TAMPA BAY, Fla. — The Rangers capped the 2025-26 season with a 4-2 win over a pseudo Lightning team that rested some of their top players for the playoffs ahead.
“That sucks,” captain J.T. Miller told The Post of finishing his first campaign as captain under such circumstances before the game Wednesday morning. “It’s the only reason you want to play, compete for the trophy. And so we didn’t achieve our goal. We failed there.”
Advertisement
Access the Rangers beat like never before
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.
This failed season didn’t just earn the Blueshirts an early summer for the second year a row.
It prompted an organizational redirection and reassessment that took precedence over the last three months. The reconstruction work has already begun, but maximizing the offseason — NHL draft, free agency, etc. — will be pivotal in moving the needle as the Rangers strive to redefine the team and return to contending status quickly.
Advertisement
After Wednesday’s win, the Rangers’ final draft lottery odds are now in the Flames’ hands. If Calgary defeats the Kings in their season finale Thursday night, the Rangers will secure the third-best odds to win the top-overall pick in the draft lottery May 5.
A Flames loss would bump the Blueshirts down to the fourth-best odds.
Mika Zibanejad (center) celebrates with Alexis Lafrenière (left) and J.T. Miller after scoring a second-period goal on April 15, 2026 at Benchmark International Arena. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
While fans dreamed off potentially drafting projected first-overall pick Gavin McKenna, the Rangers went 6-4 in their last 10 games of the season. Fun returned to a locker room that had been starved of it since before last season.
Rookies like Gabe Perreault, Adam Sykora, Dylan Garand and Jaroslav Chmelar gave the final weeks meaning in more ways than one.
Advertisement
Perreault scored his 12th goal of the season in the second period, when he flung the puck through traffic to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead.
The goal tied Perreault with the Blues’ Dalibor Dvorsky and the Wild’s Danila Yurov, who both played over 70 games this season compared to the Rangers rookie’s 40.
The Rangers top line with Perreault, Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière has been a sort of revelation in recent weeks — one that head coach Mike Sullivan will no doubt continue exploring next season so long as all remain on roster.
While Zibanejad’s power-play goal in the middle frame gave the Rangers a three-goal cushion, Tye Kartye scored the first two of the game to establish the upper hand.
Garand stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced in his third career start and second career win.
Advertisement
“I never want to go back to the American League, honestly,” Garand said. “I’m so hungry to be here. I want to be in this league and a part of this organization.”
Taylor Raddysh drew into the Rangers lineup for the first time since March 27.
It was a special night for Raddysh, who got to square off against his brother, Darren, for the first time since they lost their father, Dwayne, to pancreatic cancer.
Zibanejad nearly cleaned up the team awards this season.
In addition to winning the fan-voted Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, Zibanejad was named team MVP by the media and the Players’ Player by his teammates.
Advertisement
Braden Schneider was this year’s recipient of the 2026 John Halligan Good Guy Award, which is given to a player for their “outstanding cooperation with the media throughout the season.” The Rangers beat writers decide the winner every year.
