Adam Fox helps rescue Rangers in 3-2 comeback win over last-place Flyers: takeaways

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Adam Fox helps rescue Rangers in 3-2 comeback win over last-place Flyers: takeaways

Adam Fox helps rescue Rangers in 3-2 comeback win over last-place Flyers: takeaways — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jim Cerny · Forever Blueshirts

Fri, November 6, 2026 at 3:48 AM UTC ·

6 min read

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Pavel Dorofeyev and Tye Kartye scored the third-period goals that lifted the New York Rangers to their first comeback victory of the season Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. But it was Adam Fox who was the catalyst that helped rescue the Rangers from an embarrassing home-ice loss to the last-place Philadelphia Flyers.

It was a start-to-finish masterclass of intelligent, committed two-way brilliance from Fox, on a night when most of his teammates were inconsistent with their effort. And when the Rangers (9-7-1) absolutely needed big plays trailing 2-1 late in the third period, Fox stepped up again, setting each scoring play in motion to turn a deficit into a lead, and, ultimately, a 3-2 win.

First, the 28-year-old made a good keep near the blue line and followed with a subtly nifty dish to Mika Zibanejad along the right-wing wall on the power play. Zibanejad made a pretty sweet pass himself to Dorofeyev, who absolutely rocketed one over Joseph Woll's shoulder to tie the score 2-2 with 6:08 remaining in regulation.

Less than two minutes later, Fox sprung Kartye on a breakaway with a perfect pass from his own end on to the forward's stick behind all five Flyers skaters. Kartye zipped a shot past Woll's glove and just like that the Rangers went from a crappy loss to a feel-good victory.

Those two assists, by the way, give Fox 21 points this season. He's the fourth Rangers defenseman ever to reach 20 points in 17 games or fewer — joining Hall of Famers Brian Leetch , Brad Park , and Sergei Zubov . Pretty darn good company he keeps.

Tye Kartye gives the @NYRangers the lead late in the third! 🗽 pic.twitter.com/E5y97yDIEj

— NHL (@NHL) November 6, 2026

The Rangers were 0-6-0 when trailing after two periods this season, until Fox and Co. rallied late for this win, which was secured with the former Norris Trophy winner on the ice for the final 1:44. No shock there, it was a tour de force by Fox, who logged a season-high 25:28 TOI in a game the Rangers couldn't afford to lose. Not to this team, on home ice, after a solid win Tuesday over the St. Louis Blues to end a four-game losing streak, and certainly not before heading out on a four-game swing on the road, where they are just 1-5-1 this season.

It should've never gotten to this point late in the third period, not after the Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the first period, winning one puck battle after another in the opening 20 minutes. But they weren't nearly as hungry in the second period, so the Flyers — who are last in the NHL averaging a mere 2.17 goals per game — dictated how they game was played in the middle 20 minutes, and carried a 2-1 lead into the second period.

The Rangers were better in the third period, for sure. But make no mistake, Fox was the catalyst for this victory. He was selected the game's third star, which feels like an oversight — no disrespect to the No. 1 star Kartye, who was a buzzsaw in the first and third periods.

For all the obvious reasons, and those more subtle ones, Fox was the most important player on the ice Thursday for the Rangers.

Key takeaways from Rangers' 3-2 comeback victory over Flyers

NHL: Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers — Dennis Schneidler-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dorofeyev has first signature Rangers moment

Both Dorofeyev and the Rangers waited a lot longer than either expected — or hoped — for his first signature moment with wearing the Blueshirt — in this case the debut of the Hometown Remix jersey. So, it was a massive exhale when the former Vegas Golden Knights sniper did what he's paid $11 million annually to do — rifle home a game-changing goal.

PAV SNIPES IT 🎯 pic.twitter.com/o6glYlkKfG

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 6, 2026

That it happened on a night when he wasn't exactly at his best in regards to two-way play — to put it politely — and appeared snakebit, hitting the post (again) midway through the first period — points to the resilience and game-altering skill Dorofeyev possesses.

Perhaps this moment is what sparks that heater we've all waited for by the 26-year-old. Dorofeyev has three goals in the past five games, and five total this season. Though none before were of the magnitude of this one Thursday.

Something had to give

The Rangers were 0-6-0 when trailing after the second period, true. But the Flyers entered play with a 0-6-2 record when trailing after the first period. So, as that third period played out, something had to give. One of those ugly streaks was going to end.

Fortunately for the Rangers, you know the rest of the story. And with the win, the Rangers are now 8-2-0 at MSG and 9-1-0 when scoring the first goal — even if that poor second period forced them to come from behind in the third period. Conversely, the Flyers are 1-6-1 on the road and 1-8-3 when surrendering the game-opening goal.

Turning point

The Rangers tilted the ice several minutes before Dorofeyev tied the score. They got back to winning puck battles and started getting both pucks and bodies to the net. There was more desperation to their approach, similar to how they played the first period, when Kartye and J.T. Miller set the tone with a ferocious style of play.

So, maybe the Rangers would've found a way to the tie the game at some point over the final minutes of regulation. But it felt at the time that Denver Barkey's slashing penalty at 13:13 could be the turning point, even with the Rangers power play largely mediocre this season. When Dorofeyev cashed in with a power-play goal, and Kartye rode the wave of positive momentum with another goal shortly thereafter, it was clear Barkey's penalty was indeed the game's turning point.

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