The Rangers came into their Monday night tilt against the Seattle Kraken still reeling from their extremely embarrassing 10–2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon.
Seattle entered the night 8-1-2 in its last 12 games and welcomed back leading goal scorer Jordan Eberle to the lineup. The Garden also saw the return of two former Blueshirts making their first appearance at MSG since being dealt away by President and General Manager Chris Drury: Kaapo Kakko (traded to Seattle in December 2024) and Ryan Lindgren (traded to Colorado in March 2025). Both spent multiple seasons with the Rangers.
Mika Zibanejad stays hot in the loss
Mika Zibanejad opened the scoring, giving the Rangers the early lead with a clever bank shot from behind the net after a successful penalty kill. It marked the eighth time this season he’s scored the first goal of a game — the most in the NHL. He also has points in six games straight, and goals in four of his last five games played. Seattle’s sloppy start continued moments later when a turnover landed on the stick of Sam Carrick, who buried it to make it 2–0 Rangers
And then the Blueshirts offense went limp. The Rangers looked like they expected to coast on that two‑goal cushion and sleepwalk their way to a win. The Kraken had other ideas. They didn’t let their early mistakes define the night; Seattle kept the pressure on and punched back with a strong two‑goal second period.
Familiar faces help Seattle turn the tide
Just 56 seconds into the middle frame, a neutral‑zone turnover led to a quick strike from Eeli Tolvanen to cut the deficit to one. Shortly after, Kaapo Kakko — in his return to MSG — delivered a sharp feed from behind the net to the high slot, where Jordan Eberle ripped home his 16th goal of the season.
After two periods, each team had scored twice, sending the game into the third tied 2–2.
As the night wore on, the Rangers sank deeper into a malaise. Their offense dried up, their legs slowed, and their structure unraveled
Seattle finally broke through with 7:54 remaining when Shane Wright tapped in a rebound to give the Kraken a 3–2 lead. No Rangers defenseman was anywhere near the crease to clear the puck or support Jonathan Quick after the initial save. Lindgren picked up an assist on the game-winning goal, and it was just his seventh point in 44 games played this season.
Immediately after the goal, the Garden crowd erupted into a loud, unmistakable chant: “Fire Drury.”
Loud Fire Drury chant at the garden #NYR pic.twitter.com/8PD5xkRHgc
— Dean Mavrides (@DeanMavs55) January 13, 2026
The Rangers pulled Quick for the extra attacker late and generated a few desperate looks, but it was too little, too late.
As boos rained down from The Garden faithful, frustration filled the building and the players skated off visibly dejected. The Rangers have now lost 4 straight games and are sporting a 5-12- 4 record at MSG so far this season.
If you truly want to know the temperature of the New York Rangers after this loss, look no further than their captain J.T. Miller.
#NYR captain J.T. Miller has said all the right things this season, but he didn’t offer much after this one.
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) January 13, 2026
“Yeah, I don't know what to say. I mean, we're gonna try to have a good practice tomorrow and get ready for the next game.”
Monday's game vs the Kraken was a game that the Rangers had a every reason to win, and they found a way to lose. This team needed urgency and desperation. Instead, they played without the confidence, composure, or professionalism required to stay alive in the wild‑card chase — a chase that’s starting to look more like a retreat as the season drags on.