Following Tuesday’s dismal effort, John Tortorella went ballistic. He was as animated as I’ve seen him and that’s saying something. If the justified criticism didn’t get his team’s attention, then there’s a problem.

As of now, the Rangers still sit eighth in the East with 28 points by virtue of one fewer game played than tonight’s opponent Winnipeg. To say this is a must win would be an understatement. In a shortened season, these are the type of games that determine your playoff fate. A win in regulation would go a long way to building momentum.

The Jets already beat us once. An ugly 4-3 defeat at MSG where a furious rally fell short. Winnipeg can finish. Evander Kane is their most lethal finisher with goals in his last two. His 11 markers rank second to team captain Andrew Ladd, who paces Winnipeg with 13 goals and 25 points. Blake Wheeler is second in scoring with 21 points (10-11-21). Along with rover Dustin Byfuglien, they do the bulk of the scoring. But as the Rangers found out, Olli Jokinen scored two of his five goals in an otherwise bad year. His minus-12 rating is a team worst.

There are a few other players to keep an eye on. Former Blueshirt Nik Antropov is more than capable of factoring in along with overlooked teammates Bryan Little and Alex Burmistrov. Ron Hainsey and Kyle Wellwood are also looked upon for offense. They haven’t all performed up to expectations but the Jets play a high tempo in front of the best home fans in the league. It should make for a chaotic environment.

Get to Ondrej Pavelec early. That should be the message. Pavelec has turned around his 2013 by winning five of his last eight starts. In that stretch, he’s 5-2-1 with a 2.33 GAA (goals-against-average) and a .914 save percentage. He’s allowed two-or-less in five including the last three. Much better than his season (2.78, .903).

It’s still odd to see a donut next to Henrik Lundqvist‘s name for shutouts. Indeed, the Swedish King has the same amount as Pavelec. That’s unacceptable. Even if our battered D isn’t the same without Marc Staal, there are nights where he must stand on his head and steal games. This qualifies. Play like a Vezina winner and not like the last three in last year’s Conference Final.

Lundqvist isn’t the real issue. It’s a lack of consistency from the team. One minute, they look on the verge winning four straight. The next, they lay an egg dropping two of three including one to an NHL doormat. Those are the ones that hurt the most. The reality is there’s 23 games left. Win tonight and it’s a big two with the mighty Pens on the horizon. Lose and uh oh because they can’t beat Pittsburgh.

Simply put, it’s time for Marian Gaborik to wake up. One goal over 11 doesn’t cut it. He can’t always be in Tortorella’s dog house. The same for Brad Richards, who’s shown a pulse. Rick Nash has been as good as advertised. A scoring machine who makes teammates better. It can’t always fall on his shoulders along with Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin and omnipotent captain Ryan Callahan.

Last year, they were a T-E-A-M. Only four points separates eighth from fourth. Ottawa and Toronto have played two more games. The time to make a move is now. That means more from everyone. Oh. And a much better game from Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. Forget about trades. The answer is on the roster. That includes Mike Del Zotto, who is due for one of his hot streaks.

It all starts at 8.