Broadway bites back as Rangers get revenge in Mike Sullivan’s return

If Tuesday was humiliation, Saturday was redemption. The New York Rangers didn’t just answer back in Pittsburgh — they exorcised it. The same Pittsburgh Penguins team that silenced Madison Square Garden 3-0 in Tuesday's season-opener earlier in the week got steamrolled in their own barn; the Blueshirts flipped the script with a ruthless 6–1 revenge win.

The Sullivan subplot

Let’s start there, because it mattered. Head Coach Mike Sullivan’s return to Pittsburgh, the city where he built his reputation, won two Stanley Cups, and coached Sidney Crosby into immortality, had been circled on the calendar since the day he signed with the Rangers. His first game coaching against the Penguins, couldn’t have gone worse. Flat effort, no pushback, empty-net humiliation, and the sight of Sullivan staring into the Garden lights as boos poured down from the upper bowl. However, on Saturday night in Pittsburgh, the emotion flipped. The Penguins ran a tribute video. Clips of Sullivan lifting the Cup. Hugs with Crosby. The ovation was polite, the video polished. Sully, lips pursed, gave a small wave and then went back to his notes. That was the moment the mood shifted. You could see it in his face: thanks for the memories, now let’s go to war.

A statement start

You could sense it from the opening draw — this wasn’t the same lifeless group that stumbled through the home opener. Igor Shesterkin set the tone early, flashing the glove on Erik Karlsson and turning away a swarm of overpassing Penguins. Even when the Rangers looked shaky, Igor stood tall, buying them time to find rhythm. After a nervous opening five minutes, Adam Fox intercepted a lazy Crosby pass and turned defense into instant offense. He hit Sam Carrick in stride, Carrick slid it through Karlsson’s legs to Mika Zibanejad, and No. 93 buried it five-hole for a shorthanded goal that set the tone as the garden snake struck in the steel city. MSG might have been quiet on Tuesday. PPG Paints Arena went silent Saturday.

Zibanejad was everywhere. Blocking shots, cutting passing lanes, backchecking with fury. Twice on that same Penguins power play, he denied Bryan Rust point-blank. The Rangers killed the penalty, killed the noise, and for the first time this season looked like a team that actually enjoyed defending.

Momentum turns blue

The Rangers entered the second period with swagger, and even after an early mistake, rookie and 2025 11th overall pick Ben Kindel sniping short-side for his first NHL goal after a miscue between Vladislav Gavrikov and J.T. Miller, they never blinked.

Instead, they punched back. Rempe and Edström worked the cycle down low, muscled the puck to the point, and Adam Fox did what he does best, wristed one through traffic for a 2–1 lead.

The Rangers were skating downhill, hunting pucks, playing on instinct. Moments later, the power play got its chance — and not the struggling top unit, but PP2. Connor Sheary carried the puck in with patience, drew the defender, and found Will Cuylle streaking into the slot. Rookie Noah Laba earned his first NHL point with the secondary assist, winning a puck battle.

By the midway mark, it felt like the Penguins were stuck in quicksand. Crosby was invisible. Evgeni Malkin was coughing pucks up like a rookie. The Rangers’ penalty kill their soft spot last year, has turned into into their backbone. When Pittsburgh took a too-many-men penalty late in the period, Fox made them pay again. Another point shot, another screen against Arturs Silovs who's notably woeful in that department and another goal. His second of the night, third point overall. 4–1. Revenge was beginning to taste sweet. The Rangers played a textbook Sullivan game — tight gaps, quick exits, and pressure layered from the net out. Gavrikov, despite a rough first period, settled in. Will Borgen was physical and smart. The breakouts looked clean.

What stood out most was the execution of their 1-2-2 structure. Pittsburgh kept trying to weave east-west through the neutral zone, and the visitors suffocated it. Every time Malkin or Bryan Rust tried to create something off the rush, a blue jersey met them at the line. While Sullivan didn’t show much emotion behind the bench, you could sense his satisfaction. His fingerprints were all over this win, from the rejuvenated penalty kill to the way the fourth line dominated the forecheck battle.

Redemption complete

By the third period, the game was a runaway. Matt Rempe, all six-foot-seven of him, parked himself in front, and was the recipient of Adam Edström jamming home the rebound for a 5–1 cushion. That line — Sam Carrick, Rempe, Edström — was pure energy all night, a coach’s dream in a revenge game. Taylor Raddysh chipped in with the dagger, finishing off a beautiful feed from Laba after a tenacious board battle. Eleven different Rangers registered points.

Meanwhile, Igor Shesterkin remained unbreakable, making 18 saves with a 2.11 Goals Saved Above Expected. He robbed Crosby with a full-split pad save midway through the third — the kind that makes you pause and just grin. When the Penguins finally tried to make it ugly, Gavrikov lay out in front of the crease, blocking everything that moved. Even with Carson Soucy and Vincent Trocheck out with upper-body injuries, they refused to wilt. 

It was 6-1, but felt like 10-0. As disgusted Pens fans exited PPG Paints Arena, Blueshirts head coach Mike Sullivan, with a faint smirk, shook his assistants’ hands like a man who’d just turned the page on his past. This cleansed a week that began with questions about effort, chemistry, identity, and ended with answers. The power play clicked twice. The PK went a perfect 4-for-4, improving to 9-for-9 on the season. Igor posted a .971 save percentage. Fox looked like the best defenseman in the league again. Mika was flying. The depth chipped in. The Rangers rediscovered their edge. They took hits, blocked shots, stayed composed, and backed up their coach. Do it again again Sunday against the Washington Capitals, shall we?