Rangers Unbeaten at Home No More, Lose to the Kings

By Daniel Feuerstein | New York, NY | October 26th, 2026

The New York Rangers returned to Madison Square Garden after going 0-2 on a road trip to Ontario. They returned home to face the Los Angeles Kings before a five-day break and their next opponents on the weekend. When they started to play with new goaltender James Reimer getting the start, everything went downhill fast and furious. The Rangers were blitzed all throughout the rink, and they couldn’t recover as they suffered their first defeat on home ice after starting 6-0. The final score of this contest was 6-3 in favor of the Kings.

Honoring Ron Duguay

Before the game started, the Rangers showed on GardenVision a pictorial memorial of Ron Duguay when he started and played on the team for eight seasons in two stints. Then his other moments with family, friends, charity events and spending time with the fans during skates with the Rangers, Casino night and other moments. There was a moment of silence for Duguay before the game started, and during the game there was a moment when his entire family was on the concourse of the Garden at one end, as they were seen on GardenVision and were given a loud ovation from the Rangers fans.

A horrible start for James Reimer

After signing with the Rangers over the weekend, James Reimer got the start, giving Dylan Garand the night off after jumping in and playing in seven straight games since Igor Shesterkin went on a season-ending injury on the road at the Washington Capitals. The first shot attempt from the Kings went in easily as Drew Doughty sprung Taylor Ward down the middle of the ice, and as he snapped the shot, it sounded like Reimer made the pad save, but it went through him and in at 1:15 of the first period. Then another shot that went through Reimer as Joel Armia received the puck, skated down the near side and cut in to rip a shot that double-deflected off his teammates Scott Laughton, then off Brandt Clarke and in at 4:52 on a delayed penalty for the Rangers.

Even though the Rangers did pull one back on a redirection off the skates of J.T. Miller as he skated backwards to tap the puck in at 13:01 of the first period, the Kings kept on coming and made sure to get the two-goal lead back. The Kings just kept cycling inside the Rangers’ zone, playing keep-away with the puck. Passing it around like it was a hot potato, and when it finally got to the near point towards Drew Doughty, he ripped a shot and took a deflection down low off a Ranger and over the shoulder of Reimer at 17:32 of the first period. After his first 20 minutes of play for the Rangers, Reimer would return to the ice and sit on the bench as he was pulled for Dylan Garand.

“Let’s just acknowledge we’re in a difficult circumstance, you know, when our top two goalies are injured. So we’re trying to find a way to shore this thing up as best we can. I think Dylan has given us some really good games. And as I said to you guys, his workload is mounting. And then for Rhimes to come in the way he has in short order and go into a game like this, it’s not an easy challenge. It’s a tough challenge. I just felt like the way the game was going, you know, I just felt like maybe Rhimes needs a little bit more preparation before we put him in that circumstance. I put him in a tough spot; that’s on me,” said Mike Sullivan

Dylan Garand is back in net and still can’t stop the Kings

Dylan Garand thought he was going to get the night off, but after that first period was played, Mike Sullivan decided to put him back in the net. The Kings once again scored an early goal in the second period to get a three-goal lead on the power play. Two former Rangers, Erik Gustafsson and Artemi Panarin, were on the ice as the Kings won the faceoff. Everything was along the near side when Panarin was in his wheelhouse inside the near faceoff circle. Received the puck from Gustafsson, and he slammed one past Garand at 1:30 of the 2nd period.

Another goal for the Kings continued to dominate the Rangers. It was off the faceoff along the near side when Corey Perry won the draw and gave it to Mikey Anderson, who just reared his blade back and slammed it home past Garand, who looked like he was screened. Missed the puck entirely, and the Kings were up 5-1 at 6:54 of the second period. Some relief on the power play for the Rangers when Adam Fox scored his first of the season when Alexis Lafreniere skated with the puck into the zone, made the pass back to Fox, and he ripped one at 13:05 of the second period.

“It’s never easy coming off the bench. Regardless of what the circumstance is, it presents a unique challenge for a goalie when they come in like that. Dylan competed hard. He’s a competitive guy, you know. And so these guys have given us everything they have. It’s just a difficult circumstance that we’re in right now. I think Dylan could use this little bit of a rest here more than any guy on our team right now,” said Mike Sullivan.

Rangers got a third, but the game was over

Mike Sullivan pulled Garand for the extra skater with over five minutes left in the third period. A gamble that Mike Sullivan was willing to make to spark his team and hoping to get back into the game. While it looked like it was going to work when Tye Kartye ripped a shot from the slot that went under the glove of Darcy Kempir at 16:08 of the third period, it didn’t matter when Joel Edmundson got the puck and drove it down to the empty net at 16:37 of the third period. The game was over, and the Rangers limped off back to their locker room to take their five-day break and regroup for their next home game against the Edmonton Oilers.

“We had energy and moments. The last game in Ottawa, for example, I thought the second half of the game we started to find our game. I thought we started to find our game tonight. The biggest thing for me was that I didn’t love the start tonight. I just didn’t think, from a mindset standpoint. I don’t think we had enough guys that were ready to play from the drop of the puck. And so we’ve got to fix that fast. And the onus is on each individual to get himself ready for when the puck drops. And I just didn’t feel like it was everybody, but we just didn’t have enough,” said Mike Sullivan

ADAM FOX: Skated in his 500th career NHL game tonight and extended his point streak to seven-straight games at home (1G-8A), the longest active streak in the league. Fox’s 366 assists rank seventh all-time among all NHL players through their first 500 games played. He became the 14th Rangers defenseman in franchise history with 500 career games played.

TYE KARTYE: Notched his third multi-point game of the season (1G-1A). He extended his home point streak to four straight games (3G-4A) and has recorded at least one point in three of his last four games (2G-2A).

ALEXIS LAFRENIERE: Recorded an assist on Fox’s power-play goal. He has recorded at least one point in 10 of his last 11 games (9G-7A).

J.T. MILLER: Has scored a goal in back-to-back games and has four points through his last four games (3G-1A). He extended his point streak at home to six straight games (3G-4A).

SEAN DURZI: Notched an assist on Kartye’s goal, extending his home point streak to three straight games (1G-2A).

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