Blog Archives
Rangers look to extend win streak against Columbus; Buchnevich back on the second line
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
- New York Rangers (36-18-1, 73 PTS) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (35-14-5, 75 PTS)
- The Rangers scored three unanswered goals to erase a 2-1 deficit against the Colorado Avalanche, securing Henrik Lundqvist’s 400th career win in the process. He became the quickest goalie in NHL history to reach that mark and the first non-Canadian to record 400 wins. Kevin Klein scored twice, Rick Nash scored the game winner and Kevin Hayes scored into the empty net to seal the win. That marked the Rangers’ sixth consecutive win.
- The Rangers won all four games of their homestand, a big accomplishment considering how lackluster they had been at MSG this season. They are now 18-11-1 at home and 18-7-0 on the road.
- Columbus won their last game, a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Boone Jenner and Cam Atkinson both scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 35 of the 36 shots that he faced to secure the win. The Blue Jackets have been a .500 team since their franchise best 16 game win streak, not being able to string many wins together.
Rangers kick off second half against the Blue Jackets; Staal and Fast expected to play
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
- New York Rangers (31-17-1, 63 PTS) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (32-12-4, 68 PTS)
- The Rangers were shutout in their last game against the Flyers. New York played an outstanding game despite not getting any goals, and they had the majority of the chances and had the two points stolen away by Steve Mason, who made 34 saves. There’s no such thing as a “feel good” loss, but this is about as close as you can get to one of them.
- The Blue Jackets lost their last game against the Nashville Predators, 4-3, and have lost two straight games. Columbus had an incredible 16 game win streak earlier in the season, and since that was snapped, they’ve been about a .500 team. However, they still have the second most points in the league and have played well in their recent losses.
THE MATCHUP
- This is the third of five meetings between the Rangers and the Blue Jackets and the first of two at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers, playing their 50th game tonight, won the last meeting on Jan. 7, erasing a three goal deficit and getting a four point night from Michael Grabner, including a hat trick. The teams have split the first two games of the series so far.
- The Rangers have won eight of the last nine games against Columbus, dating back to Jan. 16, 2015, going 8-1-0 over that time span.
- The Rangers sit just five points behind the Blue Jackets in the Metropolitan Division standings, so this game has important implications for playoff seeding.
Rangers secure remarkable comeback victory over Columbus; Michael Grabner scores twice
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The New York Rangers went into this game coming off a big 5-2 win against divisional rival Philadelphia Flyers. While this game appeared to be a loss, the sheer will and heart of this Rangers team carried them to a surprising 5-4 win at Nationwide Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the best team in the League.
The New York Rangers fell behind fast as just 1:54 into the first period, Columbus blasted a shot from the point that got deflected in front of Lundqvist by Nutivaara and flew behind him for a one goal lead.
Soon after, McDonagh took a penalty that cost his team, putting them down 2-0. Gagner, who was behind the net, put the puck in front and across the crease for Cam Atkinson, who notched his 19th goal of the season. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers battle NHL best Columbus before the bye-week; Updates on Nash, Buchnevich, Zibanejad
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers (27-13-1) played one of their most complete games of the year on Wednesday, a 5-2 win over the Flyers, but now they face a tall task when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets (27-6-4) on the road, their last game before the league-mandated “bye-week.”
These two teams have become real rivals over the last few years, with each game featuring a bit of nastiness and an edge that each skater is playing with. Now that Columbus has the most points in the league and sit atop the Metropolitan Division, these games have even more meaning.
The Rangers got two goals from Kevin Hayes and Michael Grabner, as well as one from Chris Kreider, in a win over the Flyers in their last game. Henrik Lundqvist was fantastic, making 30 saves, and the Rangers defense also looked good as Vigneault switched up the pairings with Marc Staal out. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers win streak ends after loss to Columbus; Grabner scores 11th goal
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The first power play of the game went to the Rangers, and they circulated the puck well but were held to one shot on goal. Against the best power play in the League, the Rangers did a great job after Nash put his team short-handed. The Jackets barely had any chances as they were kept to the outside.
With under five minutes to go in the first period, a bad set of plays put the Rangers behind by a goal. JT Miller gave the puck away right in the middle of the defensive zone to Karlsson who ripped a shot from the blue line. Lundqvist didn’t get the pads together in time on a shot that normally wouldn’t count as a quality scoring chance. The period ended with three shots on goal for each team, proving how limited the opportunities were. Read the rest of this entry
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