NY Rangers Need to Improve Defensive Efforts Better After Extended Break

The New York Rangers defense is going to be tested immediately out of their break.

Oct 22, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan watches the play against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Rangers will return to action on the ice against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 1 after an extended break.

The Rangers last took on the Los Angeles Kings back on Oct. 26 — resulting in a loss after allowing the Kings to post six goals. In the very game prior to hosting Los Angeles at Madison Square Garden, the Blueshirts took another loss after letting the Ottawa Senators put up seven goals. In short, the New York franchise has seen a dramatic defensive decline throughout the fall.

To be more specific, the Rangers have allowed 18 goals over their last three games; this makes an average of six goals per game.

This is a substantial decline — the Rangers went from allowing fewer than two goals per game in their first seven contests to more than four per game in their next seven.

Rangers Must Re-Establish Defensive Accountability

Though, the goals-allowed problem does not come without a valid excuse.

The Rangers are having to adjust after losing starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who sustained a season-ending lower-body injury against the Washington Capitals on Oct. 9.

Oct 9, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) is helped off the ice after being injured against the Washington Capitals during the second period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It can be argued that the Rangers must simplify their defensive structure and prioritize limiting high-danger scoring chances rather than trying to outscore to compensate for their mistakes.

In order to execute this, defensemen will need to prioritize positioning over jumping into offensive opportunities, and the forwards on the Rangers roster must provide better backchecking support.

As a whole, the Rangers will need to limit odd-man rushes and dangerous transition opportunities, in addition to every man on the ice taking responsibility for their defensive assignments rather than relying on goaltending to bail them out.

This will be crucial as the Rangers continue to deal with injuries in the net, allowing Dylan Garand to keep his focus between the pipes.

The best from an eventful October ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/VPdH5CXfMQ

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 31, 2026

"I thought Dylan made a lot of good saves for us today. We’ve got to do a better job in front of him making sure we cut down on the quality of chances we’re giving up by having more discipline and positional play," Head Coach Mike Sullivan recently said on allowing too many offensive chances for opposing teams.

Defensemen Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov have remained a strong first pairing and should stay together; however, Scott Morrow (who has yet to make his season debut) is an option for Sullivan should he want to experiment if the defensive pairings continue to not produce consistent results.

The Rangers' next chance to improve their defensive game plan will be, as previously mentioned, against Edmonton on Nov. 1; puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. Eastern as the Blueshirts currently sit with 15 points in the Metropolitan Division.