Durzi bragging rights among key takeaways from Rangers win over Mammoth

October 5, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That New York Rangers’ 4-2 win over the Utah Mammoth on Sunday at Madison Square Garden was super entertaining. The game was played at a frenetic pace, with plenty of physicality, scoring chances aplenty, a slew of breakaways, and one big-time save after another from goaltenders Igor Shesterkin and Karel Vejmelka.

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There’ll be things the Rangers want to clean up and get better at after watching the video from this one. But you can bet there wasn’t a single fan at MSG that didn’t have a good time Sunday, nor was displeased at all with the winning results against a very good opponent.

The Rangers (3-1-0) have won three in a row, including both their games played at The Garden, so far. These Rangers have many of the same faces on the roster, but they sure don’t seem like the 2025-26 Rangers.

“I just like how we’re coming together as a group … It’s a good feeling we have,” coach Mike Sullivan said afterward. “We’ve won a couple of games. These guys are playing hard. They’re paying the price to win, whether it be blocking shots or winning puck battles, things of that nature. But I’m really excited and couldn’t be more proud of the guys just for the team game that we’re building. And I think part of that is just the chemistry inside of the locker that continues to grow and evolve.”

Will Cuylle was a menace physically out there, racking up 11 penalty minutes and nearly setting off a riot in the second period when he boarded Dylan Guenther. Then to start the third period, he answered the bell, accepting Jack McBain’s invite to fight. Two minutes after that rousing fight, Gabe Perreault buried a rebound to snap a 1-1 tie.

WOWZA 🤩

Gabe Perreault gives the @NYRangers the lead! pic.twitter.com/QNslu0P05q

— NHL (@NHL) October 5, 2026

J.T. Miller finally was rewarded for consistently going to the net this season when Vladislav Gavrikov’s shot hit off his skate and into the net at 12:47 of the third period. Gavrikov had a monster game and was selected First Star, scoring his first goal of the season in the opening period, assisting on Miller’s tally, and blocking a team-high four shots at the other end of the ice.

It wasn’t always pretty. But it was fun. And it was a good win.

Key takeaways after Rangers defeat Mammoth 4-2

Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

Bragging rights

You know Sean Durzi and Vincent Trocheck had this game circled on their calendars, as the old cliche goes. The Rangers acquired Durzi from the Mammoth on July 1 in a trade that sent Trocheck out west, and both teams appear pleased with the deal.

As for the individuals Sunday, Trocheck received the expected video tribute during the first TV timeout, to go along with an extended standing ovation from the fans at MSG. He also was minus-three and his team lost the game.

Welcome back to The Garden, Troch 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/qAeLpmzKgl
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 4, 2026

Durzi delivered a perfect open-ice hip check that wiped Trocheck out in the neutral zone just five minutes into the game. The 27-year-old defenseman logged 22:57 TOI against his former team, blocked three shots, and was plus-one. And the Rangers won the game.

So, for one night at least, bragging rights go to Durzi. Let’s see what happens in the rematch in Salt Lake City on March 9.

#NYR Sean Durzi on playing against Vinny Trocheck and beating his former team tonight:

“It was funny — I got a pretty good piece of him early on in the first and then I think he got a lick at me and he said ‘that’s just payback’ — so it was funny out there. We had dinner… pic.twitter.com/jHI48wXvES

— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) October 5, 2026

He’s just got to Laf

Alexis Lafreniere remains without a goal through four games, but with any luck he could’ve had three or maybe more Sunday in his best outing of the young season. The soon-to-be 25-year-old constantly got behind the Mammoth defense for one Grade-A scoring chance after another. Vejmelka found every possible way to stop the Rangers forward, who also ripped a power-play shot off the crossbar in the final seconds of the first period.

Lafreniere did pick up his first assist of the season, though. He was flat-out robbed again by Vejmelka on a 2-on-1 set up by a perfect Mika Zibanejad pass, but with the goalie out of position, Perreault cleaned up for the go-ahead goal in the third period.

He led the Rangers with nine shot attempts and four shots on goal, logged 21:44 TOI, and had his coach raving about a blocked shot Lafreniere made in the final minutes of regulation.

So, Laf just has to laugh about not scoring a goal Sunday. He keeps getting these chances, you know the puck’s going to start going in for him.

Shoooot Igor!

Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

Playing his first game since recording the first goalie goal in Rangers history, Shesterkin was encouraged by the raucous Blueshirt Faithful every time he touched the puck it seemed to shoot it down the ice. And though Shesterkin didn’t score another goal Sunday, he did shoot for the empty net after the Mammoth pulled Vejmelka for a sixth attacker in the closing minutes.

His attempt was picked off near the Mammoth blue line; but Shesterkin did add to his point total by assisting on Eeli Tolvanen’s empty-net goal shortly thereafter at 18:45 of the third period. The Rangers netminder zipped the puck up to Cuylle to start the scoring play, giving him a point in two straight games.

“I thought it was pretty funny when they were yelling ‘shoot’ in the first period when [the Mammoth] still had the goalie in the net,” Cuylle said postgame.

Oh, and Shesterkin was also really good at the other part of his game, the one the Rangers pay him to be the richest goalie in NHL history. Shesterkin made 27 saves, including a few point-blank beauties and 13 in the third period. He now has a 1.67 goals-against average and .934 save percentage in three starts this season.

Filling the hole in middle

The Rangers lost center Joe Veleno to a lower-body injury midway through the first period, and played the rest of the way without the 4C, who’s also one of their top penalty killers. Since the Rangers really don’t have the luxury of having a winger who’s also accustomed to — and capable of — playing center, they largely split those fourth-line shifts between the centers they already had in the lineup.

Third-line center Noah Laba logged a season-high 17:37 TOI, and Zibanejad played 24:32, more than any skater on either team Sunday. Sullivan also shortened his bench in the third period — fourth-liners Oliver Bjorkstrand (three) and Jaroslav Chmelar (two) had just a handful of shifts.

Laba won 6 of 10 face-offs, was credited with two hits, and was plus-one. However, his underlying numbers weren’t great — he had an expected goal share 5v5 of 10.53 percent, per Natural Stat Trick. The Rangers were out-shot 14-2 with him on the ice 5v5.

Since their extra forward again was Matt Rempe, the Rangers likely need to recall a center from Hartford of the American Hockey League if Veleno is to miss any games because of his injury. Though they’d probably prefer a veteran center like Justin Dowling or Juuso Parssinen stepping in this early in the season to fill in, it’s worth noting 20-year-old Cole Beaudoin has five points (one goal, four assists) in his first two games as a pro with Hartford.

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