The New York Rangers are wrapping up a stretch that saw them play most of the first half of November at Madison Square Garden with two more home games before heading west this weekend.

Igor Shesterkin will play against the league-leading Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. He is coming off his first pull of the season, when he was lifted in the second period after allowing the first five goals on twelve shots in what became Rangers’ worst performance of the season, a 6–1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. at MSG last Thursday. Shesterkin got no help from his teammates, who avoided being shut out at home when Will Cuylle scored early in the third period.

The Rangers even broke their two-game week by beating the Detroit Red Wings 4-0 on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena, completing their Original Six rival’s second straight season series thanks to a 37-save performance from Jonathan Quick. New York is 6-0-0 against the Red Wings over the past two seasons and 12-1-2 in the past 15 games.

In terms of points, the Rangers (9-3-1) start the week fourth in the Metropolitan Division behind the New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals. But their .731 point percentage ranks second in the division behind Carolina, and their plus-19 goal differential is one behind the Hurricanes for best in the Eastern Conference. The key to their success is scoring first; the Rangers are 9-0-0 when they get the first goal, but 0-3-1 when they don’t.

Who’s hot

Quick is 3-0-0 and has allowed three goals in his three starts. His shutout against the Red Wings was the 61st of his career, tying him for 18th all-time with Hockey Hall of Famer Turk Broda. He is four wins away from becoming the first U.S.-born goaltender in NHL history to win 400 regular-season games.

Artemi Panarin reached the 800-point mark with an assist in the Buffalo debacle and had a goal and an assist in Detroit. He became the fastest Rangers player to score ten goals in a season since Rick Nash (12 GP in 2014–15). Panarin has 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 13 games and has at least one point in 12 of the Rangers’ 13 games this season.

Jimmy Vesey became the 17th Rangers skater to score a goal this season – fifth most in the NHL – when he got his first of the season against the Red Wings. It was his third game since returning from a lower-body injury that cost him the first ten games of the season.

Who doesn’t

K’Andre Miller continues to struggle on both ends of the rink. The 24-year-old defenseman was minus-3 and played a season-low 17:54 against Buffalo, and is minus-1 this season and has gone eight straight games without a point. He has only two points so far (goal, assist).

Related: Rangers castoff continues to light lamp for division rival

This week’s Rangers preview includes…

A meeting with the League’s best team in the first month of the season, a visit from one of the worst and the start of a swing through the Northwest.

Winnipeg Jets at Rangers (Nov. 12, 7 p.m. ET; MSG)

The Rangers will try to become the second team this season to defeat the record-breaking Jets, who became the first team in NHL history to win 14 of their first 15 games by beating the Dallas Stars 4-1 on Saturday. Connor Hellebuyck, last season’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner, is 11-1-0 with a 1.83 goals-against average, a .935 save percentage and three shutouts.

Shesterkin excelled against the Jets in his career, posting a 4-2-0 record and 1.86 GAA, .944 save percentage and one shutout.

San Jose Sharks at Rangers (Nov. 14, 7 p.m. ET; MSG)

The Rangers have owned the Sharks since San Jose joined the NHL in 1991, posting a 33-10-3 record with three ties. They are 9-0-2 in their past 11 games; San Jose hasn’t defeated New York since a 4-1 win at the Garden on Oct. 23, 2017.

The Sharks, who finished last in the overall standings in the 2023-2024 season, enter Philadelphia on Monday at 5-5-0 in their past 10 games after an 0-4-2 start after a 1-0 victory in New Jersey on Sunday.

This will be Macklin Celebrini’s first visit to The Garden. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft has played just four games due to injury, but already has three goals and four points.

Rangers at Seattle Kraken (Nov. 17, 9 p.m. ET; MSGSN)

The Rangers begin a four-game, seven-day trip with a stop in Seattle. New York is 5-0-1 all-time against the Kraken and has outscored Seattle 23-12 in the six games. They won the two-game series last season, beating the Kraken 9-3, and have never conceded more than three goals in a game against the Kraken.

This trip includes games against the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. Last season the Rangers made this exact trip, which also included a stop in Winnipeg against the Jets.

John Kreiser covered his first Rangers game (against the California Golden Seals) in November 1975 and is still going… More about John Kreiser

Mentioned in this article: Artemi Panarin Igor Shesterkin Jimmy Vesey Jonathan Quick san jose sharks Seattle Kraken Winnipeg Jets

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