The New York Rangers’ first road trip through Canada of the 2026-27 season proved to be a difficult stretch for a team searching for its identity away from home. Following a high-scoring loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in the week, the Blueshirts once again found themselves playing catch-up in a 7-4 defeat at the hands of the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The loss dropped the Rangers to 1-5-1 on the road to start the season, a stark contrast to their performance at home. The team has now lost four of its last five games, a span in which they have surrendered at least five goals in three separate contests. The recurring theme of slow starts and defensive inconsistency has quickly become a primary concern for head coach Mike Sullivan.
Ottawa dominated the opening frame, taking advantage of a Rangers squad that failed to register a single shot on goal until they were awarded a power play nearly halfway through the first period. By that point, the Senators had already established a lead. Drake Batherson opened the scoring after being found by Jake Sanderson, beating Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand on the blocker side to make it 1-0.
The Rangers’ first opportunity to gain momentum on the man advantage was quickly negated. Pavel Dorofeyev, after receiving multiple cross-checks to the back from Ottawa’s Ridly Greig, was the only player penalized when he retaliated and was whistled for high-sticking. The ensuing 4-on-4 play allowed the Senators to maintain pressure in the New York zone.
The deficit widened at the 6:40 mark of the first period. An errant pass from Captain J.T. Miller was fumbled by defenseman Braden Schneider at the blue line, sparking an Ottawa rush. Fabian Zetterlund fed Tim Stützle, who capitalized on the mistake to put the Rangers behind 2-0 heading into the first intermission.
The second period began with more of the same as New York struggled to clear the puck and establish a clean breakout. Less than two minutes into the frame, Batherson notched his second goal of the night to push the lead to 3-0. Sullivan responded by shuffling his top-six forward group, moving Oliver Bjorkstrand onto the second line in place of Dorofeyev to spark the offense.
The Rangers showed signs of life when Will Cuylle scored a short-handed goal to cut the lead to 3-1. However, the momentum was short-lived. A backhanded pass from the corner by Batherson deflected off Dylan Cozens in front of the net, restoring the Senators’ three-goal cushion. Despite the setback, the Rangers clawed back late in the period. Miller batted in his third goal of the season off a feed from Adam Fox, and shortly after, Miller set up Alexis Lafrenière during 4-on-4 play to bring the score to 4-3 before the second intermission.
While the Rangers spent a significant portion of the final 20 minutes in the Ottawa zone, they were unable to find the equalizing goal. Jake Sanderson extended the Ottawa lead to 5-3, scoring his first goal of the season by collecting a rebound after Garand made an initial save on a shot from Greig. The Senators would eventually pull away to secure the 7-4 victory.
The Rangers now face the task of correcting habits that Sullivan suggested were reminiscent of last year’s struggles. With a significant portion of the early season schedule played on the road, the team must find a way to resolve the defensive lapses and slow starts that have characterized their recent stretch of play.
