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Rangers captain notes ‘buzz around the room’ during win streak
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- Rangers captain notes ‘buzz around the room’ during win streak
Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
When describing the New York Rangers ' 2025-26 season, "fun" isn't the first word that comes to mind. But it certainly applies to their four-game winning streak (4-0-0) — the team's longest since October 2024 — and recent strong play since the Olympic break.
Igor Shesterkin made a season-best 46 saves Saturday night, when the Rangers continued their newfound success with a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild . New York improved to 6-1-2 since returning from the Olympic break; only three teams have a better points percentage in that span.
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"That was a lot of fun," Rangers captain J.T. Miller reacted postgame . "We were looking forward to that game. Guys have been playing really well the last little stretch here. Could feel a little bit of confidence, and I thought we really played really well."
Miller returned to the lineup Saturday after missing five games with an upper-body injury. He recorded one shot on goal, won eight of 14 face-offs, and delivered two hits in 19:15 of ice time.
"I felt okay — felt pretty good in the first [period]," he said. "That was like a playoff-style game. Not a lot of room out there, it seemed like. That's a fun game to get back into it. I'm sure it'll get better as we go, but I felt alright."
Coach Mike Sullivan stressed how impactful Miller's return is to the suddenly streaking Rangers.
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"He's an inspiration for our team," Sullivan stated after the win . "He plays hard. You can see it when he's on the ice. He's in the middle of all the scuffle. That's just the way he plays. He plays the game hard."
Saturday was far from New York's cleanest effort. The Wild outshot the Rangers 48-18, including a 21-1 edge in the third period. The Blueshirts survived behind a herculean effort from Shesterkin.
Then again, New York isn't in much of a position to nitpick. Points in the standings have been hard to come by all season.
"For a lot of the first half of the year, we couldn't see the puck go in the net," Miller explained. "I think, right now, we're executing on a lot of plays. Obviously, we've got some guys stepping up and playing really well."
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Spearheading the improved offensive execution is a top line of Mika Zibanejad , Alexis Lafreniere , and 20-year-old forward Gabe Perreault .
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Perreault helped New York take an early 1-0 lead Saturday, setting up fellow rookie Noah Laba for a power-play goal at 2:41 of the first. The assist extended Perreault's points streak to four games; he totaled seven points (two goals, five assists) during the Rangers' active win streak.
Lafreniere is riding a hot streak of his own. The 24-year-old leads the team with seven goals and 12 points in nine games played since the Olympic break.
"Just high execution. Finally getting those pucks to go in the net that we were missing in the first half of the year," Miller noted. "This is a good feeling around here right now. It's been a hard, hard year, but it feels good to win some games and try to string something together here."
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That feeling eluded the Rangers too often prior to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. Following an exciting 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers in the 2026 NHL Winter Classic, New York managed just two more victories (2-11-1) before the League paused for Olympic play on Feb. 6. The Blueshirts entered the break with the third-worst record in the NHL at 50 points (22-29-6); they sat dead last in the Eastern Conference, trailing the next-worst team by eight points.
New York's recent surge is an unexpected but welcome change.
"Ever since we came back, it's been a buzz around the room. It's just nice to get the results when you earn them," Miller explained. "Feel like, earlier in the year, all we talked about was, 'we played really well and came up short.' Now we're on the right side of things. But we don't want to get comfortable with that. We want to keep going. There's a lot to like right now."
Rangers 'playing hard for one another' post-Olympic break
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Perhaps the best example of New York's rekindled spark came at 14:15 of the third, when Minnesota forward Joel Eriksson Ek collided with Shesterkin in the crease, knocking the Rangers goalie to the ice.
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Will Cuylle quickly challenged Eriksson Ek, prompting a five-on-five brawl along the half wall.
"Yeah, that was huge," Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov affirmed postgame. "I mean, the team should stick [up] for a goalie anyway — not anyone in the League allowed to touch him. So that was a great response by our five."
"It's awesome. Those are the reasons you come to the rink, just seeing your team respond and stick together like that," Miller echoed. "That's a really good feeling and a good sign."
Eriksson Ek received a two-minute minor for goaltender interference and an additional minor for roughing. Rangers defenseman Will Borgen was also assessed a roughing minor.
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"I thought it was appropriate," Sullivan said of his team's response to the collision. "Igor is in the blue paint. It's interference. So I thought our guys did a great job. We've talked about what the wins have done for the morale of the group, but having that kind of response is another sign that maybe they're coming together right now."
In all likelihood, it will be too little, too late. Even after the four-game winning streak, New York is tied for the fourth-worst record in the League at 64 points (28-30-8). They remain dead last in the East and trail the final wild card spot by 16 points with 16 games to play.
To their credit, the Rangers don't seem to be dwelling on their all-but-certain playoff fate.
"I think these guys are playing hard for one another. I think they're having some fun," Sullivan noted. "They feel good about what's going on. Obviously, when you win some games, it helps. I'm happy for them because obviously, it's been an up-and-down year, and they've been through a lot. There's a good feeling going around the team right now."
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