SEATTLE — The New York Rangers did something on this road trip that they haven’t accomplished in nearly a year.

They won three games in a row.

Saturday’s 3-2 overtime victory over the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena, powered by Will Cuylle’s winner 2:42 into the extra period, marked the first time they’ve tallied three straight since Nov. 14-19 of last season.

“I give the guys a lot of credit,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “This is not an easy trip to come out here. We lose the first game in Calgary, and to rebound the way we did just speaks volumes, I think, for the character of the guys. You can feel the energy around the team.

“I feel like we’ve earned our swagger back through our own sweat equity.”

The Rangers (6-5-2) have yet to win on home ice — they’ll have a chance to remedy that Tuesday when the Carolina Hurricanes visit Madison Square Garden — but they’re now 6-1-1 on the road. That includes going 3-1 on a trip that began with a 5-1 loss in Calgary before sweeping the next three in Vancouver, Edmonton and Seattle.

They achieved it by fully committing to the defensive structure that Sullivan has implemented in his first season on the New York bench, with Saturday perhaps their best effort yet. They limited the Kraken to only one high-danger scoring chance at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick, and just 13 shots on goal. That tied for the third-fewest shots allowed by the Rangers since the NHL began tracking the stat in 1959-60, and registered as their lowest total since Feb. 27, 2012, against the New Jersey Devils.

“I felt like we were dominating the game for the most part,” Cuylle said. “Last time I looked up at the shots with couple minutes left in the third, I only saw like eight or nine. If you can limit a team’s chances like that, I think you’re gonna give yourself a good chance to win every game.”

While Sullivan noted, “I still believe that there’s another level of offense to this group,” which cost the Rangers in multiple games last month, they’ve received enough timely scoring to pull out a few gutsy wins of late.

The latest came from Cuylle, who had a goal overturned in the second period but made the most of his opportunity in OT. He came flying down the right wing to give J.T. Miller a passing option off the rush, then ended the game with a top-shelf roofer to send New York on a celebratory flight back east.

J.T. ➡️ COOLS FOR THE OVERTIME WIN. pic.twitter.com/Ta7sDibizQ

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 2, 2025

“It was a great play by Millsy, just keeping his speed through the neutral zone,” Cuylle said. “I was trying to just keep my speed and match him on the other side.”

10 more observations

1. Cuylle appeared to score at the 11:47 mark of the second period after scrambling for a rebound around the Seattle net, but the play was overturned after review. The puck was loose in the blue paint when Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak dove in, using his hand to try and prevent it from crossing the goal line. Even on the replay, it was difficult to see where the puck ended up. But it also looked like Cuylle pushed goalie Joey Daccord’s pad with his stick, which may explain why the goal was called back.

Refs initially called this a goal, but then got together and changed their minds. Cuylle very clearly pushed Daccord into the net.

Still 2-2. #NYR #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/OZg5oY8MUf

— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 2, 2025

2. After registering only one point in his first 10 games, Cuylle posted at least one in each of the four games on this trip. He had a goal and an assist on Saturday while tying for the team lead with six shots, continuing a stretch in which he’s been noticeably more involved and on the attack. “I was a little under the weather there for a bit,” he said. “I’m playing with more energy, kind of feel like myself again. It’s nice to get on the scoresheet a bit on this trip and help the team out.”

3. Cuylle’s new line with Alexis Lafrenière and rookie Noah Laba may have been the Rangers’ best in Seattle. They were flying on every shift, with Laba often the driving force because of his speed and assertiveness down the middle. He ranks in the 96th percentile among all NHL skaters for max skating speed, according to NHL EDGE, which is tops on the team. It paid dividends when he followed a Cuylle shot and buried it for his second career goal at the 13:50 mark of the first period. “That’s one of my big assets, and I just try to use it to my advantage,” Laba said. “Whether that that’s putting pressure on the opposing team, or using it to kind of create time and space for my teammates.”

CRASH THE NET.

Cools with the shot + Laba buries the rebound. pic.twitter.com/igWmax0uVJ

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 2, 2025

4. The 22-year-old center was one of the team’s best skaters on this trip, which earned him a look as the second-line center on Saturday. His line finished with a 6-1 advantage in shots and 77.45 percent expected-goals for rate. “His game just gets better right in front of us with every game that he plays,” Sullivan said. “He’s just playing with so much confidence, and he’s hungry. He’s strong on pucks. I think his speed is evident. He gets in on the forecheck. He wins a lot of foot races. But the most impressive thing for me is just his composure. Positionally, he’s pretty sound. And the mistakes he makes are mistakes of enthusiasm, and we can chink those out because he has aptitude for the game.”

5. Because of Sullivan’s growing confidence in Laba, the Rangers are more comfortable stacking their top line with their three-most accomplished forwards: Miller, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. They didn’t produce a goal, but the numbers were lopsided in their favor. Shot attempts were 25-12, scoring chances were 11-5 and HD chances were 3-0. Expect to see these lines stick going into Tuesday’s game. “Mika’s line was dominant all night long,” Sullivan said. “They did everything but put the puck in the net.”

6. The Rangers went 0-for-3 on the power play and have now failed to convert on their last 10 opportunities, dropping their season conversion rate down to 12.1 percent (4-for-33). They looked pretty good in Seattle, at least on their first two tries, but Daccord was sharp and Lafrenière was denied by a post. They simply can’t buy a PP goal right now. “They had so many looks,” Sullivan said.

7. Vladislav Gavrikov netted his first goal as a Ranger on a long wrist shot that snuck through traffic to open the scoring 10:16 into the first period while eating up 21:47 time on ice in another solid performance. This is probably a good time to point out and he and Adam Fox have been an excellent tandem so far this season, with their 58.9 percent xGF ranking seventh among all NHL D pairs who have logged at least 100 minutes, according to MoneyPuck. That surely improved Saturday.

Gavi nets it through traffic for his first as a #NYR. pic.twitter.com/gJgAbXpBlN

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 2, 2025

8. We should also acknowledge that the Rangers’ other defensemen, who entered this season as a major question mark, have exceeded expectations through 13 games. Will Borgen, who was acknowledged by a video tribute for his three-plus seasons with the Kraken, has been among the leaders in that regard. “I thought tonight might have been our best, just as far as controlling territory, defending hard, limiting shot quantity and quality,” Sullivan said. “It was a complete effort by everybody.”

9. This wasn’t the sharpest night for Igor Shesterkin, who’s quietly slipped after a tremendous start to the season. The 29-year-old goalie posted save percentages of .917 or better in each of his first six games, but his last four have been .917 or worse. Three of those were .846 or worse, with only 11 saves on 13 shots faced in Seattle. Both of his goals allowed were long range shots that certainly won’t register as a high danger and probably won’t sit well with Shesterkin.

10. Former Ranger Ryan Lindgren went all out to try and steal a win for the Kraken with a couple of standout shifts late in regulation. He made a strong defensive play to shutdown a New York rush, won a puck battle along the wall to extend an offensive-zone possession and fired a shot on goal with 11 seconds remaining. His play fell off toward the end of his Rangers’ tenure and it was probably time to move on, but his effort never came into question. The 27-year-old defenseman puts it all on the line every night and should be remembered fondly for his six-plus seasons in New York. I know they meant the world to him.