si
The New York Rangers maintained their perfect home record with a convincing 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. The win improved the Rangers to 6-0-0 on home ice this season, providing a much-needed bounce-back after a challenging two-game road trip.
New York's road struggles were evident in a 7-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils and a 1-0 overtime defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, the team has been a different beast at MSG, turning it into a fortress for visiting teams. The Rangers have yet to lose in their own building, and their offensive output at home has been a stark contrast to their road performances.
Defenseman Adam Fox was once again a key contributor in the win, recording a secondary assist on J.T. Miller's power-play goal in the second period. Alexis Lafreniere earned the primary assist on the play. The helper was Fox's 10th assist of the season and his third on the power play. According to NHL.com, the assist extended his home point streak to six games, which is currently tied for the longest in the league. All eight of his points during this streak have been assists.
Dating back to last season, Fox has now registered at least one point in 13 consecutive games at Madison Square Garden. Over that span, he has accumulated four goals and 17 assists for an impressive 1.62 points per game. This marks the longest such streak of his career. Furthermore, with his assist on Monday, Fox became the fourth defenseman in franchise history to reach double-digit assists in fewer than 12 games on multiple occasions. He previously achieved the feat in the 2021-22 season when he needed just 11 games to reach 10 assists.
Key Analysis
Fox's production is exactly what the Rangers need from their star blueliner. When healthy, he has consistently been one of the most productive defensemen in the NHL, and he is continuing that trend this season. Currently on pace for at least 76 assists, Fox could set a new career high if he remains healthy. Even without the two extra regular-season games, he is on track to surpass his single-season high of 63 assists, which he set in 2021-22—the other time he reached 10 assists in 12 or fewer games. The Rangers will need Fox to keep up his stellar play as they aim to maintain their home dominance and improve their road form.