Every October I forget how quickly bars treat the Rangers like the undercard. Wednesday is the road opener, 7:30 start on MSG. Knicks preseason starts at 7:00 on the other MSG feed. So the sports bars in the 70s and 80s have both on the board, and most of them are already leaning Knicks before puck drop.

I’m trying to find a place that will actually keep Rangers audio on in the main room, not just a small screen by the service station. Last year I went to a spot on Second Avenue in the low 80s because the manager told me on the phone, yes, hockey sound. By first intermission the Knicks preseason had started and the bartender cut the Rangers audio to put on the Knicks broadcast. People complained. She said it was house policy during overlapping Knicks home broadcasts. Fine, but then don’t tell people yes on the phone.

I also tried a place on Third around 78th that has the big projector. They ran a silent first period until the Knicks pregame ended, which defeats the purpose. Another bar up a few blocks has a side room with speakers at booths, but it turned into a birthday party by the second period.

My criteria are pretty simple:

• Rangers audio on, not laggy app audio under a speaker
• No 90-minute minimum or reservation fee just to sit
• Within a 15-minute walk of the 86th Street 4/5/6, or a quick trip from Astoria
• Not a place that flips every TV to the Knicks at 7:30 because the regulars demand it

If anyone has a bartender contact or watched there last week, I’d rather not call eight places again. If the honest answer is my apartment with MSG Go and a six-pack, I accept that, but I’m trying not to host six people after work.

Ha, the yes-hockey-sound phone call is the oldest lie on the UES. I don’t even call anymore. I just walk down Second and look at the speakers. Some spots keep the Rangers audio on the back TV but not the main, and you can move to the side of the bar if you’re early.

Trionas? Maybe not, that place gets Knicks people by 7:15. If you sit at the actual bar, not the tables, the bartender might keep it on MSG if you tip and ask. But once the Knicks regulars roll in, forget it.

I heard Baileys on Third has a back room with separate sound, but I haven’t watched hockey there. Might be worth a call to the day bartender, not the night guy.

I’m uptown, but I’d take the 4/5 down to 59th and maybe try The Well? Actually no, that place is too upscale for a Rangers game. Blondies has sports packages but midweek sound is a mess. Most places in Manhattan will put the Knicks pregame over a Rangers regular-season game.

The only reliable Rangers bar I know is in the 30s, Hudson Station maybe, but that’s a haul and can get bro-heavy. If you find a spot, post it because I’ll come down.

Chinatown_C, the tip-and-ask works until the first Knicks basket, and then somebody with a larger tab wins. I’ve been the polite guy asking for the side TV while the bartender turns the main audio over. I might try Baileys back room. I called this afternoon. The person who answered said they have multiple boxes, which is not the same as we will keep Rangers audio on. I’ll ask for the day bartender.

WashHeights_W, I’m with you on the 30s. I used to go to a place near Penn for Rangers, but midweek it’s a roll. There are Ranger-friendly spots in the West Village, but that’s a big ask after work.

The real problem is Knicks preseason is meaningless, but it still outdraws an October Rangers road game. If I have to watch the first period muted, I’ll just take the train home and stream Sam Rosen. But I said I’d meet three friends.

Meaningless is strong. Knicks preseason with the new rotation is bigger than a Rangers October road game for a lot of people uptown. Not saying it’s right, but that’s how it is.

If you want sound, maybe don’t go to a sports bar. A low-key Irish pub with two TVs might actually leave hockey on because nobody asks for the Knicks. There’s one on 79th and Second, the name escapes me. It has a pair of small TVs, a long bar, and an old guy who stops watching baseball to change the channel. I’d try that before the big rooms.

Funny, I know the place Chinatown_C means. They have the TVs above the bar, wood booths, and no app menu. Last time I was there for a Liberty game, the bartender changed the nearest TV for us but kept the sound off because Sunday regulars want music. That might work for a Rangers game if you are near the speaker, but don’t expect it to be loud.

If I can make it, I might just do a six-pack at astoria_arch’s place and call it. Not helpful, but at least I won’t spend half a paycheck on a flat draft to read the play-by-play.

Chinatown_C, I know the exact low-key pub you are describing. I walked in last spring for a Knicks game and the bartender was dividing the room by sport without anyone asking. That might be the move, but the booth side fills up fast. If we get there by 6:40, we might get the two seats near the speaker.

WashHeights_W, you are welcome to the six-pack if this falls apart. My couch is not big, but the sound is clean and my stream delay is usually a minute behind the bar feed. For anyone trying to get from the east side to a backup spot after 5, the same walk-versus-wait logic was in the B63 after 5 p.m.: is walking usually faster than waiting for the bunched buses? thread: B63 after 5 p.m.: is walking usually faster than waiting for the bunched buses?

Main thing I’m trying to avoid is sitting at a silent bar while three group chats ask what happened before the replay. I’ll update after I call the day bartender at the Third Avenue spot. If anyone passes by tonight and sees the Rangers audio on, say something.

Ha, why are we pretending the chat is not already ruined by the stream delay? If you go silent, your phone blows up. If you go live, the bar ruins it. There is no winning.

Update from downtown. I passed a place on Third around 74th earlier and they had the Knicks pregame on half the screens and hockey on the other half, but no audio on either. So that does not help. I will ask my cousin. He works in a bar on the UES but he is off tonight. If he texts me back I will post.

Chinatown_C, the cousin text is the kind of inside info this board runs on. We need the name of the one bartender who hates basketball. Kidding.

astoria_arch, I have decided not to go to the UES unless you find a real sound situation. Stream delay at your place is fine by me, I will keep my phone on do-not-disturb. If you want to go in on pizza, I will bring the drinks. But if you do find a bar, post it before 7.

I called Baileys back room around 4:30. The day bartender was actually working and said they run Rangers audio in the back room when there is a Knicks overlap, but it is first come, not reserved. He also said there are two TVs back there, so if a large Knicks crowd sits, the room flips. That is more honest than I got from the other places, but not exactly a promise.

Chinatown_C, if your cousin says anything, I will call that place too. WashHeights_W, I will update by 6:15. Right now the plan is to try the small pub on Second and 79th at 6:30. If that fails, head back to my place in Astoria for a 7:30 puck drop. We lose nothing but a bus and maybe the first two minutes.

Separate note. If the bar has the Rangers on a slight delay and the Knicks pregame on live, please do not yell at the bartender when a Knicks highlight pops and everyone already has the score. Not her fault.

My cousin says he used to work at a place on 85th and First. They have a back corner with its own speaker. But it is one of those regulars-only rooms if the Knicks are on, meaning you sit at the bar and maybe they let you have the small TV. Not worth chasing. He said the best bet is the Irish pub on 79th because the owner is a Rangers fan. Take that for what it is worth.

Also, to the guy who asked, no I will not be at Baileys. My cousin says their back room food order takes forever and the sound is not synced to the big TV. I would rather stream at home than deal with that. Good luck all, Go Rangers.