Mike Sullivan Shares Why NY Rangers Struggled on Power Play

The New York Rangers have not performed well on the power play and Mike Sullivan has a reason why.

Apr 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan stands on the bench during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers have played at a pretty high level this season, all things considered, with a 10-8-1 record through their first 19 games.

There have been some real bright spots, such as the emergence of Tye Kartye as a top-six forward, Alex Lafreniere continuing his success from last season and Adam Fox returning to the level of being a Norris Trophy contender.

An area the entire team has excelled in is the penalty kill. The Rangers have an 89.66% penalty kill, which is tied with the Dallas Stars for the best mark in the League. Both teams have allowed only six power play goals on 58 power play attempts against them. New York also has three short-handed goals scored, which is tied for the second-highest total in the league.

Unfortunately, not all of their special teams units have been clicking. For how good the penalty kill has been, their power play has struggled. Those issues were on full display in their previous game against the Edmonton Oilers, where they went 0-for-5.

Rangers need to improve on the power play

Oct 1, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) celebrates his power play goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning with teammates during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I thought there were moments when we were executing,” Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan said, via Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic (subscription required). “I thought the biggest challenge for our power plays tonight were the entries. I thought we lacked some speed. They did a pretty good job at making the stand at the line, but I think we’ve got to be willing to put pucks behind them when there’s no room on the entry and we don’t have speed.”

The power play was the only aspect of the game New York didn’t execute and outperform the Oilers in, playing a massive role in why the team lost 3-1. As the night progressed, the team’s effectiveness worsened on the man advantage.

Several great scoring chances were generated on the first three attempts, but goalie Devon Levi got the job done for Edmonton. On the fourth power play, the Rangers didn’t get a single shot attempt. On the fifth, they surrendered a short-handed goal to Leon Draisaitl, his second score of the game.

That 0-for-5 mark has dropped New York to 18.87% on the season, which is 22nd in the NHL. There isn’t a team in the League that has seen their power play effectiveness wane as much as the Rangers, who scored at a 24.65% clip, which was the fifth-best mark in the NHL.

The loss of Artemi Panarin, who was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, is certainly being felt on the man advantage. He was excellent on the power play, and replicating that success has been easier said than done.

It is a talented group that takes the ice on the power play, but something isn’t clicking yet. As Sullivan noted, finding more speed on the entries could help, and if that requires another shake-up in the lineup, he should strongly consider it.