​Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesAn onslaught of goals, an exuberant crowd, and an incredible goal from Igor Shesterkin topped off the New York Rangers’ 5-1 home-opening win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, a game filled with emotion.Emotions come in different ways, both for the worst and for the better. In the Rangers’ case, that is especially true. Just under a year ago, on October 7, 2025, the Rangers opened up the 2025-26 season at Madison Square Garden against the Pittsburgh Penguins, filled with hope and excitement, as the Mike Sullivan era was set to officially begin. However, the Blueshirts were shutout, losing 3-0, and they were booed off the ice by their fans in what was a demoralizing way to start a season that would only go downhill from there.The Rangers’ emotions carried from that opening-night game, with the team failing to score a goal over their first three home games, and playing at The World’s Most Famous arena became somewhat of a kryptonite for the Rangers throughout much of the season.Going into Thursday night’s home opener, the Rangers were hoping to flip the script from last season and get off to a stronger start in front of their fans, and that’s exactly what they did. Less than 10 minutes into the contest, Mika Zibanejad scored a power play-goal that erased any doubt of another dreaded home scoreless drought ensuing.“When you can score a goal in the home-opener against a really good team, it gives us a boost of confidence as a group,” Sullivan said. “That was a huge goal in the game. Huge part of the game. So much of the game is about momentum, the highs and lows, the ebbs and flows of the emotional rollercoaster ride. When you score the first goal in the way that they scored it, it gives our team juice. It helps us gain momentum. We can build on it, and I thought the guys did a great job after that.”From that point on, the Rangers played off their emotions and continued to build momentum. The Rangers’ offensive dominance continued, adding goals from Pavel Dorofeyev, Eeli Tolvanen, and Gabe Perreault, while they played a noticeably quicker brand of hockey, complimented by a strong forecheck From a defensive standpoint, the Rangers’ penalty kill which featured Noah Laba, Will Cuylle, Tye Kartye, Joe Veleno, Mika Zibanejad, Tolvanen, Sean Durzi, Marcus Pettersson, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Braden Schneider, was able to successfully kill off all seven of the Lightning’s power plays, serving as a bright spot for New York.“This is a whole new team,” Sullivan emphasized. “We’ve got a new group of players, and we’re excited about the opportunity we have in front of us. I know how much it means to these guys to win at home. They love playing here. We have such a passionate fan base, and it means a lot to our guys to perform well. I was happy for them. “I thought it was a solid team effort, top to bottom. We utilized the whole bench throughout the course of the game. The penalty kill was terrific against