NHL

Reeling Rangers fall to Jets

The Rangers have talked frequently of late of establishing an Identity. It’s become clear recently they have one, but it’s not necessarily one they would care to embrace.

The Rangers thus far this lockout-shortened season are a mediocre team, mediocre on the attack, mediocre in their own end, and yes, even mediocre in net.

After Tuesday’s seesaw 4-3 loss to the Jets at the Garden, the Rangers are a very mediocre 8-8-2, out of the playoffs if the season ended today.

The Rangers are battling injuries — star Rick Nash and defenseman Ryan McDonagh and Michael Del Zotto were out — that clearly was a factor in their second straight defeat and third in their last four. The attack, other than the active and aggressive Ryan Callahan-Derek Stepan-Taylor Pyatt line, was non-threatening and limited in chances until the Blueshirts grew desperate in the final period.

Marian Gaborik was mostly a non-factor and the power play continued to be powerless. The back line, once considered a strength, was a sieve until coach John Tortorella shortened his rotation, too often leaving Henrik Lundqvist on an Island to his own.

Pregame, Tortorella talked about limiting penalties, because of the inexperienced blue-liners forced into action, yet the Rangers were a man down on three occasions.

The Rangers patchwork defensive corps wasn’t up to the task, in letting up three second-period goals, each time giving Jets forwards too much space and not covering enough ice following rebounds. After falling behind by two goals, the Rangers got within one three times, but could never pull even.

Callahan did a little bit of everything in the second period. He scored the Rangers’ first goal, depositing home his fifth of the year after Steve Eminger’s long slapshot clanked off the right post and rolled along the red line without crossing. Moments later, he beat Blake Wheeler to a dump-in in the Jets zone and set up Derek Stepan for a shorthanded opportunity. His most inspirational moment came earlier in the period, when Callahan lost his stick on the power play but still managed to block a few more shots, using his body like a crash dummy with headlong dives.

The emotion got the crowd going, but momentum was short-lived. During one of many sustained shifts in the Ranger end, Evander Kane was able to send his wraparound attempt through Lundqvist and Olli Jokinen was there to fill the empty net. Just 1:07 later, an uncontested Kane ripped home a laser of a snap shot just inside the left post past Lundqvist.

After Callahan pulled the Rangers within a goal, Jokinen made it 3-1 with 5:12 left in the period by sending the rebound into yet another half-open net after Lundqvist stopped Antony Peluso’s initial shot.

Defenseman Anton Stralman had a hand in both third-period Ranger goals. The first one was redirected home by Pyatt and he scored the second, sneaking it past Andrej Pavelec. But in between, Kane scored his second, going five-hole on Lundqvist, and the Rangers could never get the equalizer.

zbraziller@nypost.com