NEW YORK — The New York Rangers needed to be disciplined against a record-setting Winnipeg Jets team Tuesday night.
“Like a playoff game,” Artemi Panarin said.
And though the Rangers did dictate a decent amount of the game, there were too many errors that gave the high-powered Jets room to operate. Many of those errors started on Mika Zibanejad’s stick — the Rangers’ top-six center had three turnovers that led to Winnipeg goals, including a key one late in the third that allowed the Jets to extend their one-goal lead.
The 6-3 final was certainly earned by the 15-1-0 Jets, who also got their usual outstanding work from Connor Hellebuyck in making 33 saves. Igor Shesterkin wasn’t quite as stellar, but the Jets had too many odd-man rushes and transition chances to count as the Rangers, continuing a bad trend from the start of this season, gambled for offense and weren’t responsible enough to support one another and prevent some of the opportunities the Jets cashed in on.
“There’s a lot of isolated incidents,” Peter Laviolette said in his postgame diagnosis. “I felt like we were chasing pretty much the whole game.”
Here are three takeaways as the Rangers dropped to 9-4-1 but 4-4-0 in their last eight.
Zibanejad’s struggles
This hasn’t been just a one-game event for Zibanejad, who hasn’t been terribly consistent at five-on-five and is also still searching for his first power-play goal of the season — his 97 PPGs since the start of the 2017-18 season rank him fifth in the NHL during that span. He rang a one-timer off the post on a second-period power play and then, in the third with the Rangers down 2, he shanked a feed from Adam Fox with Hellebuyck well out of position.
But it was the turnovers by Zibanejad that stung the most Tuesday. He tried a quick chip up the wall in the defensive zone in the opening minute of the game, but Panarin turned the wrong way. Josh Morrissey got to the puck inside the Rangers line and whipped a quick feed to Mark Scheifele in front of the net, his quick shot beat Shesterkin to put the Rangers in a quick hole.
Zibanejad tried to pull up and make a play in the Jets zone late in the second at 2-2 but lost the puck. Panarin made an ill-advised rush at Neal Pionk rather than staying back to cover for Jacob Trouba, who was up on the rush; Pionk fed Kyle Connor for a Jets two-on-one and a Winnipeg lead.
Finally, in the third, it was a neutral-zone turnover by Zibanejad that sent the Jets to work, with Scheifele converting in front 1:08 in. No. 93 is usually one of the most responsible Rangers forwards, but he’s pressing and it’s making things worse.
“I can’t speak for Mika,” Laviolette said. “I know he’s an impact player for us. Sometimes, not him, but sometimes when you’re pushing offensively to try and make things happen, things can go the other way like they did for us tonight as a group, not him specifically.”
Adding to Zibanejad’s woes Tuesday was a rare change during a second-period power play, with just Zibanejad — who had left the bench for medical attention earlier but returned within minutes — swapping out for Alexis Lafrenière. And Lafrenière promptly scored from distance to tie the score working with the other four PP1 players.
Good for the Rangers, but maybe not so good for Zibanejad’s confidence.
Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko line keeps it simple
The Will Cuylle–Filip Chytil–Kaapo Kakko line continued to produce and keep a clean sheet defensively with two goals, from Cuylle and Kakko, both in tight on Hellebuyck and off rebounds.
“It was more of a simple approach for that line,” Laviolette said. Cuylle banged in a rebound of a Braden Schneider shot to tie the score in the first, and Kakko, with Colin Miller draped on him, muscled a puck off Hellebuyck’s pad and over the line to get the Rangers back within a goal early in the third.
Will Cuylle sets up in front and buries the rebound to even the score up at 1!#NYR pic.twitter.com/oWaRRBSkvb
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) November 13, 2024
That line hasn’t shown much flash, but it’s the rare Rangers group that goes for the greasy goals. Could be an example to set for the top two lines, which haven’t produced a lot at five-on-five.
The Jets show the way
Winnipeg’s incredible start to the season has been fueled by two of the same factors that have allowed the Rangers to post a strong record despite some holes in their game — namely high-octane offense and a stud in goal. But the Jets also get into passing lanes and turn defense into offense better than just about anyone in the league, especially with their forwards defending high in the defensive zone.
With a team like the Rangers that gambles for offensive advantages on the rush and in offensive zone time, Winnipeg picked apart some of the Rangers’ freelancing plays for odd-man rushes. And the Jets have finishers such as Scheifele and Connor to make those chances count whereas the Rangers got away with those gambles against the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings in the last 10 days.
“I think we played a solid game,” Chytil said. “Like we said many times, we need to help our goalies.”
That’s not enough for 2 points against the best in the league right now.
(Photo: Jared Silber / NHLI via Getty Images)
