Everyone should remember, if you don't that is your brain saving you from trauma, how poorly the New York Rangers started last year's regular season. Some lowlights include failing to score during the first three home games of the season, recording their first home win on November 10, 2025, and finishing just 14-20-7 with 35 points and a minus 19 goal differential.
The 2025-26 season was doomed from the start, the Rangers never recovered, and some key injuries to Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox propelled them to a finish that resulted in the organization being the fifth team to make a selection at the 2026 NHL Draft, something that's worked out quite well so far.
With all of that being said, the 2026-27 squad has the Blueshirts faithful singing a different tune. Now, the trumpets are blaring, drums are beating, and it is all positive in Rangerstown. This team has gotten off to a good start, and President and General Manager Chris Drury’s offseason deals have been an overwhelming success.
Winning the game in the first period
The Rangers have not allowed a goal in the first period through the first five games of the 2026-27 season. If you had read that last season, you would have laughed.
This team has looked different, felt different, and fans are starting to believe again. Almost like the golden days of the mid 2010s, when this franchise was making deep playoff runs annually.
Drury has done a lot wrong in his short tenure, with frequent messy exits and really poor choices in the NHL Draft. But his way of bringing in the right talent this past offseason has been fantastic. He has really made up for the past mistakes in a big way.
Even the head coach, Mike Sullivan, is enjoying what he has seen out of his guys thus far.
Mike Sullivan on the Rangers' start to games to start the season:
— SNY Rangers (@SNYRangers) October 7, 2026
"They're buying in, they're having fun, they're competing hard, they're having success. I think our third periods have been terrific. We're playing hard, playing on our toes and we're doing it responsibly" pic.twitter.com/OYluD5MDdr
Pavel Dorofeyev has been as advertised. The defense looks so much more efficient and consistent with Marcus Pettersson and Sean Durzi, and Alberts Smits is developing nicely in the frying pan of the NHL. What more could you want right now?
Winning the game, period
This team is winning hockey games, and it has been a team effort. J.T. Miller has been a catalyst for this with bone-crushing hits, scoring goals, and adding in some fighting to really boost the morale.
J.T. Miller & Brayden Schenn drop the gloves 🥊🏒
— Concrete City Sports (@concretecityccs) October 7, 2026
Tensions rising early in this Rangers vs Islanders matchup 🤯 pic.twitter.com/V5oPBeBIuu
The Rangers have had a very good start to the year, and it looks like they are not slowing down. They are operating at all three levels of the game, with the power play and penalty kill working like clockwork. The biggest positive of their start is that they've been battle tested with five games in eight days to start the season, and they have eight points to show for it.
Looking back on last season, things were so dire and helpless that this team was not even fun to root for. Let's be honest, nobody thought back then that through the first five games of this season, they would be where they are. This is a complete team, with no one true "superstar" leading the way and having the rest pick up the breadcrumbs.
This Rangers team knows how to win, and will continue winning if they keep this formula.
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