The New York Rangers welcomed the best team in the NHL, the Winnipeg Jets, to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night with a chance to flip the script on their recent poor play. But, the 15-1-0 Jets came in and while the Rangers stayed in the game, Winnipeg delivered a knockout punch in the third period in a 6-3 loss for New York.
The Blueshirts were in this game, but there were too many self-inflicted mistakes; that cannot happen against the NHL's best. New York has a chance to rebound tonight against the San Jose Sharks (5-9-3), its last home game before heading out west for a four game road trip.
Tonight will also have the return of former Rangers Barclay Goodrow and Alexander Wennberg as New York looks to bounce back. Here's three Rangers to watch:
1. Mika Zibanejad
Zibanejad was the center of three Rangers' goals allowed on Tuesday night - he had three direct turnovers that Winnipeg capitalized on. To state the obvious, that's not good in any game.
The 31-year-old has struggled to start the season, only tallying two goals in the first fourteen games. If the Rangers have legitimate Stanley Cup expectations, he needs to get going.
2. Kaapo Kakko
Peter Laviolette has decided to reunite the line of Will Cuylle, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko, and when together, it has been one of the best in the NHL. When on the ice at 5v5, it has scored 11 goals and conceded zero.
But, Kakko has not been great as of late, only scoring one point in his last five. With this line back together, Kakko will have similar opportunities to what he had earlier in the season.
3. K'Andre Miller
Miller has not been good this season, and after a -4 performance on Tuesday night, he is now a -5 on the season. This clearly is not what New York has been expecting.
The defensive pairing of Miller and Jacob Trouba has been the center of a lot of criticism, and rightfully so. Both of them have to play better, but the 24-year-old in particular.