It was standard operating procedure last year for the Rangers to sit their youngest and most inexperienced defensemen over the last 10-12 minutes of a tight game — whether that would have been Nils Lundkvist, Braden Schneider or Zac Jones.

But on opening night Tuesday with the Blueshirts holding a 3-1 lead over Tampa Bay with four minutes to go, here came the Jones-Schneider pair over the boards for a shift lasting a minute in which the Lightning were unable to generate anything.

That was representative of the night for the Rangers’ third tandem, who in 11:31 of work limited the Lightning to seven attempts and just three shots on goal while owning a 50.82 xGF rating. Not bad for the pairing of the lefty Jones, who will turn 22 next Tuesday, and the righty Schneider, who celebrated his 21st birthday last month, and who both were playing in their first NHL season opener.

“Gord was real happy with them last night,” coach Gerard Gallant said — referring to Gord Murphy, the assistant coach who oversees the defense. “He said they played strong, they defended strong.

“Jonesy’s not a real big defenseman but he defended real well in the zone. What we saw [Tuesday] night was a real good pairing that played real well. There are some games they’ll play more minutes, there are some games where they’ll probably play less minutes, that will depend on the score and the situations but we’re real, real happy with the way they performed.”

The Blueshirts, of course, had their say in the match game at the Garden. That will not be the case Thursday night in Minnesota or the following night in Winnipeg. Murphy will surely do his best to keep the pair away from the opposition’s top guns.

Schneider came into camp as an incumbent following his promotion in January having 43 regular season games and another 20 in the playoffs on his résumé. Jones, who earned his spot following a competition including Libor Hajek and Matt Robertson, had 22 games of previous NHL experience over the past two seasons for the Blueshirts.

This one was different, though. This was the pomp and circumstance of an opening night.

“Oh, for sure,” Schneider said. “Making the team felt different. It felt good. It’s what you always think of. Hopefully I can build off this and keep getting better and better so by next January I’m a lot more comfortable and confident.”

Jones, who had his made his NHL debut with the Rangers right out of UMass at the end of 2020-21, answered, “Yes and no,” when asked if this had felt different. “I had played 20-something games, so it wasn’t new, but there definitely were some opening night jitters at the start before I settled in and it felt like a normal game.”

The lads were sharp in defending the rush and in their own-zone coverage. They moved the puck out of danger, got it up the ice and rarely faced sustained pressure. The 5-foot-10 Jones was strong in his one-on-ones in puck battles and in front while Schneider naturally took care of business.

“The way Jonesy was breaking up plays and moving the puck, that was great,” said an enthused Schneider. “You see him going into the corner battling with Patty Maroon and that just lifts me to see that.

“I think our pair works. We talk a lot, I think that we’re also close off the ice helps. We want to grow, we want to get better, but I thought the first game went really well,”

Jones had worked on being more aggressive in his own end and in closing gaps more quickly. The improvement in both of those areas was apparent against Tampa Bay.

“I want to pressure guys more and to cut down the time they have,” No. 6 said. “I’m always aware of that. I get constant feedback from the coaches and it comes in the form of both you could do better and what you’re doing well. That’s very helpful to me.

“Braden and I, we’re really good buddies away from the rink. We want to get better and be a pair that’s trusted in key situations.”

The dynamic is an interesting one. It is also beginning to flourish under a head coach who is secure enough with his team to go with such a young pair.

“It’s funny that we talk about our young players all the time but we never mention Schneider,” Gallant said. “We always talk about the group with [Kaapo] Kakko and all those guys, and I know they’re high picks but we never mention him and that’s probably for a good reason. He looks like a veteran player and has played like a veteran since he got here.

“He and Jonesy are doing a great job right now. They keep helping each other out. It’s like the Kid Line. They’re excited to play with each other, they take pride in that, and it’s the same with these kids. I don’t have any concerns about them going over the boards. Not at all.”

Even with four minutes to go in a two-goal game.