Adam Fantilli scored twice, Zach Werenski tied a franchise record with three assists, and the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the New York Rangers 6-3 Thursday night at Nationwide Arena, extending their point streak to 11 games and moving into third place in the Metropolitan Division.
The win — Columbus’s third straight — keeps alive the Blue Jackets’ push for their first playoff berth since the 2019-20 season. With the New York Islanders losing 3-2 in Ottawa on the same night, the Blue Jackets (36-21-11) climbed into third place in the Metropolitan Division, tied with the Islanders on 83 points but with one fewer game played.
It was not their cleanest effort. But clean was not required on Thursday.
“There are hard games to play,” Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said. “(The Rangers) are out of the playoffs, and they have a lot of speed and they’ve got a lot of skill. And they’re just playing loose hockey. Those are very tough games to play. So, no, that wasn’t our best. But when you can say that and say you still won the game, that’s pretty good.”
How It Unfolded
New York drew first blood on a short-handed goal just 5:41 into the first period. Vincent Trocheck stripped the puck from Werenski at the opposite blue line, went in alone on Jet Greaves, and put a wrist shot through the five-hole to make it 1-0 — a gift that Columbus’s early penalty-taking handed directly to a Rangers team playing its second game in as many nights.
Columbus responded. Isac Lundestrom tied it 1-1 at 14:33 with a wrist shot over Igor Shesterkin’s left shoulder that found the back of the net off the right post, set up by Boone Jenner bouncing the puck off the boards to the high slot.
Then, with just 59 seconds left in the first, Conor Garland gave Columbus a 2-1 lead in the messiest way imaginable. His shot from the right circle was tipped into the air by Rangers defenseman Matthew Robertson before bouncing in off the face of Robertson’s defensive partner, Braden Schneider. It was Garland’s fifth goal in seven games since being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline — a pickup that has quietly paid dividends.
The second period was the game’s turning point. Mika Zibanejad tied it 2-2 at 4:44 with a snap shot off the rush from above the left circle, the puck deflecting in off Greaves’ glove. But Columbus answered quickly. Jenner scored 2:20 later, following his own shot to tap in the rebound and put the Blue Jackets ahead 3-2 at 7:04. Fantilli then settled matters on the power play at 15:25, redirecting a Werenski point shot past Shesterkin for a 4-2 lead — his 20th goal of the season.
Third Period Scare, Then Breathing Room
Alexis Lafreniere cut it to 4-3 just 50 seconds into the third, jumping in front of Greaves to tip a shot from Adam Fox on the power play — his 20th goal of the season and New York’s ninth power-play goal in its last nine games.
The Rangers, to their credit, pushed. But Columbus held firm. Damon Severson restored the two-goal lead at 6:12 by chipping in a rebound off Cole Sillinger’s shot, and Fantilli sealed it with an empty-net goal at 17:06 for the 6-3 final.
“Not every game is going to be perfect,” Fantilli said. “Coach said, ‘Not every game’s going to be Picasso.’ To be able to find wins like that is huge.”
Fantilli and Werenski Making History
The numbers Fantilli and Werenski are putting up deserve more than a passing mention — they are rewriting the Blue Jackets’ record books in real time.
Fantilli’s 21st goal of the season makes him only the third Blue Jackets player with multiple 20-goal seasons before his 22nd birthday, joining Rick Nash and Pierre-Luc Dubois. After scoring 31 goals last season, the concern was always whether he could sustain that production. He is answering.
Werenski’s three-assist performance pushed him to 72 points (20 goals, 52 assists) in 61 games. In reaching 70 points in a second NHL season, he tied Artemi Panarin for the most such seasons in Blue Jackets history. His three-assist games are also stacking up — Thursday was his third of the season, a mark surpassed in franchise history only by Panarin.
“We’re definitely not going to get overconfident,” Werenski said. “We’re a long way from where we want to be. That’s with an ‘X’ next to our name. We do have a great team in here and we are aware of that.”
Rangers Running on Empty
New York played this game one night after being routed 6-3 at home by the New Jersey Devils, and the fatigue showed early. The penalties that gifted Columbus power play opportunities in the opening minutes set the tone, and the Rangers spent most of the evening chasing the game rather than dictating it.
Rangers coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged the back-to-back reality while noting his team improved as the game progressed.
“We’re no different than any other team. Everybody’s got to play back-to-back in this League,” Sullivan said. “I thought early on in the game, we take a couple penalties right away that put us on our heels. I thought as the game went on, 5-on-5, we got better.”
Shesterkin stopped 31 shots in a losing effort, and Zibanejad — who also had an assist — spoke for the group when assessing the night.
“Tough opponent, obviously. Coming in here after playing yesterday, we knew it was going to be tough,” Zibanejad said. “A bit better today than yesterday, but not good enough to beat this team, unfortunately.”
New York sits last in the Eastern Conference with 64 points, five back of the Florida Panthers. Their season is effectively over. The Blue Jackets’, by contrast, is anything but.
What’s Next
The Blue Jackets host the Seattle Kraken on Saturday as they look to keep their playoff push rolling.
