The New York Rangers have been one of the surprising teams early in the 2026-27 NHL season and now they have to overcome a devastating blow.
Goalie Igor Shesterkin, a Vezina Trophy winner, has been ruled out for the season after suffering a lower-body injury on Oct. 9.
With backup Joonas Korpisalo also hurt, the goaltending duties now fall to Dylan Garand, who had been scheduled to start a fifth season in the American Hockey League.
So far so good. He stopped 19 of 21 shots against the Vancouver Canucks in his first game as the No. 1 goalie. That follows a shutout in his earlier start, and the Rangers sit second in the Metropolitan Division.
Here are the USA TODAY's NHL power rankings nearly two weeks into the 2026-27 season (number is parentheses
is change from preseason power rankings):
32. Calgary Flames (-1)
The Flames are in a rebuild, but they are off to a disastrous start, being outscored 27-8 in their first five games. They waived Connor Zary.
31. Philadelphia Flyers (-10)
The Flyers (0-5-2) have lost their first seven games for the first time in franchise history. They're dealing with some injuries (Travis Konecny, Rasmus Ristolainen), but are also getting burned by giveaways. They have added free agent Michael Bunting.
30. Chicago Blackhawks (-1)
The Blackhawks' 1-5 record is a combination of facing tough opponents while also missing captain Connor Bedard. He's practicing in a regular jersey as he works to come back from offseason shoulder surgery.
29. Detroit Red Wings (-3)
Dylan Larkin was booed heavily when introduced in the opener amid his trade request then heard "We want Larkin" chants in Montreal. Meanwhile, defenseman Simon Edvinsson headed to Sweden while awaiting a contract resolution.
28. Los Angeles Kings (-4)
Offseason acquisition Mats Zuccarello is week-to-week with an undisclosed injury. He had one assist in three games for the winless Kings.
27. Vancouver Canucks (+5)
The Canucks have jumped from 31st in goals last season to ninth this season. But coach Manny Malhota will have to work on the defensive side. They've given up four or more goals five times, including a 9-7 loss.
26. Buffalo Sabres (-15)
The Sabres haven't made up for departed free agent Alex Tuch's scoring touch. Zach Benson, who was going to help after a strong playoffs, has one assist in his first five games.
25. New York Islanders (0)
Ilya Sorokin is off to a strong start with a 1.77 goals-against average. The team lost defenseman Alexander Romanov to an ACL injury but report progress on injured Mathew Barzal.
24. Columbus Blue Jackets (-2)
The Blue Jackets are going without a captain to start the season, when it appeared that Zach Werenski could get the role. The reigning Norris Trophy winner is averaging a league-best 29:35 in ice time this season.
23. Nashville Predators (-4)
The Predators have made things interesting, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to the Canadiens but also blowing 2-0 and 3-0 leads in losses.
22. Pittsburgh Penguins (-7)
Sidney Crosby had no goals this season. He had no points and was a minus-4 in his meeting with Alex Ovechkin.
21. St. Louis Blues (-6)
Newcomers Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael have been productive with two goals and two assists each in five games.
20. Montreal Canadiens (-13)
Playoff hero Jakub Dobes has a 4.43 goals-against average and .856 save percentage. The Canadiens have called up Jacob Fowler, who had a shutout in his last start.
19. New Jersey Devils (-5)
The Devils have fared well against bottom-rung teams but were blown out by the Islanders and lost to the Mammoth.
18. Toronto Maple Leafs (0)
No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna went without a point in his first three games but has four in his last three games. William Nylander has been strong, including five points in his last game.
17. Dallas Stars (-13)
Goalie Jake Oettinger has been impressive with a 0.74 goals-against average and has given up one goal in his last three games.
16. San Jose Sharks (-1)
Macklin Celebrini missed two games with a lower-body injury. The Sharks went 1-1 in his absence and he scored in his return to give him six points in three games.
15. Florida Panthers (-12)
The Panthers, dealing with injuries to captain Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand, lost a home opener for the first time in eight years. The injuries will keep those players out at least six weeks, but that's less than the situation originally looked.
14. Winnipeg Jets (+14)
The Jets were getting decent goaltending in the absence of award-winning goalie Connor Hellebuyck (trade request). Waiver pickup Clay Stevenson had a shutout but lost 5-1 in his last game.
13. Seattle Kraken (+17)
The Kraken are getting scoring up and down the lineup as they jumped to No. 3 in scoring after being in the bottom five last season. Fourth-liners Frederick Gaudreau, Ben Meyers and Ryan Winterton have combined for 13 points in the last two games.
12. Ottawa Senators (+15)
The Senators are surviving the trade of Brady Tkachuk. Now they must deal with an ankle injury to William Eklund, the team's top offseason acquisition who's out "for an extended period of time."
11. Minnesota Wild (-6)
Defenseman Quinn Hughes doesn't have a contract extension, but he's continuing to make his case for a huge payday with a five-game point streak and 27:31 in average ice time.
10. Utah Mammoth (0)
The Mammoth have the league's best power play at 40 percent. Nick Schmaltz has four power-play goals and Dylan Guenther has three. Guenther and Clayton Keller have six points each with the man advantage.
9. Washington Capitals (-3)
All-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin has announced this is his final season. He needs 10 goals to break Wayne Gretzky's record of 1,016 combined regular season/playoff goals after scoring in his fifth game of the season.
8. Colorado Avalanche (-7)
The Avalanche are dominating on offense with a league-best 5.20 goals per game. But their defensive play has been inconsistent as they blew a 3-0 lead against the Maple Leafs.
7. Boston Bruins (+6)
The Bruins rebounded from a loss to the Senators with routs of the Mammoth and Flyers. And now they're getting Charlie McAvoy back from his six-game suspension.
6. Anaheim Ducks (+17)
Leo Carlsson is leading the team in scoring after getting a then-record contract and newly named captain Mikael Granlund ranks second.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning (+3)
Defenseman Victor Hedman, who missed much of last season for personal reasons., is averaging 14 minutes a game this season. He picked up his first point of the season in his fifth game. Free agent signee is averaging nearly 20 minutes and has four points.
4. New York Rangers (+16)
The Shesterkin news has dominated recently, but another big story is a breakout for Alexis Lafreniere. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick is averaging more than a point a game, aided by a four-point game. He has never topped 57 points in his career.
3. Vegas Golden Knights (+9)
Center Jack Eichel is off to a MVP-caliber start with 12 points in his first six games. His closest teammate is five points back.
2. Edmonton Oilers (+7)
Defenseman Evan Bouchard is among the early Norris Trophy candidates. He was the first defenseman in NHL history to score five points in his opener and had eight points after two games. His six goals are tied for the overall league lead.
1. Carolina Hurricanes (+1)
The defending champions have won five in a row since losing their first two. They're getting balanced scoring. First-liner Sebastian Aho has six goals in his last six games and fourth-liner Mark Jankowski is on a four-game goal streak.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL power rankings: Rangers surprise, Flyers disappoint early
