WINNIPEG, Manitoba — As the depth has dwindled, as the speed game can’t be sustained for 60 minutes, the Rangers are going to have to relearn how to win games by grinding them out.
That’s just what they managed to do at the start of this quick back-to-back two-game road trip, beating the Jets, 2-1, on Thursday night at MTS Center.
The Rangers played an extremely tight-checking game, severely limiting Winnipeg’s offensive chances. When needed, backup goalie Antti Raanta was able to stand tall.
And then when the Blueshirts got a power-play chance with just under three minutes remaining in the third, Kevin Hayes had a deflected shot bounce in his direction at the left post, and he banged it past Michael Hutchinson for a 2-1 lead for the game-winner with 1:09 remaining.