The New York Rangers completed a stunning comeback win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night powered by an outstanding performance from defenseman Zac Jones. The 23-year-old has been vying for a regular role with the Rangers after spending the majority of the 2023-24 season as a fill-in for injured players and as a healthy scratch. Jones seems to have secured his spot with the Rangers, however, after an elite performance against the Islanders.
Zac Jones took another step toward securing his spot in the Rangers’ lineup on Tuesday night
Jones was tremendous in the Blueshirts’ second preseason game. He was on the ice for 24:57 and 29 shifts and pocketed two goals and tallied one assist in the contest with a +1 rating. Both of his goals were fantastic, crafty shots that found the net and sparked the team’s come-from-behind victory:
The Rangers reconstructed their defensive corps this offseason after losing veteran defenseman Erik Gustafsson in free agency. Jones is hoping to fill the void that Gustafsson left behind but will need to officially earn that job through his play in training camp and preseason.
In this matchup with the Isles, Jones was featured alongside Braden Schneider in the Rangers’ third defensive pairing. In many ways, however, he far outperformed some of the team’s other defensemen featured on the first and second pairings.
Jones is projected to start on the team’s third defensive pairing alongside Schneider during the regular season. However, he does have competition for the position. Veteran defenseman Chad Ruhwedel is also competing for that regular spot in the lineup but has been outperformed by Jones so far this preseason.
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Head coach Peter Laviolette received plenty of criticism last season for his decision not to include Jones in the postseason lineup. Instead, the Rangers trotted out a seemingly-injured Jacob Trouba on the ice and the captain struggled throughout the playoff run. Meanwhile, Jones was a healthy scratch.
So far this preseason, Jones is proving that his absence from the playoffs was a crucial mistake made by Laviolette. He clearly has the talent to contribute at a high level and provide the Rangers’ lineup with a spark in critical moments.
Jones is close to securing his spot in the Rangers’ lineup following this two-goal performance. The youngster brings positive energy to the ice and has the potential to grow into a solid defenseman for the Blueshirts. It will be interesting to see how he backs up this performance in the team’s next preseason game against the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
