There’s an ESPN 30 for 30 about the New York Knicks championship years making reference to their home arena as “When The Garden Was Eden”. Madison Square Garden has been anything but for the New York Rangers so far this season. They have yet to pick up their first home win as the young season enters week three.
It’s like the Rangers saw the Los Angeles Kings great home start from last season and said “let’s do the opposite”. We joke, but their loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday night drops their record on home ice to 0-4-0. Last season at home the Rangers were 19-19-3. Let’s take a look at some of the underlying numbers for New York’s less than spectacular start at the Garden.
Of course the big headline was that the Rangers were shutout at home in their first three contests. In their first three contest the Rangers only allowed six goals. Three were scored at even strength, one piece per game those first three games. The other three were empty netters. Pittsburgh scored twice in the Rangers home opener with the crease left unmanned and Edmonton did so once.
The most recent loss against the Wild featured a small step in the right direction. Artemi Panarin’s first period goal but the Rangers on the board first and gave them their first lead at home all season because it was literally their first goal scored at home all season. Minnesota responded with two even strength goals and then, you guessed it, another empty net goal.
Take away those empty net goals and the Rangers have only given up a sterling five goals at home through four games. Visiting teams have yet to convert on the power play (through eight games the Rangers have a top ten penalty kill in the league). If you told a Rangers fan that before the season they would expect four home wins. With four opportunities the Rangers offense has keeps letting fans down.
The Rangers are second to last in the league in goals for per game with 2.00 ahead of only the Calgary Flames. Had that number now been buoyed by a four goal outburst against the Buffalo Sabres and a six goal outburst against the Penguins in Pittsburgh it would likely be much worse. They’ve earned points in every road game so far this season with a 3-0-1 record. New York scored at least four goals in each win. Their only road loss was a tight 2-1 overtime contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Here’s another polarizing stat: the Rangers are on the opposite end and are second in the entire league in goals allowed per game with an even lower 1.88. All-Star, Vezina and Hart caliber goaltender Igor Shesterkin. In his three home starts he’s put up save percentages of 0.988%, 0.952% and 0.935%. Backup Jonathan Quick had a save percentage of 0.952 in his one home start.
One very interested stat we found while looking into each of the Rangers home losses is that the Minnesota game was the only one of the four games where Minnesota earned more power plays than the home team. New York had a two to one advantage in power plays given against the Penguins and Capitals and a three to none advantage in power plays given against the Edmonton Oilers. The Rangers power play has only converted three times so far this season, twice in their six goal win in Pittsburgh and once this past Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.
If the power play can finally break through on home ice the home woes should start turning into home wins. NHL.com pointed out two specific scoring chances from Mike Zibanejad and J.T. Miller on the power play against Minnesota. Thursday would be the perfect time to start. The still winless (entering play Wednesday) San Jose Sharks visit Madison Square Garden with a record of 0-4-2.
Let’s take away the whole “home and road” aspect and just look at their overall record of 3-4-1 so far. In the Artemi Panarin era (since 2019-2020) the Rangers record through the season’s first eight games has been 3-4-1, 2-4-2, 5-2-1, 3-3-2, 6-2-0, and 6-1-1. Each of those seasons with the exception of 2020-2021 and last season ended in a postseason (playoff or “play-in”) appearance.
The Rangers are still adjusting to new coach Mike Sullivan and the team has played well in enough aspects despite their record to suggest their better than their record is. In the “Panarin era” the Rangers have dealt in with two other coaching changes. Their record through eight games that first coaching change in 2021-2022 was 5-2-1 and in 2023-2024 was 6-2-0. Each of those seasons ended with an Eastern Conference finals appearance. If the same happens in 2025-2026 the Rangers home opening struggles will be a long gone memory.