On January 14, 2026, in New York, Ottawa Senators defenseman Jordan Spence and New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafrenière clashed for puck control during the third period at Madison Square Garden.
The New York Rangers’ season has effectively ended before the Olympic break due to a series of disastrous performances that have left the organization in shock.
On Wednesday night, the Rangers suffered their ninth loss in 11 games in an 8-4 defeat against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden. This marks the second time in three games they have conceded eight or more goals, following a humiliating 10-goal loss to the Bruins in Boston on Saturday.
The Rangers have only five wins in 22 home games this season, with just two of those being in regulation. With 46 points over 48 games, they sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and have a minus-21 goal differential, ranking fourth-worst in the league.
The team was expected to be a playoff contender, especially after hiring two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Mike Sullivan.
“We’ve experienced a range of emotions. There’s been a lot of anger,” Sullivan commented after Wednesday’s loss. “We’ve been through it all trying to fix this and move in a positive direction. We’ll keep working to solve it. There are no easy solutions. We need to work hard, collaborate, and stick together.”
The criticism is largely directed at general manager Chris Drury, under whose leadership the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals twice from 2021 to 2024 but is now facing a second consecutive season without playoffs.
As fans chanted “Fire Drury” for the second consecutive game at MSG, a major offloading before the March 6 trade deadline seems necessary to reinvigorate the team.
Though they label themselves as desperate, the Rangers’ performance doesn’t reflect it. They were down 4-0 by the end of the first period against the Senators, effectively ending the game early.
“Earlier this season, we were losing games, but I felt the effort was present,” said veteran forward Mika Zibanejad. “I’m not saying the effort isn’t there now, but our game is not. If we knew why, we wouldn’t be in this position. We need to convert our desperation into energy.”
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