Strong goaltending and outshooting the opponent was the recipe for success on Saturday when the Rangers beat the Blue Jackets 4-3.
Arthur Kaliyev opened the scoring for the Rangers just under two minutes inside the first period. Kaliyev carried the puck into the offensive zone and beat Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins to the far side with a wrap-around.
The Rangers almost gave the lead away when goaltender Jonathan Quick turned the puck over behind his net. The puck squirted out in front of the Ranger net where Cole Sillinger poked it at net and Quick recovered to make a sprawling save with his glove.
This reprieve wouldn’t last long as Kent Johnson’s quick wrist shot tied the game at 14:31.
Then the Blue Jackets took the lead on a deflection goal by Justin Danforth at 15:29.
A cross-ice pass from Adam Fox found Mika Zibanejad open on the left face-off dot and the veteran ripped a wrist shot that beat Merzlikins inside the near post at 6:38 of the second period.
Columbus would take the lead back on Middletown-native, James van Reimsdyk’s deflection at 17:17. The Blue Jackets took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission.
At 1:57 of the third period, the Rangers got even. After a quick dump-in, the Rangers Vincent Trocheck got to the puck first along the boards. He passed to Will Cuylle, who carried the puck through the offensive zone while fending off a defender. He then took a wrist shot from the point that was tipped in by Urho Vaakanainen.
The game remained tied at three for most of the third period, when at 18:21, the Rangers struck again. Will Cuylle pounced on a loose puck in the slot and ripped a one-time snap shot that beat Merzlikins to the far side of the net to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead with just 1:39 seconds remaining in the game.
COOLS SNAPS IT IN. pic.twitter.com/bJgGizAshz
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 9, 2025
The Rangers would not relinquish this lead and thanks to a third period comeback beat the team that was four points in front of them in the Eastern Conference wild card standings. The Rangers outshot the Blue Jackets 40 to 25 and Jonathan Quick finished with 22 saves.
Will Cuylle earned first star honors while Mika Zibanejad, who finished with a goal and an assist, earned second star of the game.
Peter Laviolette’s team head into the international break sitting just three points out of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
