Jones notched an assist, three shots on goal, four hits, two blocked shots and six PIM in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Wild.
Jones' second penalty, a double-minor for high-sticking, led to the Wild's second goal, which forced overtime. All's well that ends well for the defenseman, as the Rangers got the win on a Braden Schneider tally in the extra session. Jones has picked up three helpers and 14 blocked shots over his last six outings while seeing time on the power play. The 24-year-old blueliner has racked up career highs in assists (10), points (11), blocks (36), PIM (18) and games played (36) this season.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Contributes helper in win
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Jones notched an assist, four blocked shots and two shots on goal in Monday's 4-0 win over the Islanders.
This was Jones' first point in three games since he came back from his conditioning stint with AHL Hartford. The 24-year-old is poised to play a larger role down the stretch as the Rangers have pivoted to selling. Jones is still on the third pairing on paper, but he saw 19:14 of ice time Monday as well as a power-play role in the absence of Adam Fox (upper body). Six of the Rangers' seven healthy blueliners are left-handed shots, so there could be a pinch point for bottom-four minutes once Fox is healthy again.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Recalled from AHL
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Jones was recalled from AHL Hartford on Monday.
Jones was sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan Thursday, but he'll rejoin the Rangers shortly after the team resumed play following the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Jones is unlikely to see much playing time with New York, as he's made just two NHL appearances since the start of the calendar year.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Goes on conditioning loan
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Jones was assigned to AHL Hartford on a conditioning loan Thursday.
Jones got into a few games in February prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off break, but he spent 18 contests out of the lineup before that. This move will allow him an opportunity to maintain his game readiness. Jones was replaced on the NHL roster by Matthew Robertson, who will likely return to Hartford when Jones' loan is over.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Stuck outside of lineup
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Jones was scratched for the 15th straight game in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Avalanche.
Jones saw steady playing time for much of November and December, but that's dried up. The Rangers' turnaround has hinged on two trades involving defensemen -- one that swapped Jacob Trouba for Urho Vaakanainen and another that brought in Will Borgen at the expense of Kaapo Kakko. Vaakanainen has largely taken over the third-pairing spot that belonged to Jones previously, and with the Rangers finding success, there's been no need to shuffle the lineup. For the season, Jones is at eight points, 24 shots on net, 16 blocked shots, 14 hits and a plus-2 rating over 26 appearances. He's one point and five games shy of matching his totals in those categories from the 2023-24 regular season.
Jones has averaged 1:00 of power-play time per game this season.
Jones is not guaranteed to be in the lineup, as the 24-year-old occasionally sits out when the Rangers' defense is fully healthy. When he's played, Jones has been put in a position to succeed with second-pairing minutes and a spot on the second power-play unit. He has eight points, 24 shots on net, 16 blocked shots, 14 hits and a plus-2 rating through 26 outings. He still needs to find another level on offense, but Jones could be given more minutes if the Rangers' December swoon persists much longer.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Records power-play assist in win
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Jones had a power-play assist and one shot on goal in Saturday's 4-3 win over Montreal.
Jones sent a pass to the slot that eventually landed on the stick of Will Cuylle, who found Kaapo Kakko netside for the game-winning goal. It was the third assist in four games since Jones returned from a lower-body injury. The power-play point was his first of the season.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Secures helper in return
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Jones logged an assist in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Blues.
Jones missed one game due to an upper-body injury. He saw time on the third pairing and second power-play unit Monday, totaling 18:14. It took a while for Jones to get going this season, but he's at six points, 12 shots on net, 10 blocked shots, seven hits and a plus-8 rating through 14 appearances.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Set to play
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Jones (upper body) is expected to return to action against St. Louis on Monday, according to Denis P. Gorman of Newsday.
Jones will return to his third-pairing role and see power-play time on the second unit following a one-game absence. He has one goal, four assists, 12 shots on net, 10 blocked shots and seven hits across 13 appearances this season. The Rangers don't have an extra defenseman on the roster after assigning Chad Ruhwedel and Victor Mancini to AHL Hartford on Sunday.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Not available Saturday
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Jones will miss Saturday's tilt in Edmonton due to an upper-body injury, Colin Stephenson of Newsday reports.
