LDN - Sports

Vesey eases Rangers past Blue Jackets

[February 14, 2017] COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jimmy Vesey scored to snap a tie with 6:32 remaining in the third period as the New York Rangers posted a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. It was the first time this season that these two teams have produced fewer than six goals between them, but the teams added nine penalties combined for good measure.

Dan Girardi and Kevin Hayes also scored and Antti Raanta made 30 saves for New York. It was the Rangers' sixth consecutive win.

Former Ranger Brandon Dubinsky and Nick Foligno scored for Columbus. Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside 20 shots in the loss.

"I think we have to keep going here," Girardi said. "We're doing a lot of good things each game and playing really good defensively and keeping our scoring chances down. Obviously it's resulting in wins. I think we have to do that every night and ride the wave."

Dubinsky scored his eighth goal of the season 8:12 into the first period. Just after a Pavel Buchnevich delay-of-game penalty expired, Brandon Saad skated past the net and wired a no-look backward pass to Dubinsky, who knocked a shot past Raanta from the bottom of the left circle. Saad and Seth Jones each had an assist.

Dubinsky has five goals and eight assists in the past 14 games.

New York forged a tie 12 seconds into the second period as Columbus allowed its first short-handed goal against of the season.

Off a Sam Gagner faceoff, J.T. Miller collected the puck and skated into the zone, curled around in the right circle and sent a pass to Hayes. Hayes had the puck knocked away, but Girardi was there to collect it and shoot. The puck bounced off Zach Werenski's stick past an unsuspecting Bobrovsky to make it 1-1.

"(We need to be better) managing power play time and managing the situations," Foligno said. "We can't allow that to happen. It gives them life. They feel like they have a chance to still be in it and they made us pay tonight."

The Blue Jackets were the last team in the league to allow a short-handed goal.

New York claimed a 2-1 lead 4:49 into the third as Hayes took the puck off David Savard's stick in the neutral zone and skated unchallenged to the net. His shot went underneath a sprawling Bobrovsky for his 15th goal of the season.

Foligno tied the game at 11:53 into the third when his shot from behind the net banked off Miller's skate to beat Raanta.

[to top of second column]

Blue Jackets center William Karlsson (25) reaches for the rebound after a save by New York Rangers goalie Antti Raanta (32) during the second period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

"We put some good minutes in," Jackets head coach John Tortorella said. "I thought we played really well and we really didn't give them much. We came back and tied it. I just thought we gave them some free stuff tonight in a hard-fought game."

Vesey answered 90 seconds later when he carried the puck down the right side and past Savard before threading the puck between Bobrovsky and the post. It was his second goal in 17 games. Derek Stepan and Nick Holden assisted.

"It was a great shot and a great play," Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault said. "I thought in the third we were able to get some good looks, some grade A chances. A lot of their opportunities came more from the side. I thought we played a pretty solid third period."

Scott Hartnell suffered a lower-body injury early in the game when he crashed into the boards after chasing down a puck against Holden. He did not play the final two periods of the game. Tortorella said Hartnell tried to come back into the game but "stiffened up pretty good."

NOTES: Rangers D Dan Girardi returned to the lineup after missing two games with an ankle injury. ... New York G Antti Raanta started in net for the first time since Jan. 14, when he left after the first period with a lower-body injury. His last complete game was Dec. 29. ... Columbus remains the only team in the NHL to not have lost three consecutive games this season. The Blue Jackets have only lost back-to-back games in regulation three times. ... Blue Jackets D Scott Harrington and D Dalton Prout were scratched. ... New York scratched D Adam Clendening, F Matt Puempel and C Brandon Pirri.

Back to top