Tuesday night's 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights was frustrating for many reasons for the New York Rangers. Whether it was the lack of offensive chances or key players seemingly giving up during plays, there were plenty of negatives. However, the biggest concern from Tuesday's loss was the performance of their special teams. The Rangers did not score on their lone power-play opportunity, while they allowed two power-play goals.
The Rangers' penalty kill struggles continue a concerning trend. Over the last six games, their penalty kill ranks 31st in the NHL, allowing seven goals on 17 opportunities. This is a far cry from where they were through the first 16 games, where the penalty kill was a top-ten unit. It's also cost them at least two games during this stretch.
Consequently, while the penalty kill has struggled, the power play has improved during this stretch. While they did not convert on Tuesday, they have scored on four power-play goals on 12 opportunities. This is a significant improvement, considering the Rangers had the league's worst power-play through the first 16 games. The biggest question is what has caused this change, and what can be done to try to even the unit out.
Start of the season to November 8th (16 games played):#NYR PP: 32nd in the NHL (12.2%)#NYR PK: 9th in the NHL (83.3%)
— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) November 19, 2025
November 8th to today (6 games played): #NYR PP: 3rd in the NHL (33.3%)#NYR PK: 31st in the NHL (61.1%)
Why have the special team units switch production
The power-play numbers could be explained by the Rangers taking advantage of weaker penalty kill units. Of the six teams they played during this stretch, three of them have penalty kill units ranked in the bottom half of the league. The Rangers scored two of their four goals against the Red Wings and Blue Jackets, who fall into this category. They also got one against the Red Wings, whose penalty kills rank 13th. Sure, they got one against the fourth-ranked Lightning, but that was a game in which the Rangers scored seven goals.
The metrics back up the fact that the Rangers are beating up average-to-below-average units. According to Natural Stat Trick, they have a FF% of 75.76 and a CF% of 80.85, both of which rank 31st in the league. Once the Rangers start playing more formidable opponents, the power play will likely regress to its previous level.
However, fans and the front office should be concerned about the penalty kill's performance. Four of the six teams the Rangers played have power-play units ranked in the bottom 12 in the league. They've accounted for four of the seven goals they have allowed. According to Natural Stat Trick, they have also allowed a league-high six scoring chances against and three high-danger scoring chances. These are not the numbers you should have against the worst in the league.
Whatever was working at the start of the season is no longer working for the Rangers. This means it's time for Mike Sullivan to make a change. Whether it's changing up who's on the unit or distributing the time differently. Something has to be done to get the Rangers back to their previous level of performance. Otherwise, the Rangers will fall short of expectations again.
Although it's only been six games, these stats are nothing to ignore. With how much the Rangers have relied on the play of their special teams over the last few years, there play needs to improve and fast.