The New York Rangers faced another tough loss on Tuesday night, falling 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. This defeat marks the Rangers’ fourth consecutive loss, a troubling trend that has fans concerned about their playoff hopes. It’s the third time this season the team has dropped four games in a row, with the last occurrence happening from December 22 to December 30.
The Rangers are now on the brink of tying their season-high losing streak of five games, which occurred from November 21 to November 29. In their last four games, they have managed to earn only two points, both from overtime losses.
The game was significant for the Rangers as they look to keep pace in the competitive Eastern Conference wild-card race. Currently, they are two points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets, who they are set to face later this week. The Blue Jackets recently lost to the New Jersey Devils, while the Boston Bruins defeated the Florida Panthers, putting them level on points with the Rangers at 68. The Montreal Canadiens are also in the mix, holding a game in hand on the Rangers.
In the match against the Jets, the Rangers struggled to generate offense, particularly in the final period, where they managed just five shots on goal and only two high-danger chances. Winnipeg’s goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, was outstanding, stopping 21 of the 22 shots he faced.
The Jets opened the scoring in the first period when Vladislav Namestnikov found the net after a quick play set up by Cole Perfetti. The Rangers responded with a power-play goal from Mika Zibanejad, marking his fifth power-play goal of the season and tying him with Brian Leetch for fourth-most power-play goals in franchise history.
However, the Jets regained the lead in the second period when Perfetti assisted Gabriel Vilardi, who scored to make it 2-1. Despite a strong push from the Rangers, including a successful challenge for goaltender interference that prevented a potential third goal from the Jets, they couldn’t find the equalizer.
The Rangers will need to regroup quickly as they prepare to face the Blue Jackets, hoping to end their losing streak and keep their playoff hopes alive.