The New York Rangers have already been eliminated from contention for a spot in the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that's not stopping the team from playing some great hockey of late.
The Rangers followed up their 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden on Saturday with another dominant win on Sunday at home, crushing the Washington Capitals in an 8-1 win.
Both New York wins featured a hat-trick scorer, with Gabe Perreault pulling off the feat against Detroit and Will Cuylle replicating the feat against the Capitals.
The back-to-back hat tricks by Perreault and Cuylle were the first of their kind in Rangers history in over four decades.
“The Rangers have had a player record a hat trick in two consecutive games for the first time since 2016 and on consecutive days for the first time since 1982,” the team shared via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
The sudden offensive surge by New York could have come much earlier in the 2025-26 season, which would have improved the Rangers' chances of making the playoffs. Still, winning a lot of games down the stretch, even though they are already out of the running for the playoffs, gives the Rangers and their fans something to feel good about in a lost season.
Up next for New York is its final game of the season at home on Wednesday against the playoff-bound Buffalo Sabres. The Rangers, who have won five of their last six games, will enter the Buffalo meeting with a 33-36-9 record.
