NEW YORK — In an exciting matchup on Tuesday evening, the Winnipeg Jets continued their impressive run by securing a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers, marking their seventh consecutive win. Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor each found the back of the net two times, while Connor Hellebuyck was stellar in goal, recording 33 saves throughout the game. This win elevated the Jets to a remarkable 15 wins out of their first 16 games this season.
The Jets’ scoring played a crucial role in their triumph, with contributions from Gabriel Vilardi and Vladislav Namestnikov adding to the team’s tally. The Rangers managed to respond with goals from Will Cuylle, Alexis Lafreniere, and Kaapo Kakko but ultimately fell short, marking their second consecutive loss at home following a 6-1 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres last Thursday. Hellebuyck, with this latest performance, improved his record to 12-1-0 for the current season.
The game got off to an early start with Scheifele scoring just 57 seconds in. Cuylle equalized for the Rangers at 13:07 in the first period. The Jets regained the lead with a power-play goal from Vilardi at 8:58 of the second period, but Lafreniere brought the game level again at 12:51. Connor’s goal at 16:03 of the second gave the Jets a lead they would not relinquish. Just over a minute into the third period, Scheifele struck again for his ninth goal of the season. Kakko scored shortly after, closing the gap to 4-3, but Namestnikov and Connor sealed the game for the Jets, the latter scoring into an empty net with only 20 seconds remaining.
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin, who faced difficulty in the previous game against the Sabres, managed to make 27 saves but struggled to contain the potent offensive play from the Jets.
Key takeaways from the game highlight Winnipeg’s flawless road performance, maintaining a perfect streak with seven wins away from home. A pivotal moment came in the second period when Hellebuyck executed an amazing save against Reilly Smith and later stopped Chris Kreider point-blank during a Rangers power play.
Stat-wise, Connor leads the Jets with an impressive 22 points, part of a larger group of 11 Winnipeg players who have reached the ten-point milestone this season. For the Rangers, Artemi Panarin assisted on Lafreniere’s goal, leading the team with 22 points, including ten goals, and has managed to score points in 13 of the Rangers’ 14 games this season.
Looking ahead, the Rangers will host the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, while the Jets will head to Tampa Bay to face the Lightning, continuing their bid for an impressive season.