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Rangers Daily: Preseason wraps up; Gavin McKenna impresses in NCAA debut
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- Rangers Daily: Preseason wraps up; Gavin McKenna impresses in NCAA debut
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A mixed bag of a preseason is over. The New York Rangers are two days away from opening up their centennial season, when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
They have a day off Sunday, part of their weekend retreat to New England. Team-building is at the heart of the getaway, something coach Mike Sullivan discussed with the leadership group over the summer.
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The Rangers closed out their preseason schedule with a 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday afternoon. This time it was another painfully slow start which doomed the Rangers. At least it wasn't another terrible third period that cost them — the Rangers were out-scored 10-0 in preseason third periods prior to Saturday.
What the Rangers didn't do in their 2-3-1 preseason is play a full 60 minutes of representative hockey in any of those six games. Perhaps, the 5-3 win in Newark against the Devils in the preseason opener. Certainly not since.
Is that a concern? Yes and no.
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At the end of the day, preseason results don't matter. And no one should be in a panic about stats, especially when it comes to lineup regulars, who are simply shedding the rust and prepping for when the games count.
However, the Rangers looked mighty disjointed at times, and some of the old habits (ie: blown third-period leads) raise PTSD levels after their heinous play just a year ago. The absences of Artemi Panarin and J.T. Miller didn't help the lineup cohesion. Moreover, their injuries are cause for at least mild concern at this point.
Panarin didn't appear in a single preseason game, first because of a lower-body injury and then with an upper-body issue. Miller played one game — and scored a goal — but has his own lower-body injury.
"We're trying to err on the side of caution with these guys," Sullivan explained after practice Friday .
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Panarin skated on his own Friday and Miller wore a no-contact jersey in his return to Rangers practice the same day. Sullivan remains optimistic about both being ready Tuesday. We'll see.
Most importantly, training camp is over. The preseason is complete.
When the Rangers show up to practice Monday, it's Game On. The 2025-26 journey officially begins Tuesday.
New York Rangers news and analysis
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Here are our key Rangers takeaways from a 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in their preseason finale.
So, what's next for the Rangers , who have some big roster decisions to make now that the preseason is over.
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ICYMI: Mike Sullivan and the Rangers have a serious "balancing act" to consider when it comes to making roster decisions on their young players and prospects.
NHL news and rumors
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NHL.com: Nick Cotsonika reports how Gavin McKenna, expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, had himself quite the successful season-opening weekend for Penn State.
Minnesota Sports Fan: The Minnesota Wild locked up goalie Filip Gustavsson with a five-year, $34 million contract.
Forever Blueshirts: Ryan Graves was one of several former Rangers to land on the waiver wire and/or clear waivers this week, when the Pittsburgh Penguins placed the defenseman on waivers Sturday.
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Florida Hockey Now: The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning combined for a whopping 65 penalties totaling 312 PIM in their preseason finale, a a 7-0 Panthers win.
Sportsnet: Cole Perfetti is being evaluated for a lower-body injury by the Winnipeg Jets and could miss significant time.
Front Office Sports: The Dallas Stars are considering future arena options , including one in Plano, when their lease runs out at American Airlines Center in 2031.
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