After an electrifying comeback win against the Dallas Stars on Garden ice this past Tuesday, followed by a gutsy victory in Ottawa against the Senators, the Rangers welcomed the NHL’s top team, the Colorado Avalanche, to Madison Square Garden. What unfolded was an absolute battle of will and skill, showcasing some of the game’s best players in an afternoon tilt at the world’s most famous arena.
The early start seemed to throw off the Avalanche in the opening period, as the Rangers kept play pinned in Colorado’s defensive zone. They leaned on the best recipe against a team boasting the league’s highest goals-per-game average: the best defense is a good offense, and maintaining possession of the puck.
The plan worked—at least for a while. But elite teams can only be contained so long before their top-end talent takes over. The Rangers stayed aggressive, closing gaps on Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, but the Avalanche woke from their mid-day slumber. Momentum shifted when Parker Kelly scored on a desperate tip-in, deflecting the puck from his knees to give Colorado a 1–0 lead.
The Rangers pushed back late in the second period and carried that energy into the third, when Connor Sheary scored his first goal of the season and first as a Ranger. The tally came from sheer resiliency and effort, aided by his new top six linemates Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller.
The Garden erupted, the game tied at one. But the celebration was short-lived. Nathan MacKinnon answered by batting the puck in after it popped into the air, appearing to be with a stick above the crossbar, but it was confirmed as a good goal after review from the Toronto situation room.
With a few questionable calls against both teams late in the third, Colorado held a 2–1 lead with under two and a half minutes left in regulation. Then it was time for the Breadman to deliver. With Igor Shesterkin pulled for an extra attacker, Artemi Panarin made a miraculous mid-air stop on an Avalanche clearing attempt, kept the puck in the zone, and ripped a shot to tie the game with 2:14 remaining. The Garden faithful erupted in astonished elation
Overtime carried a foreboding tone. With open ice to exploit, the Avalanche were a force, and the inevitability of MacKinnon roving like a pit bull on skates loomed large. When the Rangers failed to clear the puck on Colorado’s final rush, tired legs betrayed them. MacKinnon deked past Will Borgen and delivered a dazzling backhand roof shot over Shesterkin to seal the win.
The Avalanche claimed the extra point, but that wasn’t the whole story. The Rangers are showing fans, themselves, and—most importantly—management one thing: they’re here to play, and they’re here to stay. This is a team worth investing in. The Eastern Conference looks middling, and the Metro Division is ripe for the taking.
This team has clearly taken a turn for the better, and it would seem like Mike Sullivan's influence and coaching prowess is starting to make an imprint on this team and its leadership. It's showing on and off the ice with how they are conducting themselves. This team is starting to believe in themselves and the system. And it's time to start believing in them.
If the Rangers can battle this hard against the Avalanche and the Stars without their number one defenseman, Adam Fox, then General Manager Chris Drury must reward them with reinforcements when the time comes. But there’s no time to dwell on this overtime loss—the Rangers have a date with the Vegas Golden Knights tomorrow night and must rebound mentally and physically from this hard-fought Garden clash.