The next test for the Rangers’ perfect home record — the next possibility to play spoiler to a start nearing the point of being a historic one — will involve a pair of Garden returns.
Former head coach Peter Laviolette, who led the Rangers to the Presidents’ Trophy and the Eastern Conference finals in 2023-24 before getting fired one year later, is nine games into his first season as head coach of the Kings and will return to the Garden for the first time since his exit. And Artemi Panarin, the star who was dealt last year before the Olympic roster freeze and made his return in March, will play his second game back at the Garden as a member of the Kings.
Laviolette’s 114-point campaign with the Blueshirts was followed up by an 85-point one, and the Rangers missed the playoffs in 2024-25. He helped them set records for points and wins (55) during that first year, bringing the franchise to the cusp of a return to the sport’s ultimate stage — while becoming the first coach in NHL history to guide six different teams to the playoffs — before a collapse followed the next season.
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
