Recap: Shot-Starved Rangers Drop 2–1 Decision to the Senators

Tonight, the Ottawa Senators are coming into town, and their timing couldn't be better. Tonight also marks the 1000th game for the New York Rangers' top center, Mika Zibanejad. This year has been rough, but one of the few bright spots has been Zibanejad's resurgence. Originally drafted sixth overall in 2011 by the Ottawa Senators, he was traded to the Rangers for Derrick Brassard in 2016 and has never looked back.

Over the past decade, he’s steadily climbed the rankings in nearly every Rangers offensive category and now stands as the franchise leader in power-play goals and recently tied Adam Graves for fourth all-time in goals scored as a Ranger. Beyond his impact on offense, he’s beloved by his teammates, something they made clear tonight by honoring him, all donning wigs to mimic his signature long, flowing hair.

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Regardless of your opinion of Zibanejad, his achievements, especially if he continues on his current trajectory, will make a serious case to have his number hanging in the rafters one day. The Rangers honored him tonight with a heartfelt tribute video narrated by his wife during their pre-game ceremony, and presented him with an engraved hockey stick and a fully paid trip to Greece.

The only lineup changes from their last game are Juuso Parssinen replacing Jonny Brodzinski, and Igor Shesterkin is in goal. With the Senators fighting for their playoff lives, you can expect this game to be a competitive one.

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First Period

This was a very typical start for the 2025-26 New York Rangers; Ottawa dominated from the drop of the puck, and New York struggled to get any momentum going or even make a single play with the puck. For long stretches, it appeared the Senators were playing with the man advantage, and then, because the Blueshirts were chasing the puck around their zone, they took a penalty.

Taylor Raddysh would be going to the box for hooking Drake Batherson, and the Senators wasted no time capitalizing on the man advantage. The Rangers were struggling to keep up at even strength, so Ottawa's power play was overkill. They set up in the Rangers' zone and cycled the puck. Jordan Spence, no relation to Rangers' prospect Malcolm Spence, dropped the puck off for Claude Giroux, who immediately found Shane Pinto wide open at the top of the slot, and he sent a wrist shot right past Shesterkin.

The Senators continued dominating, but a breakdown by the Senators gave J.T. Miller a partial breakaway, and he came in on journeyman goaltender James Reimer and hit the post. Shortly after this, Kenny Albert pointed out that the Rangers are still looking for their first shot on net seven minutes into the game. The Senators were pushing hard, looking to take two points out of tonight's game, and on the other side, it was as if the Rangers didn't even want to be there. Dave Maloney called their effort embarrassing, and when they finally got their first shot on net nearly fourteen minutes in, the crowd cheered. We're at this point of the season, folks.

The Rangers got their own power play but were unable to generate anything serious and eventually went to the box again themselves. The last few seconds of Parssinen's delay of game penalty would trickle over into the second period, as somehow the Rangers survived most of the power play when the buzzer sounded. The Senators outshot the Rangers 13-2, and the crowd is continuing to jeer more than cheer, and to be honest, after that period, can you blame them?

Second Period

As the period started and the last few seconds of the Senators' power play ticked off the clock, it was evident that the Rangers came out of the locker room better prepared to play hockey. They managed to double their shot count within the first three and a half minutes of the middle period.

In the neutral zone, Thomas Chabot was carrying the puck when J.T. Miller stepped up and cross-checked him in the side. Chabot immediately fell to the ice, clutched his arm, and quickly headed to the bench, eventually going to the locker room. There was no penalty to Miller, though there should have been. Lassi Thomson would eventually follow Chabot into the locker room, further shortening the Senators' defensive corps.

The Rangers were finally starting to get some looks of their own. Zibanejad was stopped by Reimer when he took the shot on a two-on-one, and afterward, the Senators' netminder was forced to make a difficult save off an odd bounce that popped up behind the screen. After Reimer fought off that chance, the Senators began their breakout, and Warren Foegele was skating toward the Rangers' net. His relentless forecheck pressured Connor Mackey into making a poor pass that Lars Eller intercepted. Eller came down into the zone with the puck, approached Shesterkin, and slid the puck across to Foegele, who beat Shesterkin with a well-placed shot.

