Mar 23, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) is honored prior to the game against the Ottawa Senators for his 1000th career game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The Eastern Conference’s worst team still had something to play for on Monday night, as the Rangers celebrated Mika Zibanejad’s 1,000th career game at Madison Square Garden against the Ottawa Senators.
Instead, they put forth perhaps one of their most egregious home duds of the season.
The Blueshirts recorded just nine shots on goal in a 2-1 loss to the Senators, which ties a franchise-worst mark set on Dec. 11, 1955, and the fewest shots in an NHL game since 2003.
It was their 25th loss in 34 games at MSG this season — a script far too familiar for a fledgling franchise with no serious direction under general manager Chris Drury.
“We just got out-competed. That’s the part that’s hard to live with,” Rangers captain J.T. Miller said. “You look inward at yourself, you’re not doing enough. To a man, we don’t do enough. You should have a fire lit under your ass to go play for your teammate. A guy that feels like a cornerstone for the organization, and we go out and have four [shots] through two [periods] at home — a place where we haven’t been desperate enough.”
Zibanejad, who started his career with the Senators before getting traded to the Rangers in 2016, was honored with a pregame ceremony in which he was presented with a silver stick and a trip to Greece. He is tied for fourth in franchise history with 280 goals and seventh with 656 points.
The Rangers followed that up by putting up just four shots through the opening 40 minutes, which was their fewest since 1965-66.
“It’s hard in moments like this,” Miller said. “We had every reason; we knew exactly what game we were going to get. They went out and out-executed, out-competed us, and out-played us. Some nights you leave here feeling good, this is not the one.”
For how many more games Zibanejad will have to put up with this Rangers debacle remains to be seen. The veteran forward has seen the majority of his close friends and teammates traded away by general manager Chris Drury, who promised a significant re-tool earlier this season.
He is only four years into an eight-year deal, though, meaning the price for the 30-goal scorer will be high. Drury would have more time to secure a significant return in the offseason, unlike the unsuccessful scrambling he tried to do before the NHL trade deadline earlier this month, which saw him unable to offload Vincent Trocheck.
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