In Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Jets secured a close victory over the New York Rangers with a score of 2-1 on Tuesday night, following Gabriel Vilardi’s decisive goal in the early stages of the second period. Connor Hellebuyck contributed significantly to the win with 21 saves, marking his 38th triumph of the season. Alongside Vilardi, Vladislav Namestnikov also found the net, while Cole Perfetti added two assists to help the team achieve their third victory out of their last four games.
The Rangers’ lone goal came from Mika Zibanejad, as Igor Shesterkin managed 22 saves throughout the game. Currently, New York is on a four-game losing streak (0-2-2) after previously winning four out of five. Namestnikov initiated the scoring just over five minutes into the game, breaking his streak without points by securing his 11th goal of the season.
Zibanejad managed to score during New York’s initial power play, notching his 15th of the season and his 106th power-play goal for the team, tying franchise history record-holder Brian Leetch for the fourth-most. During the second period, with Matt Rempe in the penalty box for goaltender interference, Winnipeg’s top power-play team capitalized by having Vilardi score his 27th goal at 5:06.
Shesterkin successfully deflected all other attempts for the rest of the night, including breakaway efforts from Namestnikov and Adam Lowry in the second period. Although Dylan DeMelo appeared to score a goal early in the third period, after a video review it was overruled due to interference with Shesterkin by Morgan Barron.
In the waning minutes of the third period, the Rangers opted to pull Shesterkin for an extra skater, but were unable to equalize the game.
Takeaways from the game highlight that the Rangers are now encountering their longest losing streak since last December and are now level on points with Boston and lagging two points behind Columbus in the Eastern Conference’s race for the second wild card. Conversely, the Jets, who boast a league-best record, have extended their lead over Dallas in the Central Division by eight points.
A critical moment in the game occurred when Rangers coach Peter Laviolette successfully challenged a goal for goaltender interference, negating DeMelo’s goal early in the third period. A vital statistic to note is Hellebuyck allowing only one goal or fewer for the 20th time this season.
Coming up, the Rangers will take on Minnesota on Thursday, while the Jets are set to host Dallas on Friday.
