Jets Vs Rangers: Projected lineups collide with a goalie shake-up as New York tries to stop a sudden slide
Jets Vs Rangers returns to Madison Square Garden on March 22, 2026, for a 12 p. m. ET start, with projected lineups pointing to stability for Winnipeg and a more unsettled picture in New York because of injuries and a developing goaltending situation.
Jets Vs Rangers: What the projected lineups show heading into the noon ET start
The projected forward groups list Winnipeg’s top line as Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Alex Iafallo. Behind them are Cole Perfetti, Adam Lowry, and Gabriel Vilardi; then Gustav Nyquist, Jonathan Toews, and Cole Koepke; and a fourth group of Isak Rosen, Morgan Barron, and Brad Lambert. Winnipeg’s injury list includes Nino Niederreiter (knee), Colin Miller (knee), and Vladislav Namestnikov (lower body).
New York’s projected lines show Gabe Perreault with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere; Will Cuylle with Vincent Trocheck and Taylor Raddysh; Tye Kartye with J. T. Miller and Conor Sheary; and a fourth group of Jonny Brodzinski, Adam Edstrom, and Jaroslav Chmelar. Scratches listed for New York include Vincent Iorio, Juuso Parssinen, and Drew Fortescue.
On the Rangers’ injury list: Matt Rempe (upper body), Urho Vaakanainen (upper body), Noah Laba (lower body), and Jonathan Quick (upper body). The Rangers also announced Saturday that Fortescue signed a three-year entry-level contract after completing his junior season at Boston College.
Is the Rangers’ biggest storyline in net, not on the scoreboard?
New York enters the matinee trying to avoid following a four-game winning streak with a four-game losing streak. The recent reversal is stark: three losses in four days, outscored 16-7, with each defeat coming by three goals, including back-to-back 6-3 losses to the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday and Thursday.
The most consequential development over the two off-days after the loss to Columbus was the recall of Dylan Garand from AHL Hartford on Friday. Garand, Igor Shesterkin, and Jonathan Quick were on the ice at practice Saturday, but Quick left before it ended, and coach Mike Sullivan said the 40-year-old is day to day with an upper-body injury. Sullivan did not specify how long Quick might be sidelined, but with New York beginning a stretch of five games in eight days, he added that he anticipated Garand would play this week.
Garand’s recent form in Hartford has been cited directly by Sullivan as the driver behind the decision. In his past 10 starts, Garand is 5-3-2 with a. 921 save percentage. He was selected for the AHL All-Star Classic in 2024-25 and has rebounded after a slow start to this season. He also won back-to-back road games on Tuesday and Wednesday in Charlotte, allowing four goals on 54 shots.
The injury picture extends beyond Quick. The Rangers said Saturday that Noah Laba (lower body) and Urho Vaakanainen (upper body) are each week to week after being injured during Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to the Devils at the Garden. Laba did not make the trip to Columbus, and Vaakanainen played 3: 07 before leaving in the first period. J. T. Miller is expected to shift from second-line left wing to center the third line, filling Laba’s role, as he did Thursday.
What Winnipeg is changing — and what it is not — ahead of the Garden matchup
On the Winnipeg side, the expectation is a familiar one in goal. Eric Comrie is expected to start after Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves in a 5-4 shootout loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Beyond that, no other lineup changes are expected for Winnipeg.
The game also arrives with both teams clustered in the standings. The Rangers are listed at 28-33-8 with 64 points, ranked 16th in the Eastern Conference. The Jets are listed at 28-29-12 with 68 points, ranked 12th in the Western Conference. The matchup is set for + at 12 p. m. ET at Madison Square Garden.
For New York, the schedule is part of the immediate pressure. The Jets game is the first of a back-to-back at MSG, with the Ottawa Senators coming Monday night. For Winnipeg, the immediate focus is the next start in net and a projected lineup that suggests continuity. For the Rangers, the focus is more layered: stabilizing after the 16-7 week, managing multiple injuries, and determining how the goaltending workload is split with Quick day to day and Garand newly recalled.
By puck drop at noon ET, Jets Vs Rangers will carry two competing themes into the same building: Winnipeg’s planned steadiness, and New York’s push to halt a slide while navigating the possibility that a 23-year-old recalled goaltender may be asked to play in the NHL during a tightly packed week.
