Rangers 4, Blue Jackets 2

[October 10, 2015]  COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The New York Rangers scored three goals in a span of only 1:17 late in the third period, stunning the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 4-2 victory Friday before a sold out Nationwide Arena crowd of 19,207.

The Blue Jackets had taken a 2-1 lead -- their first of the game -- on left winger Brandon Saad's power-play goal with 3:50 remaining.

But before the crowd's euphoria faded, the lead was gone. And then the Rangers had it.

Left winger Oscar Lindberg made it 2-2 only 1:14 after Saad scored, and right winger Kevin Hayes followed only 17 seconds later -- an awful goal allowed by Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to put the Rangers up 3-2.

Right winger Mats Zuccarello followed one minute later with his second goal of the night to make it 4-2, and send many in the crowd filing out to the cars.

The Rangers, who won the President's Trophy last season with the league's best record, improved to 2-0-0 after a season-opening 3-2 win over defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago on Wednesday.
 

New York goaltender Henrik Lundqvist had 31 saves.

The Blue Jackets' first goal was scored by right winger Cam Atkinson, while Bobrovsky finished with 21 saves.

The scoring came rapid-fire late in the game, but it took both clubs a while to get going.

The Rangers took a 1-0 lead with 43.6 seconds remaining in the first period, thanks to a bad turnover by Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard behind his own net.

Zuccarello scored on a spinning backhander for his first of the evening.

The Blue Jackets pulled even midway through the second when center Brandon Dubinsky found Atkinson behind the defense for a breakaway goal.

The game appeared to swing on Saad's goal, a power-play wrister from the right circle that was helped by a screen from Blue Jackets' captain Nick Foligno.

But Blue Jackets defenseman Kevin Connauton coughed the puck up to Lindberg two shifts later, and he beat Bobrovsky under his right arm to tie it.

The truly egregious goal allowed by Bobrovsky came next.

Hayes, with the puck in the corner on the goal line, fired on goal and caught Bobrovsky napping, the puck squirting between his left pad and the goal post to make it 3-2.

The two clubs meet again Saturday in Madison Square Garden.

NOTES: Rangers coach Alain Vigneault challenged his No. 1 line during practice on Thursday, the New York Post reported, saying they needed to work harder than they did in Wednesday's opening win over Chicago. LW Rick Nash, C Derick Brassard and RW Mats Zuccarello have all claimed to be "slow starters." "Well, my answer is to skate harder, push harder and be fast starters," Vigneault said. ... Blue Jackets RW David Clarkson is out short term with a lower-body injury. RW Jared Boll took his spot on Columbus' fourth line, but Boll might have beaten out Clarkson for the spot anyway after a much stronger training camp. ... The Jackets named C Brandon Dubinsky and LW Boone Jenner as alternate captains to captain Nick Foligno. ... Vigneault was seeking his 100th win as Rangers coach.

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