I wish I could say things would get better, but not long after the Senators increased their lead, J.T. Miller was called for a double-minor after nearly knocking Artem Zub's helmet off with his stick. The Senators held onto the puck for most of the power play, but the Rangers killed it off with solid defensive work, keeping most of the Senators' chances to the perimeter, and Shesterkin doing Shesterkin things when needed.

 After the halfway mark, there was a too many men penalty, and to most of our surprise, it was not on the Rangers. However, the power play was tough to watch, and the crowd let them know their disapproval. They struggled to enter the zone with the puck, and when they did, the Senators easily gained possession and cleared it out.

With less than three minutes remaining in the period, the Rangers committed their second delay of game penalty when Connor Mackey sent the puck over the glass. It's been a tough night for Mackey, and you can anticipate that when Fortescue is ready to go, he'll be the one coming out of the lineup. The Rangers were doing an admirable job killing off the penalty, but near the end of it, Trocheck stuck his stick into Pinto's skates, and the Senators earned another power play, briefly gaining a two-man advantage.

Although this period was slightly better for the Blueshirts at times, they still played poor hockey overall. Once again, they only managed two shots in the entire period, and the crowd booed the team off the ice. This has been especially tough to endure after getting emotionally invested in this game while watching the Zibanejad tribute.

Third Period

The crowd, those who stayed for the final period at least, was booing whenever the Rangers did anything worth noting. But aside from the spectators' judgment, they were playing their best hockey of the night, and then, in what felt like a fever dream, the Rangers managed to score on their seventh shot of the night.

This one was earned through Tye Kartye's hard forechecking. What were the Seattle Kraken thinking when they waived this player? Kartye hustled from the moment he stepped on the ice and didn't stop until he set up Sheary's goal. He got physical with the Senators, and broke up their breakout, he then scooped up the puck from Robertson along the boards, skated down low toward the net around Spence, and shoveled it over with one hand to Conor Sheary, who scored from close in. Miraculously, this game was still within reach for the Blueshirts.

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The Senators, feeling the pressure for the first time all evening, pushed back, but Shesterkin was there to keep it a one-goal game. The Senators tried to catch him out of position, but the acrobatic goaltender found a way to stand tall. Lars Eller even came in all alone, stickhandling and trying to elevate the puck over Shesterkin, but the Rangers' number-one goaltender proved he's worth the money for the 29th time tonight.

On the other end of the ice, the Rangers, showing further signs of life, were getting their own chances. Zibanejad, taking a beautiful pass from Perreault, tried to jam the puck past Reimer, but the veteran got his pad on it. Another opportunity was just missed when the puck bounced off of Reimer and dropped unattended in the crease, but Trocheck couldn't get there in time.

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Just when it seemed like the momentum was shifting in New York’s favor, Trocheck in front of the net was getting into it with Senators defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo. After the play was whistled dead, Trocheck received a double minor for high-sticking, but Matinpalo was also sent to the box for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, suggesting the officials believed there was some embellishment.

The Rangers' penalty kill once again got it done, with all of Sheary, Kartye, and Parssinen doing a great job carrying the puck out of the defensive zone to kill time. Just after the penalty expired, Sullivan pulled Shesterkin with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

As the Rangers lined up for a big offensive-zone faceoff, Kenny Albert noted that the franchise record for fewest shots on goal is nine, set against the Detroit Red Wings in 1955. With under 90 seconds remaining, the Rangers had just eight shots.

They managed to keep the puck in the offensive zone and add one more shot, but the Senators collapsed in front of Reimer, blocking several attempts. In the end, it was too little, too late—the Rangers fell 2–1 and sadly matched their franchise record with just nine shots on goal.