The Jets rallied from a 3-1 deficit late in the third period, tying the decisive Game 7 of their first-round playoff series against the St. Louis Blues with three seconds remaining in regulation, before winning 4-3 in double overtime.

“That was one for the ages,” Jets coach — and former Rangers assistant — Scott Arniel said postgame.

Pionk and Namestnikov had their fingerprints all over this one.

Already playing without No. 1 center Mark Scheifele for the second straight contest, the Jets lost their top defenseman, Josh Morrissey, less than eight minutes into the game with an unspecified injury. By that point, Winnipeg already trailed 2-0.

Pionk, though, stepped up in Morrissey’s absence and logged a game-high 46:15 TOI, more than twice his normal workload this season. He became the first player to log over 40 minutes in a Game 7 since Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis did it with the Blues in 1999 against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Clearly, he was ready for the moment. Pionk assisted on three of Winnipeg’s four goals, including the game-winner, when his shot from inside the blue line was deflected into the net by captain Adam Lowry at 16:10 of the second overtime.

ADAM LOWRY IS YOUR #GAME7 DOUBLE OVERTIME HERO!! 🤯

The @NHLJets have punched their ticket to the Second Round of the #StanleyCup Playoffs thanks to their captain's @energizer overtime goal!! pic.twitter.com/x7Fxq5nuHn

— NHL (@NHL) May 5, 2025

The 29-year-old defenseman, whom the Rangers dealt to the Jets in the Jacob Trouba trade back in 2019, also assisted on Namestnikov’s goal with goalie Connor Hellebuyck pulled for the extra attacker at 18:04 of the third period that made it 3-2. With Hellebuyck again on the bench, Cole Perfetti tied the game on a neat deflection at 19:57 to send the crowd at Canada Life Centre into bedlam, saving the Jets season.

Pionk was a horse at each end of the ice throughout the game and especially in the two overtime periods. He finished with seven shot attempts, three shots on goal, six hits and four blocked shots, juggling defense partners with Winnipeg down to five healthy defensemen.

To say Pionk looked more than worthy of that six-year, $42 million contract he signed with the Jets three weeks ago is a major understatement.

Related: Rangers rumors — Irritated Brady Tkachuk says trade wish ‘just not true’

Former Rangers Neal Pionk, Vladislav Namestnikov help Jets reach second round of playoffs

Namestnikov came up big, as well. With Scheifele out again, Namestnikov played more than 25 minutes at center and had seven shot attempts, three shots on goal and three hits. He had a pair of Grade-A scoring chances denied by Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who was outstanding making 43 saves.

The 32-year-old came though when the Jets needed him most, though. His right circle shot hit a Blues stick in front and redirected past Binnington with under two minutes to play in regulation, and gave Perfetti the chance to tie the score in the closing seconds.

Vladislav Namestnikov – Winnipeg Jets (2)*
pic.twitter.com/P4x9w3Rd3u

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) May 5, 2025

Neither Pionk nor Namestnikov had such moments on Broadway with the Rangers. They were Rangers teammates from 2017-19, when the Blueshirts were at the start of a rebuild under coach David Quinn. So, neither appeared in a playoff game with the Rangers.

Pionk, a rookie in 2017-18, was moved to the Jets the summer of 2019; and Namestnikov, who arrived from the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017-18 as part of the package for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller, lasted until the 2019-20 season before he was traded to the Ottawa Senators.

They reunited with the Jets in 2022-23 and have been teammates again the past two and a half seasons. Namstnikov signed a two-year, $6 million extension in February, so they’ll remain teammates for the foreseeable future — and will continue on into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring against the Dallas Stars.

The Rangers were wiped out by the Buffalo Sabres, who reside in the basement of the Eastern Conference, 8-2 on Saturday. They fell behind 5-0 in the first period, and a shell-shocked Igor Shesterkin was watching from the bench before 19 minutes elapsed on the game clock.

It was a non-competitive performance filled with horrendous mistakes defensively. It was a complete embarrassment for a team that’s had its fair share of those this season.

But it could’ve been worse in the Eastern Conference standings. The Ottawa Senators lost in regulation and the Detroit Red Wings lost in overtime, so the Rangers dropped a point further back in the race for the second wild card, now four points behind. The Columbus Blue Jackets won, so they’re also four up on the Rangers, who have a game in hand.

But how many of this abysmal performances can the Rangers put forth and still remain in contention? And really, do you have any faith in this group making a deep run even if the Rangers do find their way into the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

Yeah, didn’t think so.

