The Knicks-Rangers games turn murky amid the contract dispute between MSG and the cable operator

The Knicks and Rangers games on Optimum were expected to be dismal on Wednesday as contract negotiations between the cable operator and MSG remained at an impasse ahead of a deadline before the ball drops.

As of press time Tuesday, neither side appeared willing to budge significantly on the broadcast fees that Optimum parent company Altice paid to broadcast on MSG Networks, which is operated by Knicks and Rangers owner James Dolan.

In the current contract, which expires at midnight, Optimum MSGN pays $10 per subscriber, a source familiar with the situation told The Post.

The cable operator, which has about a third of the approximately three million subscribers in the New York City area, wants to reduce this fee in the new contract.

On Tuesday, MSGN softened an offer made weeks ago that was to give Optimum the option of removing the channel from the basic tier, which would mean subscribers would have to pay an additional fee for the channel, the source said.

Optimum did not respond to a comment about the latest offer.

“MSG Networks charges exorbitant programming fees – which could drive up our customers’ cable bills,” the company said in a statement Monday.

If an agreement is not reached before midnight, Knicks fans will be forced to find another provider to watch the New Year’s Day game against Utah.

“It is not surprising that Altice continues to confuse its customers so it can get away with charging them more for less,” an MSG spokesman said in a statement released late Tuesday.

“They just introduced exorbitant price increases – nearly 50% for current subscribers and 70% for new subscribers (after the promotional offer expires) on the package that now includes MSG Networks – and now their customers are at risk of losing coverage of their favorite venue. “Sports teams on MSG.”

MSG Networks will also broadcast games between the Islanders and the first-place New Jersey Devils, who face the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.

According to sources, more than half of Optimum customers are unable to switch to another cable company like Verizon’s Fios.

Your only option to watch MSG during the Optimum blackout would be through the Gotham Sports streaming service, which costs $29.99 per month.