The Rangers started a five-game stretch on Saturday, Oct. 16 and had incredible outcomes throughout the week. The Blueshirts missed an important offensive presence in Ryan Strome for the first four games due to the league’s COVID-19 protocol. They had an 0–1–1 record to start their season but turned it around on the recent road trip, winning four in a row. They returned to Madison Square Garden (MSG) for their second home game this past Monday and lost to the Calgary Flames. 

Montreal Canadiens 

The Rangers started strong on Oct. 16 with a 3–1 win against the Montreal Canadiens. Returning to his hometown, Alexis Lafrenière scored his first goal of the year in front of his family and friends. 

The Canadiens committed penalties in the second period, and the Rangers capitalized on one of them, finally fooling Jake Allen on the power play. In the third, Jonathan Drouin scored Montreal’s only goal, which was followed momentarily by Lafrenière’s game-deciding goal. Kevin Rooney capped off the scoring with an empty-netter with 10 seconds left. 

Allen was undoubtedly the Canadiens’ top performer despite letting in three goals caused by the defense’s breakdown and the team’s abundance of penalties. Mika Zibanejad was likely the Rangers’ top performer with his two assists, but goalie Igor Shesterkin ultimately kept them in the game with 31 saves on 32 shots. 

Toronto Maple Leafs 

The Rangers came out on top of a wild game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 18, highlighted by Artemi Panarin and Zibanejad’s first goals of the season and Shesterkin’s astounding 40-save performance.

Zibanejad scored in the first on a beautiful shot that went right over Leafs goalie Jack Campbell’s shoulder but Michael Bunting responded for the Leafs in the second. The game remained tied in the third, sending it into overtime. 

The three-on-three overtime period was nothing short of amazing. The highlight came when Shesterkin left his crease to clear the puck, but Auston Matthews intersected it and then took a shot that Shesterkin saved in the middle of the Rangers’ defensive zone. He got back in the crease and made another save on Matthews in what could have been the winner for the Leafs. Zibanejad won a faceoff in the offensive zone a minute later, and Panarin took a shot that finally won the game for the Rangers.

Nashville Predators 

On Oct. 21, the Blueshirts flew down to Nashville to play the Predators and beat them 3–1. Lafrenière was undoubtedly the Rangers’ top performer in this tilt, as he collected two points while Shesterkin continued his insane save streak with 99 saves on 102 shots. 

Catch up on all the action in this postgame report.

Ottawa Senators 

The Rangers headed home happy after a 3–2 comeback win in Ottawa on Oct. 23 for their fourth straight on the road. After trailing by two with a little over five minutes to go, the Rangers scored their only three goals within a miraculous four minutes. Alexander Georgiev played very well in goal with 24 saves on 26 shots. 

Ottawa’s Nick Paul got on the board in the first period to put his team up early. The remainder of the period consisted of penalties with no capitalization from either team. In an uneventful second period with only a few penalties, there was no scoring action. 

The third was, by far, the most exciting period. It started with a Senators goal for Josh Norris, and the Rangers finally responded within the game’s last six minutes. They answered with authority, scoring three back-to-back-to-back goals to pull ahead and win the game.

Chris Kreider started the barrage with his goal. He was followed by a perfect pass from Fox to Ryan Lindgren, and the game ended with a Goodrow deflection.

Calgary Flames 

The Rangers returned home to MSG on Monday night to play the Calgary Flames and fell short after Calgary put up four goals in the third. The game ended in a 5–1 loss for the Blueshirts, ending Shesterkin’s hot streak. 

The Rangers lacked in scoring through the first two periods but made up for it in their improved faceoff percentage and a high number of hits. Two Flames players, Chris Tanev and Andrew Mangiapane, scored goals in the first and second periods, respectively, and put their team ahead 2–0 going into the third. 

The Rangers finally erased the zero on the scoreboard with a goal from Dryden Hunt early in the third on a quick rebound shot that snuck past Flames’ goalie Jacob Markstrom. Blake Coleman’s backhander and Mikael Backlund’s snipe both followed to increase the Flames’ lead to three. Mangiapane capped off Calgary’s scoring with a late power play goal, his second of the game. 

Jacob Trouba played a great game for the Rangers, recording an assist to Hunt’s goal and three blocks in the defensive zone. In a two-goal performance, the Flames’ Mangiapane earns the top spot for his team. 

The Rangers look ahead to a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.