Rangers put last year's home woes behind them by winning their first six at MSG this season

NEW YORK (AP) — A year ago, the New York Rangers could not buy a break on home ice. The puck was not going in for them, and they lost their first seven games at Madison Square Garden on the way to 27 of 41 total.

Those woes are now a distant memory. Beating Anaheim on Monday night made the Rangers 6-0-0 in their first six games at the Garden — matching the second-longest season-opening home winning streak in franchise history.

"Obviously, we struggled last year at home," said Alexis Lafrenière, who leads the team with seven goals and 13 points through 11 games. “It’s good to have the start we’re having this year. I think it helps us that the building’s electric. It’s always the best. We’ll try to keep it going.”

Last season, it took until Jan. 26, their 23rd home game, to pick up their sixth victory there. This time, it came 24 hours before the arena's other full-time tenant, the Knicks, raise their NBA championship banner against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers.

“We heard what was going on tomorrow night, so it’s nice to give back-to-back good nights at MSG,” said defenseman Sean Durzi, who scored 78 seconds in against the Ducks.

The Rangers have scored first in every home game, including a goal within the first two minutes in three in a row. They've been excellent at holding leads, including on the road.

“When we’re talking about building an identity, I think it’s an identity that we can play no matter where we play,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’re trying to play a certain game out there where we dictate the terms, where we have the ability to play to our strengths.”

It's not close to perfect, and the play will need to remain at a high level with No. 1 goaltender Igor Shesterkin injured and out for the season. Dylan Garand, who started the season third on the organizational depth chart and in the minors, is 4-2-1 with a 1.85 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.

Garand has allowed two or fewer goals in five of six starts.

“He’s played extremely well,” Sullivan said. "I’ve been asked the question a number of times, ‘What do we expect from Dylan?’ And my expectation, just based on his body of work here is that he’s going to win and he’s going to make saves for us, he’s going to make timely saves. He’s given us a chance to win night in and night out, and that’s what we’re asking of him.”

Fans who chanted “Igor! Igor” and before that “Henrik! Henrik” for Hall of Fame netminder Henrik Lundqvist are now shouting “Dylan! Dylan!” With the wins piling up, they have a lot to cheer for.

“It’s an exciting time,” said Durzi, who joined in a trade from Utah over the summer. “They’ve been great. Being here, the welcome, the support that I’ve gotten has been incredible. It makes it a little more special to give them a nice show on home ice, and I think the rest of the guys know that, as well.”

See AP’s full NHL coverage here

New York Rangers' Oliver Bjorkstrand (28) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Rangers' Mika Zibanejad (93) looks to pass during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Rangers' Sean Durzi (5) skates toward his bench after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand (33) protects the net during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Rangers' Sean Durzi (5) celebrates with teammate Pavel Dorofeyev (16) after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower in cautious trading Tuesday after artificial-intelligence -related stocks bounced back on Wall Street while other sectors continued to be shaky and oil prices stayed high.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 declined 0.6% in early trading to 64,512.35. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.8% to 8,772.10. South Korea's Kospi dropped 2.8% to 5,605.31. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell nearly 1.0% to 23,947.37, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed at 3,732.29.

Analysts say investors are also waiting for the upcoming slew of earnings reports from various major companies.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.4%, coming off its worst week since June, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.1%. The majority of U.S. stocks outside of AI and tech fell, though, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished with a 0.1% drop.

Nvidia added 1.4% Monday and was one of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. Because it’s the largest stock on Wall Street by total market value, a 1% move for its stock has more effect on the index than any other’s.

SpaceX, which controls the xAI business, rose 1.3%. Its founder, Elon Musk, has pledged to give one share of SpaceX to “every kid in America” next year.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 31.29 points to 7,690.73. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 36.38 to 51,966.03, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 290.85 to 26,430.89.

Much of the spending on AI chips and data centers has been funded with borrowed money, and Treasury yields in the bond market recently hit their highest levels in years. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 5.14% from 5.09% late Friday.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 0.15% to $103.50 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, inched up 0.07% to $109.47 a barrel. Uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the energy industry to return to normal means oil prices are unlikely to ease any time soon.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar inched down to 158.45 Japanese yen from 158.46 yen. The euro cost $1.1225, little changed from $1.1227.

AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed to this report.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

FILE - A general view of the New York Stock Exchange is seen, Aug. 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)