Rangers vs. Mammoth: Extinction of the Boring Rangers
A chippy win over the Mammoth showed a faster, feistier team that's actually fun to watch again, even if J.T. Miller still has no business on PP1.
- That was not the most impressive win you'll ever see. But, in that sense, it was a pretty impressive win. Good teams find ways to win games where they aren't at their best, and I wouldn't say the New York Rangers were at their best Sunday night. Which isn't to say they were bad, either. That was a performance from the meaty part of the bell curve, and it's good to get out of those with a win, especially when it comes against the Utah Mammoth, a team that made the playoffs last season and improved its roster during the offseason.
I can’t articulate how different the vibes are right now than this time last year. Like being on two different planets
— Joe Fortunato (@JoeFortunatoBSB) October 5, 2026
- It's amazing what a little winning will do.
- But it's not just the results. This team is just more enjoyable to watch so far. Even the game against the Boston Bruins was a pretty good watch, too, until the total collapse in the final few minutes. For far too much of the last two years, watching the Rangers was like watching a mid-1990s film written by, directed by, and starring Kevin Costner: there are long stretches of interminable dullness, and it never seems to end. These first few games have been far more entertaining to watch.
- One of the big reasons for that is the improved team speed. They're not the fastest team in the league, and I don't know that there's anyone who really stands out for burning speed. But overall, they're faster. And it's great to see after several seasons of skates-stuck-in-molasses hockey.
- This was Vincent Trocheck's first game back in New York since being traded this summer. He got a nice welcome back. He was a part of some great moments with the Rangers, with the overtime goal he scored against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the 2024 playoffs being the pinnacle of that. He was also a big part of one of the most toxic locker rooms I've ever seen. It was time for him to go, and I wish him all the best.