Those who participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off produced for the Rangers after they fell behind 5-0. Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad scored. J.T. Miller had two assists, Adam Fox had one and Vincent Trocheck had five hits. Urho Vaakanainen — not great at the 4 Nations for Finland — was minus-4 and had an egregious turnover on the game’s first goal.

There’s a lot to say and really nothing to say about this one. The Rangers should be embarrassed. Let’s see if they can rebound against the second-worst team in the East on Sunday, when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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New York Rangers news

Peter Laviolette’s postgame media session lasted 90 seconds, long enough to let it be known how disgusted he was with the Rangers performance Saturday.

Here are three things to watch for when the Rangers visit the Penguins on Sunday, including an obvious need to start games better.

K’Andre Miller is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this offseason. Tom Castro details how the Rangers should handle negotiations with the polarizing defenseman.

Urho Vaakkanainen had a miserable turnover that led to the first goal by the Sabres on Saturday and finished minus-4. But the Rangers defenseman said the day before that participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off should prepare him for the stretch run and possible Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring.

NHL news

P.K. Subban said on ABC on Saturday that the Penguins are “poorly constructed” and “set up to fail” no matter how great a player Sidney Crosby is or coach Mike Sullivan is.

The Penguins were smoked 8-3 by the Washington Capitals, though Crosby scored his 610th goal, tying him with Bobby Hull for 18th all-time in NHL history.

The Islanders banged up defense got several does of good news. Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield were activated from IR, and Noah Dobson practiced fully Saturday. Pulock and Mayfield could play Sunday against the Dallas Stars; Dobson must miss one more game on LTIR and should be back then against the Rangers on Tuesday.

Elliotte Friedman reported on Sportsnet that teams have looked into acquiring both Schenn brothers and reuniting them in separate deals with the St. Louis Blues (Brayden) and Nashville Predators (Luke).

The rumor mill has the Boston Bruins looking to trade forward Morgan Geekie, who, in turn, stated that he wants to stay with the Bruins.

The Bruins picked up a point but lost to the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in overtime.

The Winnipeg Jets signed former Rangers forward Vladislav Namestnikov to a two-year, $6 million contract.

The Jets then went out and won their ninth straight game, setting a franchise record with a 4-3 victory over the Blues in a shootout.

Brady Tkachuk missed the Ottawa Senators’ fourth straight loss, 5-2 to the Montreal Canadiens, with a lower-body injury. Coach Travis Green said he hoped Tkachuk can play Wednesday against the Jets.

Speaking of Tkachuk brothers missing games with a lower-body injury, Matthew Tkachuk was out for the Florida Panthers, when they lost 2-1 to the Seattle Kraken.

The New Jersey Devils lost to the Stars 4-2 and coach Sheldon Keefe broke up his young defense tandem of Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec because of poor play.

Kent Johnson scored twice to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. Columbus is tied with the Ottawa Senators for the final wild-card spot in the East.

The Detroit Red Wings blew a late lead and lost 4-3 in overtime to the Minnesota Wild, though they picked up a point and are now in the first wild card in the East.

Watch Barrett Hayton score his first NHL hat trick in the Utah Hockey Club’s 5-3 road loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

Moments ago, the Rangers announced that they have traded forward Vlad Namestnikov to the Ottawa Senators for a 2021 fourth round pick and prospect Nick Ebert. In addition, the Rangers are retaining $750K of Namestnikov’s $4 million AAV in the deal. 

This deal does a couple of things for the Rangers. Firstly, it clears some cap space for the Blueshirts. With Ottawa assuming responsibility for $3.25 million of Namestnikov’s contract, the Rangers now have that money added to their cap. 

Second, it opens up a roster spot. One would have to think that either Filip Chytil or Vitali Kravtsov will be joining the Blueshirts in Namestnikov’s spot, but there’s always a possibility that Rangers brass calls up a veteran instead.

The Rangers suited up for their final preseason matchup last night against the New York Islanders at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT. Goals by Vladislav Namestnikov and Tony DeAngelo were not enough, as the Rangers fell to the Islanders 4-2. The loss and score was not the main focus of the game tonight, here’s our recap.

The usual top line of players was not dressed tonight, as the Rangers threw out their B+ team on the ice to gauge who should make the final roster before the opener on Thursday. Vladislav Namestnikov, Lias Andersson and Jesper Fast were fantastic for the Rangers, as all three players were engaged in the play, physical when they needed to and were active in the offensive zone. Namestnikov’s goal was a result of the hard work that line displayed all evening. In Andersson’s case, he seems to have improved on his overall game since the previous season and a half, and his work ethic is shining through this pre-season.

