NEW YORK — The New York Rangers aren’t going to play postseason games this year. This weekend, they tried to make sure a couple of other teams won’t, either.
Both of New York’s opponents this weekend — the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday and the Washington Capitals on Sunday — were teams fighting for the remaining Eastern Conference playoff spots. The Rangers beat both handily, especially the Capitals. New York erupted for five goals (as well as two fights) in the second period against Washington, propelling it to an 8-1 win.
The Rangers have now won five of six games, and the past two victories have included personal milestones: Gabe Perreault notched his first career hat trick in New York’s 4-1 win against Detroit, and Will Cuylle did the same against Washington.
“Our guys have something to play for,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’re playing some pretty good teams that have a lot at stake. We’ve beat some pretty good teams lately. That’s a testament to how hard our players are competing out there. We’re trying to build a team game, and we’re trying to stack some wins on top of each other where we can continue to define and refine what Rangers hockey looks like.”
Here are thoughts from the Rangers’ weekend.
1. Late in the Red Wings game with the Rangers safely up 3-0, Sullivan put Perreault, who had already scored twice, onto the ice with Detroit’s net vacated for an extra attacker. Carrying the puck out of his defensive zone, captain J.T. Miller tried to pass to his rookie teammate, only for Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat to pick it off.
“I think that might be a turnover Sully will let me have,” Miller said. (Sullivan agreed after the game; he was more than happy with Miller trying to get Perreault his moment.)
Miller got possession back around 10 seconds after the turnover. This time, he successfully hit Perreault with a pass. The 20-year-old flicked the puck past Moritz Seider and into the empty net, prompting fans to toss their hats onto the ice.
“You could see the reaction on the bench,” Sullivan said. “Everybody was rooting for him. He’s an easy guy to root for. He’s a great kid. He works hard. The fact that J.T. was working hard for him to try to get him the hat trick is awesome. I just think it speaks volumes for the type of people we have.”
Thanks to the hat trick, Perreault is up to 25 points in 45 games. He has become a mainstay on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière, and 17 of his points have come in the past 19 games. Ironically, a day after Perreault’s hat trick, he was the only New York forward not to have a point against Washington.
Perreault’s goals against the Red Wings came in different ways. Zibanejad found him in the slot for a wrist shot on the first, then Perreault drove to the net on the second. Jonny Brodzinski fed him a perfect pass for a backdoor goal on the power play.
“To stick in the NHL is hard,” Miller said of Perreault. “To stick on a top line in the NHL is harder.”
Perreault is massively important for the Rangers, given the team’s lack of other high-skill forward prospects. Sullivan has trusted him with increased opportunity as the season has gone on, and the coach credits him with learning from experience and growing as the year has progressed.
“His hockey IQ is probably his greatest attribute,” Sullivan said. “I also think from a foot speed standpoint, he’s gotten quicker. He’s elusive in tight spaces. He might not have the open ice foot speed, but he’s pretty elusive in traffic.”
Added Miller: “He’s becoming a great player right in front of us.”
2. The Washington game was Cuylle at his best. Along with his three goals — a backdoor deflection off a Braden Schneider pass, a blast past Charlie Lindgren as he left the penalty box and a snap shot late — he delivered a hard, clean hit on Ryan Leonard in the second period, then accepted Jakob Chychrun’s invitation to fight. He grinned while heading to the locker room after the bout.
“(The hit) kind of gives you a bit of an energy boost maybe,” Cuylle said. “I’m always trying to finish hits, usually. Sometimes they’re bigger than others. That one was one of the bigger ones. … It goes into how I’m trying to play every game: finish my hits and be in the dirty areas.”
The 24-year-old Cuylle hasn’t had the season he was hoping for after a 45-point sophomore campaign in 2024-25. He had a 13-game goal drought in March and has failed to increase his point production rate from last season despite logging nearly two minutes more of ice time per game. Still, he’s up to 20 goals after Sunday’s hat trick, tying his 2024-25 mark. Perhaps some puck luck is starting to go in his favor.
“He went through a stretch there where he hadn’t scored in (13) games, but we felt like he was getting a lot closer, just getting inside more, going to the net, getting more looks,” Sullivan said. “We think that’s when he’s at his best. … To get rewarded with a hat trick tonight is great. It’ll be a good boost of confidence for him.”
