NYR’s first regular-season game
Photo courtesy of Cbusram/Wikimedia Commons
On Oct. 7, 2025, the New York Rangers (NYR) played their first game of the regular season. Coming off four losses and two wins in the preseason, fans are concerned that there has been no change compared to last season's disappointing performance. Prior to the regular season, the NYR stood at fifth place in the Metropolitan Division.
For the first regular-season game, the Rangers played the Pittsburgh Penguins. The NYR have won three out of the last five games played against the Penguins. Mike Sullivan, the current NYR head coach, was formerly the Penguins’ head coach, winning two Stanley Cups, with two of the assistant coaches on the Rangers also having previously coached for the Penguins. Likewise, Daniel Muse, head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, was an assistant coach for the NYR in 2023-2025.
Notorious Pittsburgh Penguins center and captain, Sidney Crosby, is entering his 21st season with the team—the highest out of everyone in franchise history. Crosby is the fourth player to spend their whole hockey career with one team in the National Hockey League (NHL). Alongside Crosby, forward Evgeni Malkin, and defenseman Kris Letang are both entering their 20th season with the Penguins.
The latest addition to the Rangers’ team was forward Conor Sheary on a one-year contract. Sheary attended training camp and played in four games, where he gained three points. According to the New York Rangers, Sheary has recorded “124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points in 593 career NHL games across 10 seasons between the Lightning, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins.” Forward Noah Laba was named the top rookie in camp, beating out the other younger players for an official spot on the roster, proving himself to be a promising player during the preseason.
Igor Shesterkin was in the net for the first game of the regular season. Shesterkin is one of the most talented goalies in the NHL, making some of the most difficult and unimaginable saves throughout the seasons. It has been a recurring issue that he is left stranded by the Rangers’ defense, allowing him to be ambushed by shots. Many are left wondering how this improved team will better defend the net, especially with some significant defensive roster changes over the offseason. Shesterkin is the highest-paid goalie in the NHL, with a 92 million dollar eight-year contract.
Backup veteran goalie for the NYR’s is Jonathan Quick—another very talented player. The Rangers have two very strong goalies on their team, something that the defensive players need to recognize, allowing their goalie to do their job.
At the end of the first period, the score was 1-0 Penguins; after the second, the score remained the same. Forward Justin Brazeau scored the first goal of the game for the Pittsburgh Penguins with an assist from Malkin, giving them the lead over the Rangers. He agreed to a two-year contract with Pittsburgh in July. The Rangers were noticeably playing in a disconnected and unnatural way throughout the game, which led to a poor offensive and defensive showing for their first game.
In the third period, Justin Brazeau scored his second goal of the night, assisted by Malkin and forward Anthony Mantha. Shortly after, forward Blake Lizotte scored a goal with center Connor Dewar and defenseman Ryan Shea with the assist, bringing the score to 3-0 Penguins.
The NYRs were in the lead with power play opportunities and hits. Many of the shots on goal were sloppy and too predictable to make much of an impact. The Rangers seemed very disjointed and did not look cohesive in terms of playing strategy—it was exceedingly disappointing to fans who hoped that during the off-season everything would fall into place. As this was only the first game, there is still hope, especially with many players showing promise. Center Mika Zibanejad seemed to be playing better, which many fans were hopeful about after a disappointing last season.
With a 3-0 loss, NYR fans can attest that the pattern has continued so far. Overall, it was a sloppy start to the new season, but there is immense promise on the team.