Rangers Daily: 2 things can be true about Blueshirts captain; NHL Power Ranks

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Rangers Daily: 2 things can be true about Blueshirts captain; NHL Power Ranks

Rangers Daily: 2 things can be true about Blueshirts captain; NHL Power Ranks — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jim Cerny · Forever Blueshirts

Wed, November 4, 2026 at 2:48 PM UTC ·

5 min read

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J.T. Miller wasn't named one of the three stars from the New York Rangers' 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. However, if you paid attention, you know that the Rangers captain's fingerprints were all over this victory.

In a game that the Rangers really needed to win — at home, following four straights losses, and against a decent but not overwhelmingly good opponent — they did, in large part to the impactful 200-foot game played by their 33-year-old center.

Miller assisted on two goals, including the breakout pass on the play which resulted in the important first goal of the night, scored by Adam Fox , at 1:49 of the second period. He also fed Eeli Tolvanen for an empty-net goal after, again, strong work in his own end sprung the puck out to center ice.

Adam Fox gives the Rangers a 1-0 lead 🚨 #nyr pic.twitter.com/kC75YSdfga

— Blueshirts Nation | NY Rangers Fan Club (@NYRangerFanclub) November 4, 2026

But that's not all. Miller led the Rangers with four shots on goal, blocked two shots, and won 70 percent of his face-offs (14 of 20). He and Tye Kartye also helped juice the power play on the second unit, with the Rangers accumulating 11 shots on goal over three power-play opportunities. And he was a big-time contributor on an elite penalty-kill unit which was a perfect 6-for-6 against the Blues.

Big things, little things. Miller contributed in every way imaginable Tuesday, continuing a trend of positive leadership and play that's sitting at 16 games and counting this season. Healthier than a year ago, Miller is more himself out there, and his tenacious approach rubs off on his teammates for sure.

He hasn't been perfect because neither he nor this team is. They're 8-7-1 for a reason, or many reasons. And one of those is that no matter how good Miller's been, at 33 years old, he's an outstanding third-line center on a true contender. But with the Rangers, he's a second-line center with much higher expectations for his production. That's just where their roster sits right now.

So, two things can be true. Miller's playing some terrific hockey and deserves credit for all that he brings on a nightly basis. But he's still miscast at this stage of his career as a consistent top-six center.

Let's see how Miller holds up over the course of 84 games. But right now, give him his props, if not one of the three stars Tuesday. He's earned it.

New York Rangers news and analysis

NHL: St. Louis Blues at New York Rangers — Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lou Orlando has the complete game recap and story from the Rangers' 3-1 win over the Blues.

Here are a slew of key Rangers takeaways from a feel-good performance at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Spencer Bowes is on an absolute roll to begin the season for Ottawa in the OHL. That tops Jess Rubenstein's latest update on Rangers junior prospects.

ICYMI: The Forever Blueshirts staff weighed in with takes on the Rangers Hometown Remix jerseys .

NHL news and rumors

NHL: Seattle Kraken at Tampa Bay Lightning — Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

TSN:On the latest Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun reported that Nikita Kucherov doesn't have a shortlist of teams he'd accept a trade to, and then reminded everyone that Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois said Kucherov isn't being traded anywhere. Also, Chris Johnston reported that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is adamant that Russia will not be allowed to participate in the 2027 World Junior Championship in Calgary. That's a sticky situation brewing across the northern border.

Sportsnaut: Wes Crosby delivers the latest NHL Power Rankings , with the Rangers sitting in that murky middle group of teams.

Detroit Hockey Now: Red Wings goalie John Gibson went down with a lower-body injury in their 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, meaning that MIchal Postava, just named AHL Goaltender of the Month for October, ;likely is headed back to the NHL.

Daily Faceoff:Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla revealed that he has some neurological issues and doctors are trying to determine the cause. Iginla is 49 years old.

Sportsnet: The Dallas Stars lost defenseman Miro Heiskanen with an upper-body injury in their wild 6-5 win over the Washington Capitals.

TSN: Guess that Darren Raddysh honeymoon in Toronto is over. The well-paid defenseman was blasted by coach Jim Hiller for taking an egregious penalty that cost the Maple Leafs in their 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth. Wonder if that happens is their prized summer acquisition had actually scored a goal or had more than seven points this season.

Montreal Hockey Now:Continuing with Kucherov, Marc Dumont breaks down the recent trade rumors swirling (shockingly!) in Montreal about the Canadiens and the reigning Hart Trophy winner.

Montreal Hockey Now: Doubling down with the Canadiens, Dumont also gets into how the Habs collapsed and allowed four goals in roughly two minutes in the third period and ended up losing to the woeful Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.

Philly Hockey Now: William James analyzes how a strong performance by the Flyers still ended up in a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild.

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