The NY Rangers lost in a blowout on Thursday night. It ended a hot streak that New York enjoyed to start the 2026-27 season.
Head coach Mike Sullivan summed up the loss with one simple admission. Via Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com, Sullivan said, “We just lost ourselves. We didn’t play the game that we’d been playing for most of this year that’s brought us success.”
Through their first eight games, the Rangers looked like a team enjoying a remarkable turnaround.
They entered their Thursday night showdown against the New Jersey Devils with a stellar 6-2-0 record. That was good for a league-leading plus-13 goal differential and just 1.75 goals allowed per game. The latter number ranked second in the league.
Then they allowed seven goals in a blowout loss. Case in point, New Jersey’s performance erased nearly half of that differential in one evening.
NY Rangers Blowout Loss To The Devils Raises Red Flags
Here is where things get incredibly interesting: New Jersey scored seven times on 31 shots, good for a 22.6 shooting percentage. As a result, New York’s goals allowed average skyrocketed to 2.33 in a single evening, and their goal differential fell to just plus-7.
The Rangers entered the contest looking like the team fans were getting to know through those first eight games. They didn’t allow a goal until Evan Rodrigues scored at the 19:30 mark of the first. Then, things went downhill, as New York allowed three more goals within the first 4:39 of the second period.
It could have been one bad stretch that lasted just over five minutes. And it could have been just one bad game for a team that still ranks seventh in goals scored with 28 on the season. Or, the Devils could have found a weak spot that New York’s first eight opponents didn’t spot. These are speculations the Rangers must provide clarity on going forward.
It’s still early enough in the season for these numbers to take major pendulum swings. But the alarming part is how quickly things fell apart against a team that was averaging just 2.66 goals scored per game heading into the contest. The Devils were also allowing 3.66 goals per game, so they weren’t exactly blowing opponents out.
Rangers’ Goaltending Depth Faces Major Test
With Igor Shesterkin shelved for the season, all eyes will inevitably land on Dylan Garand and how he will respond to this one. In the loss, Garand played for just 24:25, allowing four goals on 13 shots before Sullivan benched him for Spencer Martin.
Heading into the game, Garand was posting legendary numbers: a .951 save percentage with just four goals allowed. Rangers fans couldn’t have asked for better production from Garand until Thursday night.
While it takes a team effort to allow four goals in just over five minutes, Garand had the opportunity to step up and save the situation. Instead, Martin came in and allowed three goals in 18 shots in the final 35:21. In short, neither goaltender played well.
Given Martin’s relative inexperience at the NHL level since he first entered the league in 2016-17, it naturally raises questions about New York’s goaltending.
For Garand, the next time the NY Rangers look so bad that the head coach delivers such a blunt statement, he must see it as an opportunity to bring more than 100 percent to the table. In an 84-game season, Garand will get that opportunity again.
Mike Sullivan Delivers Blunt Verdict on NY Rangers’ 7-1 Loss