Ottawa builds the lead New York spends the night chasing

The New York Rangers rallied from three goals down but could not complete the comeback Saturday, falling 7–4 to the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. Drake Batherson recorded a hat trick and an assist, while Ottawa scored twice into an empty net after New York had narrowed the margin to one.

The loss left the Rangers 1–3–1 over their last five games. Ottawa improved to 5–2–0 at home behind 24 saves from Jonas Johansson, who was making his first appearance of the season and his Senators debut.

The Rangers found life in the second period

Ottawa scored twice within 1:06 during the opening period and extended the lead when Batherson converted a rebound 1:47 into the second. Will Cuylle put New York on the board with a short-handed goal midway through the period, but Dylan Cozens answered when Batherson’s centering pass deflected off his skate and past goaltender Dylan Garand.

Trailing 4–1, the Rangers finally established sustained pressure. J.T. Miller batted a bouncing puck into the net at 12:54, and Alexis Lafrenière finished a two-on-one feed from Miller with 26 seconds left in the period. The two goals transformed what had looked like a comfortable Ottawa advantage into a 4–3 game entering the third.

Jake Sanderson restored a two-goal margin at 13:38 of the third, scoring on the rebound of a Ridly Greig shot. Pavel Dorofeyev responded less than two minutes later, one-timing a Cuylle pass for his third goal of the season and again pulling New York within one.

Empty-net goals widen a close finish

The Rangers removed Garand for an extra attacker, but Michael Amadio scored into the empty net with 1:14 remaining. Batherson added another empty-net goal with 12 seconds left to complete his hat trick and make the final score look less competitive than the late stages had been.

Batherson’s performance drove Ottawa’s offense, while Sanderson added a goal and two assists. Cozens and Amadio each finished with a goal and an assist, and Tim Stützle also scored. For New York, Miller and Cuylle each had a goal and an assist, Adam Fox and Noah Laba contributed two assists apiece, and Garand made 17 saves.

The comeback does not erase the opening

New York showed resilience and enough scoring depth to make the game competitive after falling behind 4–1. The concern is that the Rangers again required a major recovery. Chasing a game forces risk, reduces margin for error and can leave an empty net as the only late option.

The Rangers can take positives from their special-teams contribution, the Miller–Lafrenière connection and Dorofeyev’s finish. Their more urgent task is preventing early defensive breakdowns and controlling rebounds before an opponent builds separation.

A 7–4 final can invite attention to offense, but the more useful review begins with the first thirty minutes. New York’s response was credible; its start was costly. Reversing the recent slide will require carrying the urgency of the comeback into the opening faceoff of the next game.

The next response belongs to the team’s defensive structure. Limiting odd-man rushes, clearing rebounds and protecting the middle would reduce the burden on goaltending and give the offense a chance to play with a lead. Those are repeatable habits, unlike another three-goal comeback that depends on finishing every opportunity.

Source: Reuters game report. Reporting reviewed October 25, 2026.