NY Rangers Refuse To Repeat Home Scoring Drought

The New York Rangers came out with some extra motivation, dominating the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Oct 1, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers players gather at center ice during introductions before their home opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last year, it took the New York Rangers over 180 minutes to score a goal at Madison Square Garden. For the 2026-27 NHL season, this was certainly not the case.

Veteran Mike Zibanejad scored a power-play goal less than six minutes into the Rangers' second game of the season. Zibanejad buried a rebound after winger Pavel Dorofeyev hit the crossbar; this marked a big momentum shift for the game, as the Blueshirts would rapidly increase offensive production afterward.

The home opener would conclude in a 5-1 win for the Rangers over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

MIKA BURIES THE REBOUND 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/wTIESQzsaw

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 1, 2026

Per Mollie Walker, captain J.T. Miller said the team made it a priority to not repeat last year's home-scoring drought.

"We all remember last year. Like, I'd be lying to you if [I said] we couldn't. But I think we owed it to our fans, and to ourselves, to get rewarded finally, especially to start the season," Miller said. "And we don't have that lingering on us moving forward at home, which is nice. We just played a great game."

And while Igor Shesterkin's goalie goal (making him the first Rangers goaltender to score a goal) cannot go unmentioned — the first goal on MSG ice this season really is extra significant.

Rangers Shift History Books in Home Goal-Scoring Favor

Last year, the Rangers had the second-longest home goal drought to open a season since 1928. They also became the first team in NHL history to get shut out in three straight home games at the start of that same season.

In fact, it was Zibanejad himself who expressed disappointment in that very fact last October.

“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” he had said previously per NHL.com.

But this year, it was he who completely shifted this narrative and set a new pace for the rest of the year. Zibanejad now sits with 820 total career points, which includes the 33-year-old having already scored 349 goals.

Schedule Recap

Now that the Rangers have derailed the Lightning, this now places them with a 1-1 overall record so far; the Blueshirts dropped their regular-season opener — 3-0 — against the Boston Bruins on Sept. 29.

The Rangers also went 2-2 this preseason, featuring a 6-1 win over the New York Islanders.

Next up the Rangers will hit the road again to visit Little Caesars Arena as the Detroit Red Wings open their season, though Detroit will have former captain Dylan Larkin missing from their lineup.