Road Adventures Await the Rangers
There’s something special about hitting the road.
After a recent disappointing performance at home, the Rangers (10-8-2) are eager to escape Madison Square Garden, where they’ve only managed to secure one win in nine games this season. They’re looking to extend their streak of road victories, aiming for a sixth straight win while embarking on their Western Swing. This journey kicks off on Tuesday in Las Vegas (8-4-6), followed by matchups against Colorado (13-1-5) and Utah (10-7-1).
It might seem daunting on paper, but the Rangers’ mindset in the locker room doesn’t lean on logic—after all, they have the league’s worst home record and the best away record (9-1-1).
“We have to keep up what we’ve been doing on the road,” defenseman Adam Fox expressed following a 2-1 loss at home to the Red Wings. “This is a big trip; we’re facing some strong teams. I want to break this losing streak and get back to winning,” he added.
The players feel assured about their goalkeeping, featuring a formidable duo of past Vezina (Igor Shesterkin) and Conn Smythe (Jonathan Quick) winners, leading to the Rangers boasting the league’s second-best Goals Against Average (2.45) as of Monday.
Despite struggling offensively at home, where they average just 1.4 goals per game, they’ve found their scoring touch elsewhere, with an impressive 3.45 goals per game on the road. This improvement can be attributed to a recent resurgence in their power play.
After going zero-for-twelve on power plays over five games, the Rangers have scored at least once on the man advantage in five of their last six matches, converting four out of nine opportunities in that stretch.
“It’s intriguing,” noted Rangers assistant David Quinn, who stepped in as co-head coach in Mike Sullivan’s absence on Sunday. “Our power play seemed fine even when we weren’t scoring, and now look at us. We’ve become more opportunistic. We were at the bottom of the charts before. It’s been frustrating because we knew we were doing a lot right.”
Quinn continued, “We’re netting goals now. While we’re not perfect, we struggle with consistency. There’s a rhythm to the game—creating chances and converting them. Our mentality is kind of five-on-five, and when we strike during power plays, we capitalize on those opportunities, and that’s what counts.”
Quinn, who previously coached the Rangers (2018-21), might once more share the leadership role with assistant coach Joe Sacco in Las Vegas.
Sullivan missed Sunday’s game for family reasons, and it’s still uncertain when he’ll be back with the team.
Fox acknowledged the shift in dynamics without Sullivan at the helm, saying, “It’s different. We can’t use that as an excuse, though. We’re hoping for the best for him. It’s tempting to lean on that excuse, but being without a head coach isn’t helpful.”
