1 final on the jumbotron. The action on the ice was anything but reminiscent of a one-score game. Hadn’t it been for Igor Shesterkin’s heroics, the game could’ve been over well before the final frame.
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NY Rangers’ Mike Sullivan singles out Mika Zibanejad with praise after 4th straight loss
Ottawa outshot New York 33–10. New York’s 10 shots on goal tied their record for least in a game since the NHL tracks such statistic. The Rangers didn’t score until the third period, and it was eventually too little, too late.
In more ways than one, the Blueshirts played like they usually do at home, and the end result stayed the same. Yet another home defeat, and the Rangers are now 9–18–7 at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
