The games don’t count yet, but the New York Rangers and their fans can’t be real happy after another multi-goal third-period lead turned into a loss — and at home, no less.
Two nights after failing to hold a three-goal advantage and losing 5-4 in overtime to the Boston Bruins, they blew a a 4-2 lead to the New York Islanders on Thursday night and went home with a second straight 5-4 loss.
“No,” center Vincent Trocheck said when asked if there was anything the Rangers could take away from back-to-back preseason losses like this, then added simply, “don’t let it happen.”
The Blueshirts allowed their suburban rivals to score twice in 23 seconds late in the first period, then roared back with three goals of their own in a 2:31 span to take a 3-2 lead.
For most of the first two periods, the Rangers played the kind of what Trocheck called the “direct, in-your-face hockey” that new coach Mike Sullivan has been preaching. Trocheck had a goal and an assist, impressive rookie center Noah Laba had his fourth assist in three games and new captain J.T. Miller, wearing the “C” for the first time at the Garden, scored the second of the Rangers’ two power-play goals to make it 4-2 through 40 minutes.
But things fell apart in the third period after Sullivan replaced Jonathan Quick with Dylan Garand, who figures to begin the season as the No. 1 goalie in AHL Hartford. Garand didn’t look particularly good on Cameron Berg’s goal at 6:59 of the third period that made it 4-3 and didn’t get much help from his defense on Glem Yeremyev’s second of the night that tied the game with 4:43 remaining.
The Isles went ahead 57 seconds later when Garand whiffed on Kyle Palmieri’s soft backhander that rolled up his arm and into the net to put the Islanders ahead.
Palmieri’s goal was the only one scored by an Islander who figures to begin the season with the parent club, as the Islanders left most of their regulars back on the Island in anticipation of Friday night’s home game against the New Jersey Devils.
Sullivan said postgame there wasn’t a common thread between the two losses.
“I think it happened two completely different ways,” he said. “But that’s certainly not something that we want to have happen too often. We’ve got to do a better job of controlling momentum and playing with a lead.”
The coach was happy with the performance of some of his young players and said the biggest goal of the preseason is “trying to find out what we have. We’ll try to make the best decisions for the team.
“I think we’re excited about some of these young players that are potentially knocking on the door, (who) could break through. That’s what this preseason is all about — just trying to find out what we have.”
The Rangers have a three-day break before a return match against the Islanders at UBS Arena on Monday. In the interim, expect Sullivan and his staff to work his group on how to hold third-period leads.
New York Rangers news and analysis
Laba’s performance continues to draw notice. The latest to praise him was Trocheck, who said after the game that the 22-year-old center “has kind of come out of nowhere and really stood out, in my opinion. He’s making it tough on these guys to make decisions on the roster for opening night.” Sullivan said earlier this week that “we’re certainly encouraged by what we’ve seen so far.”
Unlike last year, the Rangers have no one in Sportsnet’s Top 23 Players Under 23 list, which is headed by Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the first player taken in the 2025 NHL Draft. Gabe Perreault was No. 13 last year but is no longer eligible because he’s played five NHL games. Three of the Rangers’ Metropolitan Division rivals – the Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals – are among the six teams with two players on the list.
NHL news and rumors
Sportsnet: Coach Paul Maurice said Friday that Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was having surgery on his right knee after he was injured at practice Thursday and had to be helped off the ice. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the Panthers are bracing for the possibility that he could miss the entire season. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champs are already missing star forward Matthew Tkachuk (sports hernia/groin; out until at least December) and fourth-line center Tomas Nosek (knee).
Associated Press: Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn will have surgery for a collapsed lung. The 36-year-old forward was injured during the Stars’ preseason game against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. He’ll be re-evaluated in four weeks. Benn is set to enter his 17th NHL season, all with the Stars.
TSN: The Montreal Canadiens’ biggest offseason acquisition, defenseman Noah Dobson, left Thursday’s 7-2 preseason loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs after two periods and did not return. TSN reported after the game that Dobson and fellow defenseman Kaiden Guhle are day to day with groin injuries.
Sportsnet: Mitch Marner had an assist in his preseason debut for the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, setting up Jack Eichel’s third-period goal to begin a comeback that led to a 3-2 overtime win against the visiting Utah Mammoth. Marner made a nice backhand pass from behind the goal line to the slot for Eichel, who said afterward that, “There’s not a lot of people in the world who can make that pass.”
NHL.com: Alex Ovechkin skated on his own for the third consecutive day Thursday, continuing his recovery from a lower-body injury. Coach Spencer Carbery said he could join the Capitals for practice for the end of this week. Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leader with 897 goals, missed the second of Washington’s six preseason games against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, but Carbery hopes he’ll be able to play two preseason games before the regular season begins.
Boston Hockey Now: The Bruins hired longtime captain Zdeno Chara last season; now they’ve finally given him a title and responsibilities. Chara, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2025, will serve as a hockey operations adviser and mentor; he will work closely with both players and staff to advise the organization in key areas. The Bruins say his main responsibilities will include building relationships and strengthening communication between players and coaches, attending practices and home games, and providing off-ice development support to defensemen.