WINNIPEG — There’s an ongoing debate among New York Rangers fans: Would they rather enjoy some wins in the final weeks of a season that’s almost certain to end without a playoff berth? Or does losing to collect as many draft lottery balls as possible take precedence?
For the players and coaches inside New York’s dressing room, it’s no contest.
“I understand that we’re not winning to make the playoffs right now, unless we go on an unbelievable run. But winning helps a lot, especially with the mood,” said veteran center Mika Zibanejad before Thursday’s 6-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.
“Everyone’s competitive,” he added. “No one’s going to just (roll over). It’s still the NHL. Everyone’s watching. You still have an opportunity to make an impact. If it’s not for today, it’s for tomorrow. You never know.”
It’s no surprise that those in the heat of the battle want to be victorious, but there are tangible benefits for a franchise that desperately needs to change direction.
The Rangers (27-30-8) have won three in a row for the first time since late November and collected points in seven of eight games (5-1-2) coming out of the Olympic break. It hasn’t washed away the stink from this season (or last), which included losing 15 of 18 during a ruinous stretch between Christmas and the Olympics, but it has helped uplift a team that was stuck in a state of dejection.
“We have to keep competing, and we have to keep building something that we feel good about,” said defenseman Braden Schneider. “After the break, I think we’ve done a really good job at sticking together, playing hard, playing simple, and we’re playing for each other. We’re being rewarded for it.”
The improved vibes are evident — “We’re a little bit looser,” noted the usually tense Igor Shesterkin — but the players who are contributing are of greater significance.
Five of New York’s six goal-scorers in Winnipeg were 25 years old or younger: Alexis Lafrenière, Tye Kartye, Gabe Perreault, Adam Edström and Noah Laba. They’re among a handful of players who’ve seen their roles expand lately and served as driving forces in the Rangers’ resurgence.
“They’re playing with energy,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “They’re playing with enthusiasm. They’re enthusiastic learners. Also, they’re engaged. When they can have success, obviously, it breeds another level of confidence.
“There’s a number of young guys that are embracing the opportunity that they’ve been given here, and they’re helping us win games right now. It’s fun to watch them.”
These games aren’t meaningless for them — not by a long shot.
“These reps are massive,” said Schneider, who added two assists, three hits and two blocked shots across 22:25 time on ice and is still only 24 himself. “You can just see confidence grow within guys, and it’s good to see. And I think each game, everyone gets better. It’s something to keep building for.”
To be clear, a couple of good weeks don’t erase concerns about an organization that’s struggled to produce homegrown, impact players and still features a prospect pool that’s lacking high-end talent. Landing a premium pick in this year’s draft — and nailing the selection — is of the utmost importance.
The Rangers had the second-best odds for the No. 1 pick not long ago, but this winning streak has dropped them to fourth, with the Jets and St. Louis Blues close behind. A win on Saturday in Minnesota — which, granted, will be a much tougher test — could move them to sixth and put them out of range for the very best prospects if the lottery doesn’t go their way. But is it worth it if Lafrenière, Perreault and others establish themselves as building blocks for the future?
The discourse will continue amongst the Blueshirts faithful, but trust that those lacing up skates for the final 17 games — some of whom are looking for reasons to commit to team president Chris Drury’s retool plan — prefer the winning path.
“We believe right now in each other,” Shesterkin said. “I think it’s pretty good for our confidence — and for the future, of course. We love how Gabe is playing right now. Laffy has stepped up, so it’s pretty good for us. … They just needed time. Right now, they’re showing everything.”
Here are eight more thoughts from snowy Winnipeg:
1. The Rangers have had games lately in which they’ve produced highlight goals, particularly the soaring, new top line of Lafrenière, Perreault and Mika Zibanejad. But they’ve also had an uptick in the greasy category, with Lafrenière leading the charge of tips and redirects around the net. He scored another in that fashion on Thursday, as did Kartye and Perreault on key goals in the third period.
Sullivan is especially pleased about this development.
“We’re doing it more consistently,” he said. “I don’t know if anybody had an aha moment. I sure hope so, but we’ve had this conversation with our players all year long. When you look around the league, not just our team, you just look at how goals are being scored … it’s difficult to score consistently from the perimeter, the goaltending is too good, the defensive schemes are too good.
