NEW YORK — The all-out sprint to the finish line of the regular season is in its final days for the Rangers, and coach Gerard Gallant’s men are storming their way to the tape.
They beat the Winnipeg Jets, 3-0, Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, recording their third straight win (all shutouts) and sixth in their last seven games, and in so doing, pulled into a first-place tie in the Metropolitan Division with the idle Carolina Hurricanes. In the process, the Rangers’ victory eliminated Winnipeg from playoff contention in the Western Conference.
Goaltender Igor Shesterkin was brilliant for the Rangers, making 31 saves in posting his second consecutive shutout, and his sixth of the season. Ryan Strome’s power-play goal at 15:57 of the second period provided the winning margin, and Adam Fox added an insurance goal at 11:47 of the third period. Strome added his second goal, into an empty net, with 32.3 seconds remaining, to close the scoring.
