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Rangers must show they belong in the biggest test ever against the NHL’s best Jets
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Rangers must show they belong in the biggest test ever against the NHL’s best Jets

The way things have gone for the Rangers over the past two and a half weeks, Tuesday’s game against the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets at Madison Square Garden will be as big a game as it was in November.

No, it’s not some make-or-break season. It will also not be an alarm loss if that is the case.

The Blueshirts need to come out strong at home — where they were embarrassed by the Sabers last week — and compete that much better and that much harder than they have of late if they hope to remind not only themselves, but the rest of the NHL : that they can compete against the best in the league because they are one of the best in the league.

Anything less than a full and steadfast team effort will be a huge disappointment.

“They’re obviously playing well, so we’re going to have to make sure we clean up some things that are coming our way and make sure we’re playing straight ahead,” Braden Schneider told The Post after Jonathan Quick helped the Rangers steal Saturday night in Detroit a win over the Red Wings. “They’re a big, tough group that has the talent to put pucks away. It will be our biggest test yet and hopefully we can come out on top.”


Braden Schneider #4 of the New York Rangers battles for position with Andrew Copp #18 of the Detroit Red Wings during the third period at Little Caesars Arena on November 9, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
Braden Schneider #4 of the New York Rangers battles for position with Andrew Copp #18 of the Detroit Red Wings during the third period at Little Caesars Arena on November 9, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. NHLI via Getty Images

The Rangers have lost touch with who they were to start the season – even if it was against inferior teams. Everything from the way they attack the game, their structure and their fire has dimmed.

Now they’re coming off a collapse against the Sabres, the fifth-worst team in the Eastern Conference last season. And being collapsed by the Red Wings, who destroyed the Rangers twice in the first month of the season despite winning 4-0.

Their rolling 10-game average five-on-five Corsi percentage — which measures a team’s puck possession and shot attempts — has steadily declined since late October, according to Natural Stat Trick.

After hovering around 50 percent for much of the first month of the season, the Blueshirts have fallen below that.


New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) skates against Detroit Red Wings goalie Alex Lyon (34) and goaltender Ville Husso (35) in the third period at Little Caesars Arena.
New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) skates against Detroit Red Wings goalie Alex Lyon (34) and goaltender Ville Husso (35) in the third period at Little Caesars Arena. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

They’re putting fewer pucks on net, creating far less in the offensive zone and missing the bite they had last month.

It’s a testament to how little they’ve had the puck lately, meaning the puck has been on their opponent’s sticks and the numbers reflect that.

“I think we’ll continue to work on our process,” Chris Kreider said. “As we continue to improve our breakaways, I think there have still been a few too many times where we almost gave up strange situations where our F3 got caught a little bit. It’s effective anticipation, but in an intelligent way so that we don’t give up the odd rushes and put so much pressure on our goalkeepers to stop for us.”

After beating the Stars 4-1 on Saturday night, the Jets set a new NHL record with their 14th win in their first 15 games of the season. They’re coming off two consecutive first-round exits in the playoffs and are playing with the kind of chip on their shoulder that can carry a team through an 82-game campaign — kind of like the one the Blueshirts had last season after their first- round debacle against the Devils in 2023.

May I remind you that the Rangers were the best team last season. It’s essentially the same team and it’s time they started looking like that again.

“They’re ranked No. 1 for a reason,” Schneider said of the Jets. “We have to make sure we are ready to put our best foot forward. Because I think if we do that, we’ll be just as good. I think it’s going to be a challenge and we have to make sure we’re ready for it.”

It won’t necessarily be a resounding victory, but the Rangers will need to take the fight to the Jets and show some consistency over 60 minutes against a red-hot team.

The turnaround must start now.

What better time than against the best team in the NHL?