Adam Fox, Joe Morrow, and Tony DeAngelo were all solid on the back end. DeAngelo looks like he hasn’t missed a beat as he’s skated well and looked sharp on the puck. This was evident when the Rangers scored their second goal. The whole unit on the ice was strong and kept the puck in for a nice cycle before DeAngelo netted the second goal with a tremendous shot through traffic.

Adam Fox continued his strong showing as he continues to be one of the better skaters and puck handlers on the ice. Joe Morrow also moved the puck well and has made a strong case for the seventh defenseman spot on the main roster.

Brendan Lemieux continued to be a physical force on the ice as he threw his body against the Islanders. Lemieux, who signed his contract right before camp, has looked tremendous out there and already seems to be in midseason form. He skates with speed and plugs hard in the corners along with being a general agitator. This style of play has been displayed throughout the preseason and was evident last night as well.

Speaking of toughness, Michael Haley also got into a scrap with Ross Johnston. Haley is looking to secure a bottom-six role with the big club. Even though it seems unlikely he will get it, he’s played well enough in camp that management would more than likely see him as an option for the Wolf Pack.

Alexandar Georgiev looked solid making 22 saves on 25 shots, as he was slated to play the whole match in net. Looking at other performances, Gregg McKegg, Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren were also standouts, as they had nice games and held their own offensively and defensively.

On the contrary, however, Boo Nieves, Vinni Lettieri and Filip Chytil did not perform up to par. Lettieri and Chytil posted a plus/minus rating of -1, while Nieves posted a -2. While Chytil will more than likely make the final roster, the same may not be said for Lettieri and Nieves, as both players were lackluster in their own ends during the game.

The preseason has concluded and now coach Quinn and the rest of the management crew will assess the final few spots and players available for the opening night roster come Thursday. Through the last few games, we’ve seen what the fruits of the rebuild could offer and the final judgement of the team will be a collection of these fruits, in hopes of putting together a solid hockey team.

Next Game: The Rangers begin their 2019-20 season on Thursday night when they host the Winnipeg Jets at The Garden. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

The season is almost a week away and the Rangers will need to be making some roster decisions that will impact the salary cap. As of right now the Blueshirts will have very limited cap room heading into the season and will eventually need to make a trade to resolve it.

No Salary Cap Gymnastics Will Help

Recently, I put on my best suit and tie and played Jeff Gorton using Cap Friendly’s Armchair GM tool. And no matter how hard I tried, the best I could come up with is just under a million in cap space.

That’s with keeping Vitali Kravtsov here and sending down both Gregg McKegg and Boo Nieves to Hartford. Also, there is about a $100,000 difference in keeping Brendan Smith or sending him down in favor of Ryan Lindgren. Basically it is negligible and makes more sense to play Smith and try to increase his trade value.

All this mean’s one thing. If the Rangers get a string of minor injuries that don’t require a stint on LTIR (Long Term Injured Reserve) they are going to be in serious pickle. That $800-900,000 cap space is only enough for one emergency call up. And while the Rangers could deal with that, a trade makes sense sooner rather than later.

Showcase Time

One player the Rangers are not going to move at this time is Chris Kreider. We can talk about him when we near the trade deadline later in the season. Jeff Gorton needs to have David Quinn get Vlad Namestnikov, Ryan Strome, and Brendan Smith into this lineup early in order to showcase them and build trade value.

That is going to come with a price, so Rangers’ fans need to be prepared for scratches of players like Kravtsov, Brendan Lemieux, Adam Fox, Libor Hajek, and yes….Kaapo Kakko. Jeff Gorton can get the breathing room he needs to navigate this long season by simply trading one of those three players, even if he has to retain some salary in order to do so.

So get ready Rangers faithful. You’ve been warned what is going to happen in the early goings of this season. Just remember this post when you are screaming at your phone or TV when you hear Kakko is being scratched in order to play Namestnikov.

Just 34 seconds into the game, Jack Hughes took advantage of a sloppy Rangers line change and beat Henrik Lundqvist to put the Devils up 1-0. New Jersey would never look back, as they defeated the boys in blue 4-2.

Before the game started, New York announced the lineup for the matchup, which lacked Kaapo Kakko, Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba and a few other starters in favor of the depth and youth that did not start in the previous game at MSG.

Henrik Lundqvist was not himself tonight. Although it’s only his first game and no real cause for concern, Lundqvist seemed out of sorts. He allowed three goals on 24 shots within the first 30:20 of the game. Adam Huska, who came in relief, made 15 saves.