“If you’re going to score consistently, either as a team or as an individual, there has to be an element of your game where you have a willingness to get inside the dots and play on the inside, but there’s a price to pay. You’re going to take a cross check, you’re going to take a face wash, but there’s a lot of opportunity that presents itself.”
2. The Rangers’ power play has caught fire in the last three games, with the new top unit of Lafrenière, Perreault, Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck and Adam Fox gelling quickly after a feeling-out period. It took them only nine seconds to score on their first opportunity of the game, with Fox sneaking a shot through from the point with the help of a timely stick lift from Trocheck. New York went 1-for-2 for the night and is now five for its last eight attempts.
3. Lafrenière stayed hot, as well, tipping in a Will Borgen shot in the second period for his ninth goal in the last 10 games. He’s up to 19 goals this season and should score more than 20 for the second time in his career. Who saw that coming a few weeks ago?
Borgs with the shot + Laf tips it in 🫡 pic.twitter.com/Pv2EYx1ROX
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 13, 2026
4. Perreault continues to catch my eye, mainly for his savvy playmaking skills — he scored his seventh goal of the season and assisted on Lafrenière’s to give him nine points in six games this month — but his situational awareness has also been impressive.
One of the big knocks on the rookie winger as a prospect was his skating, but his aptitude for the game is allowing him to make up for it with quick, decisive reads. An example came on a first-period shift in which Perreault was skating toward the bench for a change, but didn’t lose sight of the play and pivoted as he noticed the puck rimming up the boards into the Rangers’ zone. He turned on a dime and hustled back into the slot, extending his stick to deflect a Jets’ pass attempt that could have led to a dangerous look off the rush. Perreault was clearly tired, but he followed the puck behind the net and dug it out to start the breakout, waiting until it was safely cleared to head back to the bench.
I’m not ready to call the 20-year-old a defensive stalwart, but he reads situations well enough to usually make the right play.
5. The most frequently asked in-game question had nothing to do with the continued growth from the youth. It revolved around Shesterkin wearing a plain white mask. I had to ask him about it.
New bucket for Igor with a crazy design 😅🥴 pic.twitter.com/ptvyF2DQ4f
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 13, 2026
His answer wasn’t as exciting as some may have hoped. The 30-year-old goalie explained that he was breaking in new equipment and hadn’t had a chance to get it painted yet. He quipped, “I look like an emergency goalie right now,” and laughed while nodding when I asked if he’ll continue wearing it if the Rangers keep winning.
6. Rangers captain J.T. Miller skated as a full participant in Thursday’s morning skate, marking the first time he’s done that since sustaining his latest upper-body injury on Mar. 5. He’s eligible to come off injured reserve for Saturday’s game against the Wild and seems to have a chance of doing just that, but Sullivan didn’t want to go there yet, saying, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
7. I’d expect Miller to slot onto the second line with Trocheck and Will Cuylle whenever he’s ready, but in the meantime, Sullivan is trying something a bit different. Edström, who’s missed 37 games this season due to injury and has rarely played above the fourth line in his brief NHL career, was inserted into the 2LW spot and held his own. The 6-foot-7 Swede provided some insurance by netting a one-timer from the slot to up New York’s lead to 5-3 with 8:52 to play, marking his third goal of the season and first since Nov. 24.
While Edström doesn’t have the same upside or draft-pick investment as others, he’s still 25 and vying to prove he can be part of the long-term solution. There’s no harm in challenging him to try something new at this stage and see how he reacts.
“He’s a big, strong guy, as you know, and he skates really well,” Sullivan said prior to the game. “I think he has a defensive conscience to his game. He’s hard to play against, just by nature of his physical stature — his size, his skating ability, his reach — and he’s a disruptive player on the forecheck. He can make it hard on defensemen. He can force turnovers, and usually he creates opportunity for himself. When you look at the scoresheet every night at the end of games, Eddy has an uncanny way of ending up on the positive side of that. He creates a lot of opportunities.”
8. Sticking with the youth theme, I should note that the Rangers signed 2021 fourth-round pick Brody Lamb to his entry-level contract on Thursday. The 22-year-old forward just concluded his senior year with the University of Minnesota, where he served as captain and registered 30 points (14 goals and 16 assists) this season. His two-year deal won’t begin until next fall, but he’ll join AHL Hartford on an amateur tryout for the remainder of this season.