TEMPE, Ariz. — Zac Jones was upfront in his assessment of his own game, saying he didn’t like how he was playing lately and how he agreed with Rangers coach Gerard Gallant’s decision to scratch him in previous contests against the Avalanche and the Islanders. 

There was a genuine selflessness in the way he said he understood that sometimes hard decisions have to be made where the team is concerned. 

When he got another chance in the Rangers’ matchup with the Stars Saturday afternoon, however, Jones made the kind of impact the club has been looking for from him in the ongoing competition for the sixth defenseman spot. 

Jones scored the game-winning goal and then earned an assist during the break out of the defensive zone that led to Julien Gauthier’s goal 19 seconds later to push the Rangers ahead by two late in the third period of their eventual 6-3 win in Dallas. In his third season with the Rangers, and 28 games into his career, Jones finally notched his first NHL goal. 

While the forward group has been shuffled around through the Rangers’ first 10 games due to injuries, including Sunday’s game against the Coyotes, the top five defensemen have been constant since Braden Schneider was recalled in mid-January last season. 

Access the Rangers beat like never before

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.

Since the Rangers traded Patrik Nemeth to Arizona and lost Justin Braun in free agency, the left side of the bottom pair next to Schneider has been up for grabs. Even after training camp ended earlier this month, it’s been a toss-up between Jones and Libor Hajek every night. 

“It’s huge, for sure,” Jones told The Post when asked how much of a motivating factor coming in and out of the lineup has been. “I hate to sit out. I hate to not play. Every time I get the opportunity to come back in, I try to make the most of it and, you know, show what I can do.” 

Jones, who spent most of last season with AHL Hartford, has seen a bulk of the playing time, appearing in six games to Hajek’s three. Though Gallant firmly stated the Rangers won’t sit Hajek as many times as they did last season when the 24-year-old blueliner appeared in just 17 games. 

Unless, of course, Jones makes it impossible for Gallant to take him out of the lineup and seizes the job full time. In that case, the Rangers would likely trade Hajek or put him on waivers to be claimed by another team out of fairness to his career. 

The way the Rangers are currently built, however, presents some road blocks for Jones. The top power-play unit is set in stone and rarely ever comes off the ice during stretches with the man-advantage. As a power-play specialist, the UMass product serves as the quarterback of the second unit, but it doesn’t matter since they only get 20-30 seconds of ice time in such situations. 

Jones has barely had a chance to show what he’s capable of on the power play, but what can be done when the first unit is as effective as it is? It’s up to Jones to contribute in other ways. Saturday afternoon was certainly a start. 

“Just go out there and play my game,” Jones said of his mindset. “Not worry about the things I can’t control. Obviously, there’s times where I’m not going to play as much and games I’m going to play more. So I’m just coming and trying to control what I can control and go from there.”