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Madison Square Garden woes among biggest Rangers turkeys at Thanksgiving
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- Madison Square Garden woes among biggest Rangers turkeys at Thanksgiving
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Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude — and while the New York Rangers have every right to give thanks on Thursday, there's no denying that the 2025-26 season has come with its fair share of warts.
Despite back-to-back wins, the Rangers (12-11-2) are dead last in the Metropolitan Division, tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets (26 points). A tightly-packed Eastern Conference keeps New York in the mix, but it's been a disappointing start to their centennial season.
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So, as countless families gather for a Thanksgiving meal Thursday, let's share a few "turkeys" through the first two months of the Rangers season.
3 Rangers 'turkeys' to chew on at Thanksgiving
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1. Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden hasn't been a refuge for the scuffling Blueshirts. If anything, it's been a house of horrors.
A histroric season-opening goalless streak on home ice — which spanned more than three games and 180:57 of ice time — was merely an omen of things to come. New York has been outscored 30-16 at the Garden, unsurprisingly leading to a 2-7-1 record on home ice.
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That includes defeats in all three of their centennial theme nights: a 4-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the season opener ("Birth of a Franchise" night), a 5-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Nov. 8 ("Milestones and Moments" night), and, most recently, a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 16 ("Original Six Era" night).
Whether it be a cruel twist of irony or simply bad luck, the Rangers' home woes make it difficult for the Blueshirt Faithful to celebrate the 100th season properly.
2. J.T. Miller
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Donning the "C" in New York comes with a spotlight — something Rangers captain J.T. Miller knows all too well this season.
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Two goals and three points in his past two games helped bolster his stat line, but it's still been a sluggish start for the 32-year-old. Miller is minus-six with six goals and 13 points through 23 games. Not atrocious by any means, but below the expected production of a top-line forward with three 30-goal seasons under his belt.
To his credit, Miller's said all of the right things.
"I understand if I'm producing the way I'm capable of producing, our record might look a hell of a lot different," he told reporters after a recent 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights . "Trust me, it's on my mind."
But it doesn't fully explain why Miller looks like a shell of the player who notched 103 points in 2023-24, or even the version New York acquired halfway through the 2024-25 season, when he tallied 13 goals and 35 points in 32 games with the Rangers.
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Perhaps he's still reeling from a gnarly-looking lower-body injury that he sustained in training camp, which would certainly explain why Miller looks a step slower this season.
A two-game injury absence seemed to do him some good, since Miller notched an assist and played with noticeable jump in New York's 2-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.
The bottom line is, when he's in the lineup, the Rangers need Miller to be a difference-maker.
3. Mid-November road trip
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The Rangers had a golden opportunity to deliver a statement to the League that they are a true contender, when they embarked on an arduous road trip Nov. 14-18, featuring games against the Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche , and Utah Mammoth .
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For all of their struggles at Madison Square Garden, the Blueshirts thrive away from home, pacing the NHL with 10 road wins. And with the lineup rejuvenated by the return of Vincent Trocheck just one week earlier, it felt like a great chance to build on some previously established momentum.
Instead, the Rangers lost all three games, despite being tied or within a goal in the third period of each contest.
New York since responded with two straight wins, seemingly avoiding any lingering effects from the frustrating trip out west. Nevertheless, it goes down as a squandered opportunity, and a disheartening reminder that this squad still has a ways to go before it can be categorized as a serious threat and playoff contender.
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