The New York Rangers suffered a 6-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night, bringing their record to 9-4-1, while the Jets improved to 15-1-0. Although the final score doesn’t fully capture the Rangers’ effort, they were competitive at 5-on-5, matching the Jets in pace and intensity. However, costly mistakes, including sloppy zone exits and turnovers, ultimately proved to be their undoing in a game closer than the score suggests.
Rangers vs. Jets Game Recap
Just 57 seconds into the game, a misplay by Mika Zibanejad on a clearance attempt led to Josh Morrissey finding Mark Scheifele in front of the net, where he slipped one past Igor Shesterkin to give the Jets an early 1-0 lead. The Rangers had a chance to respond on the power play but couldn’t convert. However, with just under seven minutes left in the first, Will Cuylle evened the score, capitalizing on an opportunity in front to make it 1-1. The Rangers then successfully killed off a penalty, heading into the intermission with the game tied at 1-1 and leading 12-10 in shots.
Midway through the second period, Cuylle was sent to the penalty box for holding Kyle Connor, and the Jets wasted no time capitalizing. Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers executed a quick passing sequence in front of Shesterkin, allowing Vilardi to tap in a goal and reclaim the lead for Winnipeg at 2-1. The Rangers soon had a chance to answer when Connor tripped Artemi Panarin, and Alexis Lafrenière made it count, threading a shot past Connor Hellebuyck with Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider providing a double screen to tie the game 2-2.
However, another costly turnover by Mika Zibanejad soon after led to a breakaway for Connor, who fired one past Shesterkin to put the Jets up 3-2. The Rangers were handed a chance to equalize when Winnipeg was called for too many men, but they couldn’t capitalize, leaving the score at 3-2 in favor of the Jets heading into the second intermission.
Related: How Will Cuylle’s Growth Impacts the Rangers’ Future
A minute into the third period, Scheifele extended the Jets’ lead to 4-2 by tipping in a pass from Dylan DeMelo. The Rangers responded 32 seconds later when Kaapo Kakko outmuscled Colin Miller in front of the net, pushing the puck past Hellebuyck to make it 4-3 and keep the game within reach. With seven minutes remaining, Vladislav Namestnikov took advantage of a failed two-on-one that K’Andre Miller couldn’t clear, finding the loose puck and stuffing it in to give the Jets a 5-3 lead. In the final moments, with 20 seconds left, another turnover from Zibanejad led to an empty-net goal by Connor, sealing a 6-3 victory for Winnipeg.
Rangers Takeaways
- The Rangers’ third line of Filip Chytil, Cuylle, and Kakko combined for both the team’s even-strength goals, solidifying their status as one of the team’s most effective lines. Cuylle notched a goal and an assist, bringing his season total to 11 points; Kakko scored a goal, raising his tally to eight points; and Chytil added an assist, giving him nine points so far. Dominating play when they were on the ice, the trio controlled an impressive 84.62% of the expected goals, yet they only saw around 12 minutes of ice time each. Chytil led with 12:40, Kakko logged 11:47, and Cuylle had 11:31, in stark contrast to Zibanejad, who played 20:20 with a minus-4 rating and only controlled 35% of expected goals with his line. Time and time again, Chytil, Kakko, and Cuylle have proven they deserve more ice time. It’s time for head coach Peter Laviolette to recognize and reward their performance accordingly.
- Laviolette has recently shuffled the New York Rangers’ lines to address even-strength scoring challenges. However, the problem seems to be concentrated on specific players rather than the entire team. Lafrenière, Cuylle, and Panarin each have 10 five-on-five points, while Kakko and Chytil have seven and six, respectively. In contrast, Zibanejad and Kreider have underperformed at even strength – Zibanejad has three points and Kreider just one. Reconfiguring the lines to optimize performance could be beneficial. Reuniting Trocheck with Lafrenière and Panarin could restore their previous chemistry. Placing Zibanejad alongside Smith and Kreider but assigning them third-line minutes could also alleviate pressure. Elevating the line of Kakko, Chytil, and Cuylle to second-line minutes would reward their consistent contributions and provide them with more opportunities to impact the game. Finally, pairing Chytil with Lafrenière and Panarin and aligning Trocheck with Kakko and Cuylle could offer new dynamics and balance across all lines.
- Three costly turnovers by Zibanejad were the difference in this game. A lazy pass out of the zone to no one was intercepted by Morrisey in the opening minute, giving the Jets their first goal. It is almost impossible to tell what Zibanejad was thinking at that moment. Perhaps he was trying to pass the puck to Panarin, but it ended up in the net. If his mistakes had ended there, they might be forgivable, but with four minutes left in the second period, Zibanejad whiffed on an attempted pass and watched as the puck was carried back down the ice, where Connor rifled a shot past Shesterkin. Zibanejad did not even attempt to get back on the play; he had not even crossed the red line when Connor scored. Finally, while the Rangers had Shesterkin pulled and were trying to claw back from a two-goal deficit, Zibanejad through a listless pass into two Jets after Panarin kept the puck in the offensive zone. There wasn’t a Ranger in sight, and Zibanejad completed his hat trick of turnovers as Connor fired it into the empty net.
- The Rangers’ power play, one of their strongest assets, has hit a rough patch lately. While they run two units, nearly all the ice time is dedicated to the first group featuring Panarin, Trocheck, Kreider, Fox, and Zibanejad. Though they’re still finding the net, they haven’t been as dominant as in past seasons. Given recent performances, it’s time to consider a shift: Lafrenière has earned a spot on the power play, and Zibanejad appears to be the odd man out. His recent mistakes, including missed one-timers—such as the one he whiffed on in the third period last night—have impacted his reliability on the power play. Continually rewarding him with ice time despite these errors may no longer be justified. Subbing in Lafrenière would inject new energy while rewarding his consistent effort. After last night’s game, it might even be beneficial for Zibanejad to sit out at least one as a healthy scratch.
- Next Game: Thursday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m. EST vs. San Jose Sharks at Madison Square Garden
