Jonathan Quick’s 800th career start quickly turned into a disaster.
For the second time in three games, the Rangers’ backup goaltender — forced into the starting role with Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve — was pulled, this time with 7:37 left in the second period Wednesday after allowing six goals during the Blueshirts’ game against the Senators.
He managed 11 saves (a .647 save percentage), and with the Rangers facing a six-goal deficit in another lifeless performance, Quick exited on track to drop to 0-4-0 since taking over as the starter.
Spencer Martin, who started this season in the KHL before inking a deal with the Rangers and spending time in AHL Hartford, took over for the nearly 40-year-old goaltender and was cheered by fed-up fans inside the Garden after covering up the puck — and those mock claps continued after each time Martin played the puck.
Drake Batherson, Nick Jensen, Brady Tkachuk, Dylan Cozens, Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot all scored for the Senators.
Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators scores a first period goal against Jonathan Quick of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on January 14, 2026. Getty Images
For some tallies, there wasn’t much Quick could do. The Blueshirts’ defense was porous. One goal bounced off Braden Schneider’s skate and into the net. Quick, though, had struggled the last three games, too, entering Wednesday with an .814 save percentage and 16 goals allowed across that stretch.
He was also pulled during Saturday’s 10-2 loss at Boston.
And with Shesterkin on injured reserve, Quick will need to remain the Rangers’ starter for the foreseeable future, too.
When asked Tuesday if any of their injured players could resume skating within the next week, head coach Mike Sullivan said, “I think they’re a little further away.”
New York Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) reacts after Ottawa Senators’ Nick Jensen scored a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in New York. AP
The Blueshirts all expressed belief and optimism in Quick — the winningest American-born goalie in NHL history — after Shesterkin sustained a noncontact, lower-body injury in the first period Jan. 5 and he needed to take over the bulk of the workload.
But by the time he veered over to the bench and Martin replaced him Wednesday, Quick’s stint as starter had already started to mirror the Rangers’ season and spiral out of control.