March 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left winger Alexis Lafreniere (13) shoots against Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Brandon Carlo (25) in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images The Jets will look for redemption, while the New York Rangers will try to make it three in a row for the first time since November when they visit Winnipeg on Thursday night.
The Rangers are coming off a 4-0 win at home against Calgary on Tuesday following a 6-2 win at Philadelphia on Monday.
“It was really good,” goalkeeper Jonathan Quick said when asked about the team’s effort in front of him. “We fought hard. We defended well. We did a great job in all three zones. It was a good win. We’re going to take those two points and take that momentum to the road.”
After making it through the Central Division in Winnipeg on Thursday, the Rangers begin a brief two-game road trip when they face the Wild in Minnesota on Saturday.
New York, which is already far from the playoffs and ranked last in the Eastern Conference, is focused on finding other reasons to play.
Forward Alexis Lafrenière, who scored his second career hat trick against Calgary, wants to lead the Rangers in their final 18 games as they try to give themselves a chance to win every night.
“This hasn’t been our best year,” Lafreniere said. “We’ve had our struggles, but we’ve won some games after the break and we’re definitely feeling a lot better. It’s more fun to come every day and practice hard and try to win games.”
The Jets enter Thursday licking their wounds after losing 4-1 to the Anaheim Ducks in Winnipeg on Tuesday night, where they were outscored 34-13.
Winnipeg remains five points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference and faces Seattle, which occupies the final playoff spot and is tied with Los Angeles on 67 points. San Jose and Nashville are close behind with 66.
For Jets coach Scott Arniel, the missed opportunity was the hardest part to accept. Especially with Seattle, Los Angeles and San Jose all losing in regulation on Tuesday night.
“We laid big, fat eggs.” Arniel said. “It’s frustrating when you look at the scoreboard. Those teams have all lost. At times like that, you need to have the advantage, but of course we don’t have the advantage.”
The loss to Anaheim ended Winnipeg’s season-long six-game point streak and snapped a three-game winning streak.
“We’re just going to flush it out,” Jets forward Cole Perfetti said on 680 CJOB Radio after the game. “We have to stay positive. We were playing good hockey before tonight. You can’t just think about one game and it gets in your head and you start doubting yourself. We know what kind of team we have. We know the hockey we can play.”
Winnipeg will remain without defensemen Neal Pionk and Colin Miller and forwards Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov for the time being. All four remain on injured reserve and “there’s still a long way to go,” according to Arniel.
For the Rangers, forwards Taylor Raddysh, JT Miller and Matt Rempe could return this week but currently remain on injured reserve.
–Field level media