Brett Howden and Vladislav Namestnikov scored for the Rangers and were one of the few forwards who made an impact on the game last night, each with a goal scored. New York took 8 penalties totaling 19 total penalty minutes, including three minors from Joey Keane. Outside of his three minors, Keane did not look comfortable out there and had a plus minus rating of -1. Mason Geertsen was also in that category of not playing well, as he registered a plus/minus rating of -2 and had a minor penalty of his own. Both of those defenseman were not at their best last night.

On a positive note, Tarmo Reunanen was stellar on the back end. Some early hiccups from pinching too much vanished as he was incredibly mobile with the puck and was smart in his positioning. Although he didn’t register a point, he notched 21:47 total ice time and held his own with his strong skating and gap control. Jesper Fast was also good in his first game of action. Totaling 16:10 of ice time, Fast was strong in the offensive zone and played his usual strong two way game. Pavel Buchnevich notched an assist in his first action back and looked competent out there in the offensive zone forecheck.

Although this was a loss, there are some positives to be taken from this, just like the other night at MSG. No need to worry, as this is only pre-season and this is not the final roster. This same thing happens every year and these type of games are prone to happen when the coaching staff is looking for players to round out the roster. Win or lose, the Rangers saw what they needed to see and will take from this and move on to the next, in hopes of finding the best players for the opening night roster.

This game provided a small preview of what’s to come for the future of the Hudson River Rivalry, as did the other night. Wednesday night, we saw Kaapo Kakko and Artemi Panarin and last night, we saw Jack Hughes and PK Subban. Needless to say, when both teams are at full strength, expect some really strong hockey between these two rivals.

The Rangers next game is tonight at 7PM, as the boys in blue travel to the city of Brotherly Love as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers.

LETS GO RANGERS.

The new NHL season is fast approaching. In only a matter of hours, teams will be reporting for training camp following their relaxing summer vacations. While some teams have seen little change to their rosters, the Rangers have been very busy trying to rebuild theirs.

Come opening the night, the Blueshirts will have a variety of new players on the ice. Not just new players, but rookies. And rookies who recently impressed at the Traverse City Tournament at that. One player that may be highly affected by these changes is Vladislav Namestnikov.

Looking at Namestnikov

Namestnikov, who broke out during his time as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, has been somewhat of a disappointment in New York. Last season, he logged a decent amount of minutes on various lines.

But with the arrivals of Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov, he will likely be seeing most of his ice time in the bottom-six. Following Ryan Strome’s strong finish last season and players like Brett Howden and Lias Andersson continuing to grow, logic says that Namestnikov will log a hefty amount of fourth-line minutes.

But, at the same time, Boo Nieves and Greg McKegg will be fighting for spots on the roster. And this doesn’t even include Brendan Lemieux, who just re-entered the equation yesterday by signing a new contract.

Roster Battles

That are a lot of players competing for bottom line spots. If Namestnikov struggles at camp, does Rangers management consider benching him? A tough pill to swallow as he is set to make $4 million this season in the final year of his contract.

While I think McKegg is a solid hard-working forward, I don’t expect him to be in the lineup opening night. But Nieves could still make a strong push to crack David Quinn’s 2019-20 roster.

When all is said and done, I do believe Namestnikov will make the team. And furthermore, I think he may log a decent amount of third-line minutes. The reason being that if he can put together a strong bounce-back campaign in his contract year, then the Rangers may actually be able to trade him at the deadline to help reinforce another teams depth. If he starts strong, they could move him sooner and get more cap space.

The Rangers were unable to find a spot for him elsewhere this summer which is likely why they had no choice but to buy out Kevin Shattenkirk for some ugly cap relief. So if they can get anything for him, that would be a smart move.

But in this scenario, another dilemma would arise. How would the coaching staff justify playing a guy like Andersson or Howden on the fourth line logging fewer minutes than the under-performing Namestnikov?

Decisions decisions

With such a new lineup and some key decisions to make this season, there will be a lot of rotating and shifting within the lines. This is not to say Kaapo Kakko will play on the fourth line, but you may see some other notable players on lower lines as David Quinn tries to find the right balance between competitiveness and player development.

I wouldn’t be completely opposed to seeing Namestnikov on the third line if it is developing his trade value. But with that being said, it would be a horrible mistake to keep players like Howden, Andersson, or even Vitali Kravtsov on the fourth-line for the entire season. The name of the game is ice-time for these young players.

