The New York Rangers left their locker room Saturday afternoon feeling frustrated after a strong performance resulted in only one standings point, as they fell 3–2 in overtime to the league-leading Colorado Avalanche.
Colorado secured the extra point when NHL scoring leader Nathan MacKinnon scored 2:46 into overtime. The Rangers had forced the extra frame thanks to Artemi Panarin, who tied the game with 40.9 seconds left in regulation.
One clear positive for New York was the identity of the player who scored their first goal. At 4:23 of the third period, veteran forward Conor Sheary — who earned a roster spot in training camp after signing a PTO in late July — scored his first goal as a Ranger to even the game at 1–1.
“I’m hoping this goal he gets tonight will give him a boost of confidence,” coach Mike Sullivan said after the game. The goal snapped an NHL scoring drought that dated back to April 11, 2024, when Sheary was with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Before scoring against Colorado, Sheary had gone 26 games without a goal this season, collecting just six assists. He was a healthy scratch for three games last week before injuries among the forwards opened the door for him to return to the lineup. Sullivan chose Sheary over Brennan Othmann, citing his speed and two-way play.
Sheary had been used mainly in a bottom-six role prior to those scratches, but Sullivan elevated him into the top six on a line with Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller. Both players picked up assists on his goal. The 33-year-old took a feed from Trocheck near the red line, raced past Cale Makar and Martin Nečas, fought off a stick check from Makar, and beat Mackenzie Blackwood glove side to tie the game.
Sheary celebrated with a roar that was quickly swallowed by the eruption inside Madison Square Garden.
“I just realized there was a forward (Nečas) back on ‘D,’ so it was late in a shift and I thought I could take advantage of maybe him being tired and catch him by surprise,” Sheary said. “I was able to do that and get a mini-breakaway and have a nice shot and have it go in. I was waiting a long time for it, so it felt nice for it to go in.”
The goal ended a 34-game NHL scoring drought, and Sheary is optimistic it’s the start of more to come.
“I feel like I’ve been getting a lot of good chances throughout this year,” he said. “It’s a relief to get one. Hopefully, I can build off that, but to contribute to the team and help the team gain a point, I think, is really important.”
The past couple of seasons have been challenging for Sheary, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with Pittsburgh under Sullivan in 2016 and 2017. After signing a three-year deal with Tampa Bay in July 2023, he struggled, was sent to the AHL, then later walked away from a guaranteed $1.5 million contract to pursue another NHL opportunity.
“He has shown an ability to score in this league in a number of different places,” Sullivan said. “If he can chip in with a goal here and there for us, it certainly helps us with all the other things that he brings to the table.”
Sheary now has 125 goals in 620 NHL games. Sullivan added, “I think Conor’s done a lot of really good things for us this year. The only thing that’s been missing is just the finish.”