NEW YORK — After the New York Rangers won a board battle deep in their zone, Vincent Trocheck expedited the breakout with a saucer pass into the neutral zone, catching Conor Sheary in flight.
The Rangers trailed by a goal early in the third period at Madison Square Garden against the best team in the league — the Colorado Avalanche — who were coming off just their second regulation loss of the season. Colorado would finish the afternoon with a 3-2 overtime win, nearly 60% of the game’s shot attempts, and more than 70% of the expected goal share at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Sheary, who had inked a one-year contract with New York a day before the season began after joining Rangers training camp on a Professional Tryout, was still searching for his first goal with the Blueshirts. In 26 games entering Saturday, he’d managed six assists.
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A week ago, Sheary was a healthy scratch and only drew back into the lineup after Adam Edström was sidelined with a lower body injury. Throughout the Rangers’ first 29 games, Sheary had bounced around head coach Mike Sullivan’s lineup, and spent time in the bottom six.
On Saturday, Sheary skated alongside J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck on New York’s top line. Sullivan said after the overtime loss that Sheary’s game can help Miller and Trocheck. Sheary’s strong forechecking ability, he explained, is one of his best attributes.
“He’s got a great stick,” Sullivan said. “He’s quick. He knocks a lot of pucks down. He creates a lot of opportunity, turnovers, stalled pucks, things of that nature. He thinks it pretty good, and sees it pretty good.”
The line combination is also partly by design, Sullivan said, to see what the Rangers could get out of their top six. Will Cuylle shuffled down to the third line and played alongside Noah Laba. Against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, Jonny Brodzinski skated with Miller and Trocheck. Sullivan felt that the changes have benefited all four lines.
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Sheary and Sullivan didn’t enter 2025-26 as strangers. Undrafted, Sheary signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In the fall of 2015, Sheary was humming along with 36 points in 30 games, with Sullivan behind the bench. Within three days that December, Sullivan was promoted to Pittsburgh’s bench boss and Sheary was called up.
That spring, the two would win their first of two back-to-back Stanley Cups, with Sheary spending a good portion of the second half of the season playing with Sidney Crosby on the Penguins’ top line. He scored the overtime winner in Game 2 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final over the San Jose Sharks.
But Sheary’s career took a downturn in Tampa Bay, where he signed as a free agent in 2023 after stops in Buffalo, a brief return to Pittsburgh and later Washington. In his second season with the Lightning, his role diminished and was sent to the AHL — he played just five games in the NHL last season and did not record a point. Over the summer, he and the Lightning mutually agreed to terminate his contract.
Entering Saturday, Sheary hadn’t scored a goal in the NHL since April 11, 2024, when he tied Tampa Bay’s game against Ottawa at one with a backhand shot — his team, similarly, lost 3-2 after regulation and picked up a point.
Despite the scoring drought, he’s remained effective. When Sheary is on the ice at five-on-five this season, New York has had just over 51% of the shot attempts, according to Natural Stat Trick — this metric ranks seventh among Rangers skaters. The Rangers also control nearly 54% of the expected goal share at five-on-five with Sheary on the ice — fifth among Rangers skaters.
“Conor’s done a lot of really good things for us this year,” Sullivan said. “The only thing that’s been missing is just the finish.”
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When Sheary received Trocheck’s pass on the right wing, Colorado forward Martin Nečas was the lone man back. Colorado defenseman Devon Toews had pinched into the corner for the puck battle. Cale Makar remained at the offensive blue line to defend against Trocheck.
“It was kind of late in the shift,” Sheary explained. “I thought I could take advantage of maybe him being tired and catch him by surprise.”
Sheary cut to the middle. Nečas was caught and turned to chase him. Makar followed from behind. Sheary had what he later described as a “mini breakaway.” Just below the faceoff dot, and with Colorado goalie Mackenzie Blackwood moving to his right, he shot glove side and beat Blackwood.
He pumped his fist. He raised his arms. His teammates surrounded him as the Garden came to life.
“It was waiting a long time for it,” Sheary said. “So it felt nice to go in.”
Sullivan added that he hoped Sheary’s goal would give him a boost of confidence moving forward. The Rangers’ 81 goals this season rank 24th in the league. Any extra offense would help.
“He has shown the ability to score in this league in a number of different places,” Sullivan said. “So if he can chip in a little bit with a goal here and there for us, it certainly helps us with all the other things that he brings to the table.”
