On Saturday, the New York Rangers were on the road to face the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Rangers came in to the game tied with Columbus on points with 70, but Columbus sat in a wild card spot and the Rangers did not because Columbus had played one fewer game this season.
In the first period, the Rangers were outshot 9 to 4. The Rangers struck first when Mika Zibanejad got in on the forecheck and won a 50 50 battle for the puck with Columbus defenseman, Damon Severson. The Columbus goalie Daniil Tarasov came out to play the puck and Zibanejad managed to get to the puck first and send a backhand pass across the front of the goal. Alexis Lafreniere was there to one-touch the pass into the back of the net and the Rangers had a 1-0 lead at 1:43 on an assist from Zibanejad.
The Blue Jackets got their first scoring chance of the game at 16:00 left in the first period, when Zach Aston-Reese made a centering pass in front of the Rangers goal. The puck eventually came to Mathieu Olivier who tried to poke the puck past Igor Shesterkin but with a little help from Vincent Trocheck who tied up Olivier in front, Shesterkin smothered the puck.
In the second period, the Blue Jackets got the first scoring chance. Dmitri Voronkov received a pass inside the offensive zone that put him one-on-one with Shesterkin. Voronkov tried slipping the puck around the outstretched pad of Shesterkin but hit the post. The Rangers had not outplayed Columbus to this point in the game, as the Blue Jackets actually had outshot the Rangers.
The Rangers tacked on insurance when Artemi Panarin dragged the puck across the slot and fired a wrist shot that beat Tarasov low and into the left side of the net.
The Rangers had scored one power play goal on their last 12 tries coming into this game. The Rangers had their first chance on the power play with 2 minutes left in the period. J.T. Miller flipped a saucer pass into the slot for Zibanejad who one-timed it but it was saved by Tarasov. Then the rebound was attacked by Chris Kreider but Tarasov made two more saves while on his back.
At 14:38 of the third period, Rangers forward Will Cuylle intercepted a pass in the neutral zone. He then passed ahead to Artemi Panarin who passed cross ice to Vincent Trocheck. Trocheck wasted no time taking a wrist shot that beat Tarasov high and to the far side of the net to make it 3-0.
Trocheck added a shorthanded, empty net goal at 16:41 to make it 4-0 and that’s how the game would end. The Rangers overtook the Blue Jackets in the standings and now hold the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Shesterkin earned first star of the game for earning his fifth shutout of the season, making 21 saves. Panarin earned second star for scoring a goal and an assist and Lafreniere was the third star for having a goal and an assist.
The Rangers next game is Sunday night against the Edmonton Oilers. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
