The New York Rangers held their second of their six preseason games on September 23, losing in devastating fashion, 5-4 in overtime to the Boston Bruins. There was a lot to take from the game, and some early storylines are starting to build for the regular season.
One of those storylines, which has been budding since the signing of defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, was the look and feel of the first defensive pairing. Alongside Adam Fox, there were some good moments, but overall, it was not a stellar first outing.
Let's talk about it.
Wrinkles to iron out
Despite Gavrikov getting on the score sheet with a goal in the meaningless hockey game, the chemistry between Fox and the newly acquired Blueshirt obviously needs some work. Fox had a lackluster game by himself, which was evident in this goal from Bruins forward Michael Eyssimont. Remember, folks, it is still preseason.
Eyssimont with the all-around effort 👌 pic.twitter.com/d2xoqZvKaE
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 24, 2025
Through 60 minutes of play as a pair, there are some wrinkles to iron out. Over the course of the game, you can see the pair start to sync, but then start to drift apart. With a handful of games ahead of them, expect them to fix whatever disconnect they have by the time the season begins.
Gavrikov shined brightly, Fox did not
This is really the number one thing to take away from their debut performance as a line. Gavrikov impressed in his preseason Rangers debut, and Fox did not look like he was giving it 100% of his effort. Again, it is preseason, so that is to be expected.
As we inch closer to meaningful hockey, we will have to take a closer look at what this tandem's expectations are and whether it is going to work out. On paper, it should work out flawlessly, but that is not always the case.