Jets hoping to re-take flight vs. rejuvenated Rangers
The Jets will be looking for redemption, while the New York Rangers will try to win their third straight for the first time since November when they visit Winnipeg on Thursday night.
The Rangers are coming off a 4-0 shutout win over Calgary on Tuesday at home, following a 6-2 victory in Philadelphia on Monday.
"It was great," said goaltender Jonathan Quick when asked about the effort of his team in front of him. "We battled hard; we defended well. We did a great job in all three zones. Just a good win. We'll take these two points and carry that momentum onto the road."
The Rangers begin a quick two-game road trip through the Central Division in Winnipeg on Thursday before facing the Wild in Minnesota on Saturday.
For New York, who sit in last place in the Eastern Conference with the playoffs already far out of reach, the focus is on finding other reasons to play.
After scoring his second career hat trick in the win over Calgary, forward Alexis Lafreniere hopes to lead the charge over the final 18 games as the Rangers try to give themselves a chance to win each night.
"This year has been not the best for us," said Lafreniere. "We struggled, but post-break we've been winning some games and it feels a lot better for sure... If every day you come in and practice hard and try to win games, it's more fun."
The Jets enter Thursday licking their wounds after a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night in Winnipeg, where they were outshot heavily 34-13.
Winnipeg remains five points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, looking up at Seattle, who holds the final playoff position and is tied with Los Angeles at 67 points. San Jose and Nashville are close behind with 66.
For Jets head coach Scott Arniel, the missed opportunity was the hardest part to swallow, especially with Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Jose all losing in regulation Tuesday night.
"We laid a big fat egg," said Arniel. "That's the frustrating (part) if you look at the scoreboard. All those teams lost. You need to gain ground when that happens and we're not gaining ground obviously."
The loss to Anaheim ended a six-game point streak for Winnipeg -- the Jets' longest of the season -- and also snapped a three-game winning streak.
"We're just going to flush it," said Jets forward Cole Perfetti on 680 CJOB radio after the game. "We've got to stay positive. We were playing good hockey before tonight. We can't let one game creep in and get in our heads, and (have) us start doubting ourselves. 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, along with forwards Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov for the time being. All four remain on injured reserve and are "still a ways away," according to Arniel.
For the Rangers, forwards Taylor Raddysh, J.T. Miller, and Matt Rempe could return this week, but for now remain on injured reserve.