It was an obviously emotional contest between the New York Rangers and the Anaheim Ducks, which led to a poor effort from the Blueshirts. It ended 4-1 in favor of the visiting team, and the Rangers were exposed and embarrassed once again in front of the home crowd.
Here are three takeaways from the loss.
Going down on the rollercoaster ride
The Rangers are now 1-2-2 in their last five games, and falling behind in the Metropolitan Division. All season long, this team has taken a trip on a rollercoaster ride, and they are now on the downswing.
The Ducks are a fantastic team, with plenty of blossoming young talent and one of the best coaches of all time behind the bench. They are a well-oiled machine and are obviously going to be making a lot of noise when the regular season ends and they participate in the Western Conference playoff bracket.
That team that overcame a 3-0 deficit to win 5-4 in overtime against the Montreal Canadiens was not the same team on display against the Ducks.
Missing a key piece
Prior to the game, some breaking news shook up the Rangers. Mika Zibanejad, who has reportedly never missed a team meeting or been late to one either, was late and subsequently benched by head coach Mike Sullivan.
It was a big loss, and the Rangers definitely needed one of their top scorers to combat the Ducks strong offensive unit. After the game, Sullivan spoke on the benching of Zibanejad, but declined to go into further detail. Thus, adding more confusion to the decision.
Asked Mike Sullivan if Mika Zibanejad’s missed team meeting was a one-time thing or if it happened before and the #NYR coach declined to answer:
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) December 16, 2025
“Listen, I'm not going to get into l specifics on why we make decisions the way we made them, OK? We believe strongly in a process…
Welcome back CK20 and Troubs
All eyes were on Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba's return to Madison Square Garden. It was the two long-time and significant Rangers' first time back in front of the Rangers hopefuls.
Early on in the evening, Kreider got his video tribute in front of the home crowd, to an explosion of cheers and appreciation. Former captain Trouba got his as well shortly after, and also got a nice ovation from the crowd.
It was weird seeing them in those nice orange Ducks uniforms, and they both played very well against the Rangers. Trouba got an assist in the contest, and Kreider, though pointless, did what he did for 13 seasons for this team, against this team.