Cuylle’s Rangers teammates clearly wanted him to finish the hat trick. Sullivan put the second power-play unit — which includes Cuylle — on the ice to start a third-period power play, and Conor Sheary tried multiple times to find the winger with cross-ice passes. Adam Fox also tried to shoot with Cuylle in front of the net, hoping he’d deflect a puck past Lindgren. Finally, a Zibanejad pass in the final minute set him up for his hat trick-clinching goal.
“Obviously, we all have each other’s backs in here,” Cuylle said. “That was a pretty cool moment.”
3. Per NHL Stats, Perreault and Cuylle are only the second duo of Rangers players to have their first career hat tricks in back-to-back games. Mark Pavelich (Nov. 21, 1982) and Rob McClanahan (Nov. 24, 1982) are the only other players to team up for the feat.
4. Is anyone having more fun than recent call-ups and close friends Jaroslav Chmelař and Adam Sýkora? The smiley rookies both had goals on the weekend: Chmelař deflected a Vladislav Gavrikov shot past John Gibson on Saturday, and Sýkora buried a Noah Laba feed Sunday. The buddies picked up secondary assists on each other’s goals.
Sýkora descended to a knee and pretended to wield a bow and arrow after his goal. He had a wide grin as he celebrated with Laba and pointed to Chmelař.
“I just get energetic after I score,” said Sýkora, who is generously listed at 5-foot-11 and is up to three goals in seven career games. “Then I like doing some (celebration). I like to do it because you don’t score every single day. I try to enjoy the moment because you are working so hard to score a goal. Then try to enjoy it and be thankful that I score.”
Asked if he’s ever seen anyone as excited to score as Sýkora, Chmelař said, “Only him.”
“I was thinking about jumping on him, but then I was like, ‘I don’t know if it’s a good idea if I do that,’” the 6-4 forward said. “I love to celebrate with him. I think he does like four cellys after he scores.”
5. Igor Shesterkin will almost surely start the home finale Wednesday, meaning Saturday might have been Jonathan Quick’s last start at Madison Square Garden. The 40-year-old No. 2 goalie has yet to sign a contract for next season. When asked about his future, he told reporters Saturday, “I just want to enjoy the ride the rest of the way these last five, six games and figure that out when it’s time.”
Quick, who grew up in Connecticut rooting for the Rangers, broke his home team’s hearts in 2014, helping the Kings beat them in the Stanley Cup Final. But he’s become a beloved member of the dressing room since signing with the club as a free agent in 2023. If Saturday was his final home game, he delivered a strong one, stopping 31 shots. He nearly collected his 66th career shutout, but a late David Perron goal put the Red Wings on the board.
Asked if he savors Quick’s starts more knowing his uncertain future, Miller said “of course,” though noted it’s none of his business.
“When he’s playing that well for us, you feel like you’re desperate to try to get him a win,” the captain said.
Jonathan Quick put up 31 saves in what might have been his last start at Madison Square Garden. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
6. Will Borgen took a massive hit from Tom Wilson, one of the most feared players in the NHL, in the third period. Somehow, the Rangers defenseman got up smiling.
“One thing I admire about Will Borgen is he’s fearless when he goes back for pucks, and he’s willing to take hits to make plays,” Sullivan said.
7. Three Rangers players got in fights against the Capitals: Cuylle, who also fought Saturday against Detroit’s Ben Chiarot; Tye Kartye, who took on Brandon Duhaime; and Laba, who had his first career fight against Hendrix Lapierre. Laba got a fighting lesson from teammate Matt Rempe, a more experienced pugilist, at a practice in December.
8. Zibanejad had three assists against the Capitals, bringing him to 75 points in 77 games. If he can finish the season on a hot streak and get six points in his final four games, he’ll finish with a point-per-game rate for the first time since 2022-23.
9. Winning at home has been a struggle for the Rangers, but their strong run of play has them up to 14 victories at Madison Square Garden this season. That means they’re officially safe from tying the 2003-04 club for fewest home-ice wins in a season of 80 games or more.
10. For those wondering about lottery odds, the Rangers have the fourth-worst record in the league, both by points and point percentage. If New York stays at fourth-worst, it will have a 9.5 percent chance at the No. 1 pick and 9.5 percent chance at No. 2.