The Rangers fall in overtime in a high-scoring shootout loss to Utah

The Rangers were usually the agents of chaos last season, but on Saturday night it was the Utah Hockey Club that thrived in disorder.

The chance to hand the NHL's newest club its first franchise loss came and went as the Blueshirts fell 6-5 to Utah in their home opener at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night after Clayton Keller scored with less than a minute left in the game scored a goal in overtime to secure the win.

The Rangers didn't show nearly as much structure and composure in Game 2 as they did in Game 1, due to the awkwardness and scrappiness with which Utah plays.

The Rangers, equipped with new defensive pairings not yet qualified to start the season, were in the hunt for most of the game.

It was an eventful home game at MSG, which brought with it a lot of open ice and therefore goals.

The lamp was lit a total of seven times in the second period alone, with Utah taking a 5-4 lead at the second intermission.

Although Will Cuylle made it 5-5 with 7:04 left in regulation time, the Rangers couldn't finish the job in overtime and lost their first game of the 2024-25 season.

There was a kind of dysfunction that Utah fostered, and it manifested itself in K'Andre Miller missing a rebound at the wide-open net just before Cuylle scored.

Miller hung his head over the bench in disbelief.

The Rangers managed to answer all but one of Utah's goals in the midfield when Keller and Kevin Stenlund scored just over 2½ minutes apart for a two-goal lead.

Although the Rangers beat Utah 33-23 in regulation, they gave up a lot in areas with prime real estate. Utah took advantage of what they were given.

During four-on-four play, Miller turned the puck over behind the Blueshirts' goal after Victor Mancini failed to score and Utah goaltender Connor Ingram called a penalty on Chris Kreider.

Alex Kerfoot was able to collect the ball and Keller gave the team a 3-2 lead.

The fourth line messed things up with Utah later in the middle frame when Sam Carrick and Adam Edstrom both dropped the gloves.

The two powerful forwards caused quite a stir, but Edstrom and Utah's Jack McBain were convicted of game-related offenses to end their nights after breaking through in the second bout.

The Rangers later held off a 5-on-3 Utah power play before giving up one to Dylan Guenther when Utah had the 5-on-4 advantage.

However, Braden Schneider made an aggressive attack on the net near the end of midfield to keep the Rangers within striking distance.

Utah carved up the Rangers early in the neutral zone and created a lot of traffic in the middle of their offensive zone.

It allowed the visitors to score first after Keller Barrett Hayton scored alone in front of the net for a 1-0 lead – and the Blueshirts' first goal conceded this season – less than four minutes into the game.

For the first 20 minutes, head coach Peter Laviolette rode his top horses of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere – especially after the two wings capitalized on a 2-on-2 rush.

Lafreniere dropped the puck back for Russia's star winger, who fired it into the goal to make the score 1-1 and score his first goal of the season.