NY Rangers March Toward History With Home Ice Dominance

The New York Rangers are off to a scorching hot start at Madison Square Garden.

Oct 13, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) celebrates his short handed goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning with center J.T. Miller (10) during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There were a lot of things the New York Rangers wanted to improve upon in the 2026-27 campaign compared to what they did on the ice last season.

At the top of that list was improving their performance on home ice. The Rangers were dreadful at Madison Square Garden last season, losing their first seven games there. Their offense was abysmal, getting shut out five times in that stretch. Last season, New York had only nine regulation wins at home.

Turning things around certainly wouldn’t be easy, especially with how disappointing a season opener the team had, losing 3-0 on the road to the Boston Bruins. However, in their second game of the season, which was the home opener at MSG, the Rangers hit the ground running and the positive momentum hasn’t slowed down.

New York hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning at MSG for the second time on Oct. 13, and for the second time, they came away with a decisive victory. The Rangers won 4-1, giving them a 9-2 edge in two games against one of the most consistently elite Eastern Conference squads.

Rangers dominating at MSG to begin the season

Oct 13, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) celebrates his second goal of the period 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

That has continued an impressive stretch of play on their home ice, with New York moving to 5-0-0 at MSG and 6-2-0 overall. According to NHL.com, this is the third time in franchise history the team has won its first five games at home. The longest home winning streak to start a season came in 1990-91, when they went 8-0-0; in 1983, they went 6-0-0.

This 180-degree turn in their performance at home is contributing to the increased optimism surrounding the franchise.

Not only are they getting off to strong starts in games, but they are maintaining that high level of play. In the third period of their five home victories, the Rangers have outscored their opponents 10-1, including five empty-net goals.

That means New York is finishing as strongly as they are starting, shutting the door on any comeback attempts by their opponents.

RANGERS WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/k5l5cFSqEe

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 14, 2026

Last season, the Rangers didn’t win for a fifth time at home until Dec. 18, which was their 18th home game of the campaign. They are more than halfway to the number of regulation victories from last season as well.

Protecting home ice is key to a team sustaining success during the year, and this New York squad certainly looks capable of keeping it up. There are tougher nights ahead, but dominating the Lightning twice along with victories over the Utah Mammoth, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks is certainly encouraging.

A lot of attention will be on Dylan Garand, who has massive shoes to fill as the No. 1 goalie in place of Igor Shesterkin, who suffered a season-ending lower-body injury against the Washington Capitals.