The New York Rangers aim to win their third straight game for the first time since November when they visit the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Jets will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss.

The Rangers are coming off a 4-0 shutout against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, following a 6-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

“It was great,” said goaltender Jonathan Quick about his team’s performance. “We battled hard; we defended well. We did a great job in all three zones. Just a good win. We'll take these two points and carry that momentum onto the road.”

New York begins a quick two-game road trip through the Central Division with Thursday’s game in Winnipeg, followed by a matchup against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

For the Rangers, who sit last in the Eastern Conference with playoff hopes already out of reach, the focus is on finding motivation in each game.

Forward Alexis Lafreniere, who scored his second career hat trick in Tuesday’s win over Calgary, hopes to lead the Rangers through the final 18 games of the season.

“This year has not been the best for us,” Lafreniere said. “We struggled, but post-break we've been winning some games and it feels a lot better for sure... If every day you come in and practice hard and try to win games, it's more fun.”

The Jets enter Thursday’s game reeling from a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday in Winnipeg, where they were outshot 34-13.

Winnipeg remains five points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, trailing the Seattle Kraken, who currently hold the final playoff position at 67 points, tied with the Los Angeles Kings. The San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators are close behind with 66 points.

For Jets head coach Scott Arniel, the loss was especially frustrating given the opportunity to gain ground.

“We laid a big fat egg,” Arniel said. “That's the frustrating part if you look at the scoreboard. All those teams lost. You need to gain ground when that happens, and we're not gaining ground, obviously.”

The defeat to Anaheim ended a six-game point streak for Winnipeg—the longest of the season—and snapped a three-game winning streak.

“We're just going to flush it,” said Jets forward Cole Perfetti on 680 CJOB radio after the game. “We've got to stay positive. We were playing good hockey before tonight. We can't let one game creep in and get in our heads and make us start doubting ourselves. We know what kind of team we have. We know the hockey we can play.”

Winnipeg will continue to be without defensemen Neal Pionk and Colin Miller, as well as forwards Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov, all of whom remain on injured reserve and “still a ways away,” according to Arniel.

For the Rangers, forwards Taylor Raddysh, J.T. Miller, and Matt Rempe could return this week, but for now, they remain on injured reserve.

-Field Level Media/Reuters