The most realistic outcome is that Namestnikov will spend the majority of the season on the fourth-line. But do not be surprised if he gets bumped up to see if he can attract some suitors at the deadline. I don’t really expect him to be traded, but depth is extremely important to a team in the playoffs.

Of course, this is assuming the Rangers will not make the playoffs. While I don’t think it is out of the question, it is not very likely.

Namestnikov should be a regular in the lineup this season, but he may have some tough competition during training camp. And if he does indeed make the team, he will not be a focal point whatsoever and eventually, his short tenure as a Blueshirt will come to an insignificant end.

The 2nd buyout window is about to close in a few hours (5PM EST). As of right now, multiple sources state they are aggressively exploring trade options before utilizing a buyout.

Deadline Looming

The names out there on the trade market are Chris Kreider, Kevin Shattenkirk, Vlad Namestnikov, Brendan Smith, and Ryan Strome.

Depending on who they can or can’t move, it will dictate what they will do by 5PM on the buyout front. Example, if they can’t make a trade it would likely mean a Shattenkirk buyout. If they can make a move, it could be a Smith buyout.

Clock is ticking.

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Looking at the Various Buyout Options

The window to buyout contracts for the Rangers is officially now open and closes on Wednesday at 5PM. Let’s quickly take a look at the most likely candidates in order of probability.

Brendan Smith

2019/20 Savings: $3,378,167 / Cap Hit $970,833
2020/21 Savings: $1,204,167 / Cap Hit $3,145,833
2021/22 Savings: $0 / Cap Hit $1,145,833
2022/23 Savings: $0 / Cap Hit $1,145,833

Kevin Shattenkirk

2019/20 Savings: $5,166,667 / Cap Hit $1,483,333
2020/21 Savings: $566,667 / Cap Hit $6,083,333
2021/22 Savings: $0 / Cap Hit $1,433,333
2022/23 Savings: $0 / Cap Hit $1,433,333

Vlad Namestnikov

2019/20 Savings: $2,666,667 / Cap Hit $1,333,333
2020/21 Savings: $0 / Cap Hit $1,333,333

Marc Staal

2019/20 Savings: $2,800,000 / Cap Hit $2,900,000
2020/21 Savings: $2,000,000 / Cap Hit $3,700,000
2021/22 Savings: $0 / Cap Hit $1,200,000
2022/23 Savings: $0 / Cap Hit $1,200,000

Buying out Smith and Namestnikov makes more sense

If the Rangers were to go that route they would save $6,044,834 now and only have a penalty in year 2 of $4,479,166. That’s almost a million more than just a Shattenkirk buyout with a lesser penalty in year 2 of over $1.5M.

Per the CBA, a team can use up to 3 buyouts in the 2nd window and to date the Rangers haven’t used a single one since 2013. Dan Girardi was considered a regular buyout. The CBA expires in 2020.

The New York Rangers will have until Wednesday at 5PM to exercise at least one buyout. While Larry Brooks and some other outlets focus on Kevin Shattenkirk being that buyout candidate, despite the $6M penalty in year 2, we have a different plan.

Inside the Numbers

Here is a look at what buying out Shattenkirk means via CapFriendly.

2019/20 Savings: $5,166,667 / Cap Hit $1,483,333
2020/21 Savings: $566,667 / Cap Hit $6,083,333
2021/22 Savings: $0 / Cap Hit $1,433,333
2022/23 Savings: $0 / Cap Hit $1,433,333

Now this is what it would look like if the Rangers opted to buyout 2 contracts (Brendan Smith and Vlad Namestnikov) instead of Shattenkirk’s.

First Smith:

2019/20 Savings: $3,378,167 / Cap Hit $970,833
2020/21 Savings: $1,204,167 / Cap Hit $3,145,833
2021/22 Savings: $0 / Cap Hit $1,145,833
2022/23 Savings: $0 / Cap Hit $1,145,833

Then Namestnikov:

2019/20 Savings: $2,666,667 / Cap Hit $1,333,333
2020/21 Savings: $0 / Cap Hit $1,333,333

If the Rangers were to go that route the would save $6,044,834 now and only have a penalty in year 2 of $4,479,166. That’s almost a million more than just a Shattenkirk buyout with a lesser penalty in year 2 of over $1.5M.

Per the CBA, a team can use up to 3 buyouts in the 2nd window and to date the Rangers haven’t used a single one since 2013. Dan Girardi was considered a regular buyout. The CBA expires in 2020.

Let us know your thoughts below.