NY Rangers' Struggles at Home Contributed to Poor Season Overall

With the New York Rangers struggling at home so much, it had a massive impact on their overall season.

Apr 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Conor Sheary (43) celebrates his goal against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Madison Square Garden. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers hosted the Buffalo Sabres in their final home game of the season, and like many of their other games at Madison Square Garden this year, the results weren’t good. 

As expected with one of the worst records in the league, the Rangers were not a great team on home ice. Usually, MSG is one of the best home-ice advantages in the league with a very passionate and knowledgeable fan base. However, right from the start of the year, playing at home was a struggle for the team. 

On Wednesday, it was a semi-fitting way to end their season at home, the way it has gone for the most part. New York held a 3-2 lead going into the third period but ultimately blew the game and ended up losing by a score of 5-3. While the Sabres are a playoff team in the Eastern Conference, this felt like a game that the Rangers could have won. 

Now, with all of their games done at home, it’s a great time to reflect on how the team performed at home. 

Playing at Home Was a Struggle

New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Right from the start of the season, New York set an unfortunate record on home ice. In their first three games at MSG, they were shut out at home, resulting in them being the first team in league history to do so. 

While being shut out obviously resulted in some losses to begin the season, the Rangers ended up losing their first seven games at home, setting a terrible tone to start the year. It took them until November 10th to secure their first win at MSG over the Nashville Predators. 

Unfortunately, the struggles at home never went away for New York, and it was a main reason why they didn’t have the year that they would have liked. From November 24th to March 5th, the Rangers didn't win a game in regulation at home. 

It seemed inevitable that the team was going to have their worst year in franchise history at home, but the team did get a little bit of a spark with some key players getting healthy and the young guys performing well down the stretch. Overall, the team finished the year at home, going 14-20-7. 

For a team that generally defends their home-ice, it was shocking to see for most of the year their struggles at MSG. Overall, they were a far better team on the road, going 19-17-2 so far with three games left to play. As the team prepares for next season, being better at home will be a key factor.