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Columbus Blue Jackets rout of New York Rangers 7-3 to reclaim playoff spot
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- Columbus Blue Jackets rout of New York Rangers 7-3 to reclaim playoff spot
The Blue Jackets got back to winning in a big way Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.
After dropping their first two games of a four-game road trip last week against the NHL's Florida teams, the Jackets rebounded with a 7-3 rout of the New York Rangers — passing the Ottawa Senators to reclaim the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
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The Blue Jackets (31-24-8) have 70 points, the Senators have 69 and the Rangers (31-27-5) stayed at 68 points and sit just outside a playoff spot.
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Justin Danforth (17) celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers with defenseman Zach Werenski (8) during the first period at Madison Square Garden.
After coughing up a 3-1 lead in the second period on back-to-back short-handed Rangers goals, the Jackets answered with four straight goals to win. Mathieu Olivier and Dante Fabbro scored 1:44 apart late in the second to lead 5-3 before Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli sealed it with goals in the third.
Fantilli's insurance goal was his third of the game for his second career hat trick and second this season. His first keyed a 5-1 victory Jan. 22 in Toronto , near his hometown of Nobleton, Ontario. Four other Blue Jackets finished with two-point games, including Zach Werenski 's two assists to move ahead of Rick Nash as the franchise's all-time assist leader with 260.
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Dmitri Voronko added two assists for two points, Fabbro finished with a goal and assist, and Olivier added a goal and assist in his first opportunity to play a "top six" role with captain Boone Jenner and Johnson on the second line.
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Mar 9, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) makes a save against the New York Rangers during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Backup goalie Daniil Tarasov started for the second time against the Rangers in New York this season, earning a win with 31 saves after losing 1-0 in a shootout Jan. 18 that made him the only goalie in NHL history to lose his first career shutout. Former Blue Jackets goalie Jonathan Quick took the loss for the Rangers, allowing all seven goals on 27 shots.
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As a team, the Blue Jackets set a franchise record with their 12thgame scoring six-plus goals, topping the previous high of 11 in 2018-19. They also moved within four points of the New Jersey Devils for third place in the Metropolitan Division two days before finishing the trip Tuesday against the Devils.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets bounce back with rout of New York Rangers
