The New York Rangers took to the ice at Madison Square Garden for the first game of their centennial 2025-26 season Tuesday night and lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0.
This game would also go down as Mike Sullivan’s first as Rangers head coach and his first against the team he led to two Stanley Cup championships. From the perspective of the visiting team, it was the first NHL game for Pittsburgh’s new head coach Dan Muse, who was coaching against the Rangers, where he was an assistant coach from 2023-2025.
The Rangers went with a starting first forward line of Will Cuylle (left wing), captain JT Miller (center) and Mika Zibanejad (right wing). Vladislav Gavrikov and Adam Fox on defense and Igor Shesterkin between the pipes. The Penguins went with a starting first forward line of Rickard Rakell (left wing), captain Sidney Crosby (center) and Ville Koivunen (right wing). Parker Wotherspoon and Erik Karlsson on defense and Arturs Silovs in goal.
From the drop of the puck, the Rangers were slow and a bit timid in their own zone. On his first shift, Crosby drove to the net with the puck around Gavrikov and got a shot on goal which was saved by Shesterkin.
Early in the first period, the Rangers Adam Fox was tripped and the first power play of the game went to the home team. Near the end of that power play, Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere received a pass near the left face-off dot in the offensive zone and unleashed a wrist shot that was saved by Silovs.
The Penguins opened the scoring near the end of the first period. Justin Brazeau got the puck off the face-off in the offensive zone, deked Shesterkin and put the puck over his pad to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
In the third period, Mika Zibanejad had a good look to tie the game. A point shot by Adam Fox created a rebound and the Rangers alternate captain tried to put in the rebound, but his shot went wide.
With 2:38 remaining in the game, the Rangers had pulled their goalie and the Penguins took advantage with an empty net goal. Adam Fox pinched, and a Penguin shoveled the puck around him and up the boards. The puck eventually found Brazeau in the neutral zone who skated in all alone and scored his second of the game to seal the victory.
With 1:52 remaining in the game and the Rangers goalie still pulled, the Penguins tacked on another empty net goal, this time scored by Blake Lizotte to make it 3-0 and that’s how the game would end.
The Rangers offense was shut down by a complete Penguins effort at both ends of the ice. Pittsburgh came to the garden and didn’t blow out the Rangers but they capitalized on the Rangers’ only mistake of the game; leaving Brazeau open in front of their net.
The Rangers will visit the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night at 7 p.m.
