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Mike Sullivan Assesses The New York Rangers Defense Amid Early Season Struggles


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Joshua Deeds
October 17, 2025  (11:28 PM)
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Mike Sullivan
Photo credit: NHLI

The New York Rangers' defense is showing promise, according to Head Coach Mike Sullivan. The team has shown the kind of structure needed to keep opponents out of the net at 5-v-5. Can they continue to build on this kind of play?

The New York Rangers have given up 9 goals in their last 6 games to start the 2025-26 NHL season.
While this is a bumpy start, including a troubling record at home (0-3-0), it's easy to lose focus on what matters. For new teams who are building chemistry and gelling, it's about underlying matters.
For Head Coach Mike Sullivan, despite their recent troubles, it's about controlling the game at 5-v-5 and how well the defense has played against their opponents recently.
There is some good news: The Rangers held another high powered offense to just one goal at 5v5. This bodes well for the future, it's just incredibly difficult to watch right now. The Rangers are too good for these shooting woes to stick, assuming Panarin and JT Miller are just slumping and not declining.

The New York Rangers Blueline Is Proving to Be Reliable

While goaltender Anthony Stolarz described the atmosphere between the two teams as "playoff hockey", it wouldn't have felt that way if the team didn't have a defense that was built to shut down the opposition.
The Rangers' defense was good enough to hold off the Maple Leafs the majority of the game, and it wouldn't be until overtime that the Blueshirts would unfortunately fall.
If Sullivan suspects that a structure is forming that could lead to winning more down the road, it's a positive sign for the 2025-26 season.
We hope it holds true, as the Rangers need to find themselves back into the win column soon.
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Mike Sullivan Assesses The New York Rangers Defense Amid Early Season Struggles

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