GREENBURGH – Last season in the Western Conference, first with Anaheim and then with the Edmonton Oilers, Rangers center Sam Carrick saw enough of the Winnipeg Jets to know how good they are. And with the 14-1 Jets visiting Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, Carrick said this is a good time to play the NHL’s top team.

“It’s always a good time to play against the top team in the league to see where we are,” Carrick said after Rangers training on Monday. “It’s still early in the season. I think each team is still working through some issues, and they seem to be the only team firing on all cylinders. So yeah, I think this is a good opportunity for us to take our game to the next level, especially defensively, and perform well for our fans.”

Winnipeg became the first team in NHL history to record 14 wins in its first 15 games when it defeated Dallas 4-1 on Saturday. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck came within one minute, 22 seconds of posting his third consecutive shutout in that game. Hellebuyck leads goaltenders in goals-against average (1.83), save percentage (.935) and shutouts (3).

“They are the top dogs in the league right now and they just set a record,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “I’ve been watching it a little bit so far, just the way they’re playing. And I think it justifies their record. There is no coincidence about that. And so it’s impressive. It will be a great test, a great challenge. We are playing against the best team in the league.”

Of course, the Rangers’ 9-3-1 record through thirteen games isn’t exactly a credit, but it’s no secret that the Blueshirts haven’t played well over the past two and a half weeks, starting with their Oct. 24 game. loss to Florida. They are 4-3 in that time, and even their wins – like the 4-0 result they got against the Red Wings in Detroit on Saturday – haven’t been pretty.

Among those who have stood out during the period is the fourth line, centered by Carrick, with rookie Adam Edstrom on the left wing and, lately, veteran Jimmy Vesey on the right side. Vesey’s goal, set up by Carrick, was huge in Saturday’s win as it eased the pressure on Rangers in a second period in which they were massively outplayed by the Red Wings and only managed to stay in the game thanks to the huge effort from goaltender Jonathan Quick.

“It was just a little slump from the other team that we took advantage of,” Carrick said of Vesey’s goal, which gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead late in the period. “And yeah, at that point in the game, the second period, we were kind of on our heels the entire period. So I think it was a big goal for our group to shift the momentum in our favor a little bit.”

“They provide speed, they provide energy, they provide some physicality, they provide good defensive play,” Laviolette said of the fourth line. “They move us from the defensive zone to the offensive zone, and then they can stay there and generate (zone) time and opportunities, and that led to a big goal with Jimmy the other day.”

Notes & quotes: Defenseman Ryan Lindgren (maintenance) did not practice on Monday. . . Quick was the first goaltender to leave the ice after practice, normally an indication that he will likely start Tuesday’s game.

Colin Stephenson covers Rangers for Newsday. He has covered the NHL and virtually every sports team in the New York metropolitan area for more than two decades.