Rangers Third Period Grounds the Jets

By Daniel Feuerstein | March 12th, 2026 | Winnipeg, MB

The New York Rangers traveled to Winnipeg, Manitoba, to face the Winnipeg Jets as Vincent Trocheck came to see his Gold Medal-winning goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck. After an amazing shutout victory against the Flames, the Rangers were looking to continue their winning ways on the road. With a brand new top line and with the new additions in pickups and trade deals, the Rangers once again came out strong to battle their opponents and took a big third period to cement the two points by a final score of six to three.

Game Recap

The Rangers quickly got started inside the opening minute with a power play. The Jets won the faceoff and put the puck toward the end boards. They tried to clear it out, but Mika Zibanejad kept the puck in at the far point. He makes the pass to Adam Fox, who skates towards the near point, rips a big shot, and beats Hellebuyck at 1:08 of the first period. The Rangers held that lead till the second period of the game.

The Jets tied the game when the puck was at the top of the slot. A pass back to the far point at Gustav Nyquist, who quickly gave it to Jacob Bryson at the top of the zone. He ripped a hard shot toward the net, but in front was Isak Rosen, who found a way to deflect the puck past Shesterkin to tie the game at 2:21 of the second period. The Ranger regained the lead as Gabe Perreault was along the far boards and passed it back to the point at Will Borgen. He ripped a big shot, and skating in front of the net was Alexis Lafreniere, as he deflected that shot to beat Hellebuyck at 7:36 of the second period.

The Jets tied it up again with another gritty shift at the Rangers net. After a big pad save by Shesterkin, the Jets regained the puck at center ice and tried another rush. Elias Salomonsson held the puck and gave it to Mark Scheifele as he entered the zone at the near side. He makes a quick pass to Kyle Conner at the far side, dances towards Shesterkin, gets him to bellyflop on the ice, and roofs the shot at 17:49 of the second period.

The Rangers once again take advantage during the opening moments of a period, this time in the third. A fantastic passing play that sets up a fantastic goal to retake the lead for the third time. After winning the faceoff at the near side, the puck goes back to the point at Braden Schneider and quickly goes across to the far point toward Matthew Robertson. He rips a hard shot, but out of nowhere, there was Tye Kartye as he redirects the puck past Hellebuyck and in at 1:15 of the third period. Then the Jets tied it up the third and final time when Cole Perfetti received the puck to enter the zone. Goes down the far side and makes a pass down low to Adam Lowry. He took the shot, and a save was made. The rebound was picked up by Gabriel Vilardi as he made a move and backhands it in at 4:19 of the third period.

The Rangers took over the rest of the third period, and all the goals were pretty. Lafreniere received the puck from Zibanejad, lost the handle a bit, then retrieved it and passed it back to the near point toward Schnedier. A long shot towards the net, but coming in to redirect it was Perreault, and he earned the game-winner at 7:57 of the third period. The Rangers’ fifth goal was a nice one. Adam Edstrom skated up the far boards and left it for Conor Sheary. He saw Vincent Trocheck and made a touch pass toward him, then a quick pass back to Edstrom, and he delivered a one-timer that beat Hellebuyck at 11:08 of the third period.

The last goal was an empty net goal, but the hard work by the Rangers to get that empty netter was amazing. As Trocheck tried to chip the puck out. Kartye banked it off the far boards and out into center ice. Noah Laba hustled right away with a defender on him as he grabbed the puck, skated down the ice, and when he reached the empty net, he slid it home, while being harassed by the defender who stayed with him stride for stride. He may not win the Calder Trophy, but he’s had a solid rookie season with the Rangers, as he made it straight out of training camp.

Mike Sullivan’s Comments

“We talked about just making sure that we were trying to play the right way. We had to defend hard. We didn’t want to sit back and let them come at us. Our team’s at its best when we check forward, whether it be in the neutral zone or in the offensive zone. That’s a phrase we use with the guys a lot. I thought we did a pretty good job. We were pressuring pucks when we had the opportunity, but we were also working to get above the attack if there was a contested battle, or we would lose possession. You know, those first five or six strides just to get on the right side of the puck or get on the right side of people are so critical to discouraging any sort of opportunities out of deep ice or counter-attack opportunities for our opponents. So I was encouraged by how we played. My goalie (Shesterkin) made some great saves, especially in a couple of breakaways. He did. That’s what he does for us. He’s a great goalie, and he made some key saves at key times,” said Head Coach Mike Sullivan.

POWER PLAYERS: The Rangers have scored at least one power play goal in three straight games (5 PPG) and have notched seven power play goals through their last seven games. Their 29.5 power play percentage on the road ranks third in the league.

THREE-GOAL STREAK: The Blueshirts have scored three or more goals in six-straight games, their longest streak of the season, and have done so for the first time since Oct. 9-Oct. 22, 2024.

ALEXIS LAFRENIERE: Extended his goal streak to three-straight games (5G), tied for the second-longest active streak in the league. He has also recorded three straight multi-point games (5G-2A), tied for the longest active streak in the league. He has notched 10 points through his last five games (6G-4A), the most points he’s totaled over a five-game span in his career. Since Mar. 2, his six goals and 11 points are both tied for the league lead.

IGOR SHESTERKIN: Has helped the Rangers earn a win in three-straight games and has helped them earn points in each of his last six games (4-0-2). This season, his .924 save percentage on the road ranks third among all NHL goalies.

GABE PERREAULT: Has notched a multi-point game in three-straight games (2G-4A), becoming the second Rangers rookie in over 30 years with such a streak (Adam Fox in 2019-20, 3 GP). He is tied for the longest active multi-point game streak among all players in the NHL. He has nine points through his last six games, tied for the third most among NHL skaters, and his five multi-point games this season are tied for eighth among all NHL rookies.

TYE KARTYE: Extended his point streak to four-straight games (2G-4A), the longest such streak of his career. Since recording his first point with New York on Mar. 7, his six points are tied for second on the Rangers.

MIKA ZIBANEJAD: Registered an assist on Adam Fox’s power play goal, extending his point streak to three-straight games (2G-5A).

VLADISLAV GAVRIKOV: Skated in his 500th career NHL game

Discover more from Bad Dawg Sports – Global Sports Coverage & Analysis

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.