GREENBURGH – It’s not like Mika Zibanejad didn’t realize his three turnovers in Tuesday’s game all led to goals for the Winnipeg Jets that helped condemn the Rangers to a 6-3 loss at the Garden against the best team in the NHL.

The 31-year-old Swede is well aware that he was minus-4 in this match, and he knows perfectly well that it’s not good. However, he says, he also knows he can’t dwell on negativity because it won’t help him turn things around.

But, he admitted, trying to stay positive after a game like that isn’t easy.

“It’s the hardest thing ever,” Zibanejad said Wednesday after the Rangers’ quick practice, 35 minutes before Thursday’s home game against old friend Barclay Goodrow, rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks. San Jose 5-9-3. “I will never be able to fully explain what it’s like when you’re in that situation. You have the mantras; you have the sayings for yourself: “Forget the mistake, just focus on the next action, the next game, the next shift. » It’s harder than it seems.

“But… if I say, ‘Oh, it’s so hard,’ then it’s not going to help me,” he said. “So I have to find a way to make a mistake, or whatever… So when things are tough, keep working (and) have another chance tomorrow.” It’s sometimes the good and the bad in hockey. You always have a chance to redeem yourself when things are difficult, or to continue when things are going well. So I’m not happy with yesterday, not happy with the defeat. But if I think about it too much, I don’t think you’ll see a very good player tomorrow.

Many Rangers fans would jump on this and say that Zibanejad, the team’s No. 1 center, hasn’t been a very good player all season. Entering Thursday’s game, Zibanejad is tied for fourth on the team with 11 points (two goals, nine assists) and a minus-6 rating. In five-on-five play, he only has one goal and two assists.

At one point during Tuesday’s game, Zibanejad left the ice during a faceoff, went to the bench and then to the locker room for a few minutes before returning.

“I don’t know, I just felt ‘bad’ and I needed to breathe,” he said. “And that was it. It was nothing serious. I missed a few minutes and came back and finished the game.

About ten days ago, coach Peter Laviolette changed all his forward lines in order to shake up the team. Zibanejad found himself between the team’s two best wingers, Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière. But in 37 minutes and 46 seconds together, the trio was outscored by their opponents 5-2; dominated 23-19 and outshot 46-31. On Wednesday, Laviolette returned to the trios he started the season with, placing Zibanejad between Chris Kreider and Reilly Smith, and Panarin and Lafrenière with Vincent Trocheck.

Speaking of Zibanejad, Laviolette is careful not to speak harshly about his play this season or during the Winnipeg game.

“There were times where I thought he was lurking offensively, he was on offense,” Laviolette said. “Like everyone, we made one or two mistakes at the wrong time and it cost us dearly. But I think…we’re better than what we played (Tuesday) night. I think we can still clean up those things that seem to be bothering us a little bit by winning a game like last night.

Blue Notes

Rookie D Victor Mancini appears likely to be scratched for a fifth straight game on Thursday. Asked if the time is approaching where Mancini might be better served by going to the minor leagues to get ice time, Laviolette responded, “(general manager Chris Drury) and I talk daily. We evaluate everything…and so these are the conversations we have.

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He spent more than two decades covering the NHL and nearly every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.