Jones will be replaced in the lineup by Victor Mancini. Jones has a goal and five points in 13 games this season. Consider jones day-to-day at this time, and he could return to action as early as Monday against St. Louis.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Scores first goal of campaign
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Jones scored a goal and went plus-2 in Sunday's 2-0 win over the Kraken.
Jones has a goal and three assists over six games since he reclaimed a third-pairing spot in the lineup. With Victor Mancini down at AHL Hartford, Jones has had an easier time staying in the lineup over veteran Chad Ruhwedel. For the season, Jones has five points, nine shots on net, eight blocked shots, seven hits and a plus-10 rating across 11 appearances. He's over halfway to setting a new career high in points.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Adds assist in loss
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Jones notched an assist in Thursday's 6-1 loss to the Sabres.
Jones has a helper in each of the last two games, which should help him solidify a spot on the third pairing. He also received some power-play time in the blowout loss, which could give him a better path to fantasy production if it sticks. He has three assists, five shots on net, a plus-6 rating, six blocked shots and four hits over seven appearances. Jones continues to compete with Victor Mancini for a spot in the lineup.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Provides assist in win
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Jones logged an assist and four blocked shots in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Islanders.
Jones started the year as a consistent part of the lineup, but with the Rangers fully healthy on the blue line, he's in competition with Victor Mancini for playing time. The 24-year-old Jones is up to two assists, a plus-5 rating, four shots on net, three hits and five blocked shots over six appearances this season. If the Rangers prioritize having an even righty-lefty split on their blue line, Jones may find himself out of the lineup frequently moving forward as the team's fourth left-handed defenseman.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Contributes helper
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Jones notched an assist in Monday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
Jones' helper was his first point of the year, but he's been steady with a plus-3 rating through three contests. The 23-year-old defenseman has filled a spot on the third pairing to begin the year, but he may lose his place in the lineup once Ryan Lindgren (upper body) returns to action.
Jones dished out an assist in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Islanders.
Jones picked up his sixth helper of the season on Kaapo Kakko's third-period insurance goal. After spending the majority of the season in the press box as the team's seventh defenseman, Jones has dressed in each of the last six games with Jacob Trouba (lower body) sidelined. Jones has seen sheltered minutes, but the skilled defenseman has held his own with two assists and a plus-3 rating during this six-game stretch. With Ryan Lindgren (lower body) potentially poised to miss time as well after exiting Sunday's win, Jones is unlikely to leave the lineup anytime soon.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Just one appearance in February
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Jones watched Thursday's 5-1 win over the Devils from the press box and has been a healthy scratch since Feb. 5.
Jones played in the Rangers' first game of the month as Jacob Trouba finished up a two-game suspension, but New York's seventh defenseman hasn't been called upon since that Feb. 5 win over the Avalanche. Jones remains stuck on five points in 17 appearances this season.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Memorable night in win
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Jones scored a goal, added an assist and posted a plus-4 rating in Saturday's 7-2 win over Ottawa.
It was his first goal of the season, and it was memorable -- he finished a cross-slot pass, and the goal stood as the winner. Jones has excellent offensive instincts, but it's been hard for him to crack the lineup this campaign. He also won't get any power-play time behind Adam Fox and Erik Gustafsson. Jones has five points, 19 shots on goal and 12 blocked shots in 16 appearances this season.
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Rangers' Zac Jones: Tacks on helper
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Jones registered an assist in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Bruins.
Jones is rounding out the blue line with Adam Fox (lower body) on long-term injured reserve. The Blueshirts have the option of turning to undrafted defenseman Connor Mackey as a reinforcement option, but he has yet to debut for the Original Six club, and Jones has more upside as a third-round (No. 68 overall) pick from the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Jones' point total is comprised of three assists through 10 games, which isn't all that bad for a guy averaging only 12:52 of ice time.
