NEW YORK ― It's about measuring up now.
Entering the stretch run of another season finishing without playoff hopes, the Blue Jackets ' motivation to level up for a strong finish is to match up against playoff contenders and figure out how to string wins together. That was the approach they carried into Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night for a rematch against the New York Rangers , whose 10-game winning streak ended three days earlier in Columbus .
"I can't wait," Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said at his team's morning skate. "We have the youngest team in the league right now, and this is going to be a great opportunity to evaluate where we're at."
It turned out to be another backward step, albeit a small one. The Rangers won 4-1, but the final score was inflated by two empty-net goals in the final minute ― two of New York's four total shots in a third period dominated by Columbus. The season series finished with two wins apiece, but the Blue Jackets (19-29-10) edged the Rangers 5-4 in points thanks to a shootout loss Nov. 12 that was mere seconds from finishing as a Columbus win .
Artemi Panarin led the Rangers (40-17-3) with two goals, one into an empty net from long range, and added an assist for a three-point game against his former team. Adam Fox and Chris Kreider scored the other two goals for the Rangers, who got 30 saves from goalie Igor Shesterkin .
Cole Sillinger scored the lone goal for the Blue Jackets, pulling them within a goal early in the third. Elvis Merzlikins made 28 saves for Columbus, including 17 in the first period. The Blue Jackets, who face the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday at Nationwide Arena, outshot the Rangers 12-4 in the third and kept the pressure on Shesterkin.
They just couldn't pull even in a game that Vincent felt was another example of the young Jackets' growth process.
"I see a team that is starting to believe in themselves," he said. "They never quit. ... So, I like the fact they believe in themselves. I like the fact they're playing for each other. I like the fact they protect each other. That's how you build something. The foundation is getting there, and once you have that, then you can think about moving to the next step. I know we didn't win. At the end of the day, that's all we want, winning hockey games, but the process and how the game was played ... I saw a lot of good things."
Here are four more takeaways:
Johnny Gaudreau left the game late in the second period after taking a big hit from Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck near center ice.
Gaudreau was sent to the ice and immediately grabbed his mid-section while in pain. After staying down as a scrum ensued, Gaudreau got to his feet and made it to the bench without help. He was then sent back to the locker room by concussion spotters to be assessed for a possible concussion. After clearing that, Gaudreau returned for the start of the third and finished the game without issue.
"I just got clotheslined with my own stick," Gaudreau said. "I just took the stick to the stomach, so I lost my breath there, but I was alright."
Trocheck was initially penalized for interference, since the puck wasn't anywhere near Gaudreau when shoulder-to-shoulder contact was made. A video review reversed the call and penalized Blue Jackets enforcer Mathieu Olivier for cross-checking Trocheck in retaliation. Gaudreau said he wasn't surprised the call on Trocheck didn't stick.
"I was more surprised they made me go to concussion protocol," he said. "I got hit in the gut there. I just kind of clotheslined myself into the other player, so I didn't think it was a penalty."
Not losing Gaudreau to an injury is a big break for the Blue Jackets, who are already without Patrik Laine (player assistance program) and star rookie Adam Fantilli (lacerated calf).
This was only the second game for Alex Nylander since joining the Blue Jackets in a trade last week that sent Emil Bemstrom to the Pittsburgh Penguins .
He caught Vincent's attention in his first game, also against the Rangers on Sunday, but Nylander and his new linemates had quite a performance Wednesday in New York. Sillinger, who centers a group with Kent Johnson and Nylander at the wings, scored the Jackets' only goal and helped Columbus maintain puck possession most of the time they were in the game.
According to Natural Stat Trick , the Jackets' third line posted impressive numbers across the board. Along with Sillinger's goal, they finished with decisive advantages in 5-on-5 attempts (65%), unblocked attempts (72.7%), shots (6-3), scoring chances (5-3) and high-danger chances (1-0) while taking more defensive draws than offensive.
Johnson and Nylander, in particular, had a great nights possessing the puck and generating scoring chances. They just couldn't net an equalizer before Kreider and Panarin sealed the Rangers' win with empty-net goals. Overall, Sillinger's current line composition should stay together for a larger sample size.
That includes Nylander, a former eighth overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres who's getting a renewed chance to prove himself in his mid-20s.
"He's a great player," Sillinger said. "With the way he sees the game, his edges, his poise ... he's obviously a skilled player, so I'm excited for him and excited to have an opportunity to play with him. We just have to keep building together."
Sillinger, who ended a 12-game dry spell with his ninth goal of the season, had a great night at the dots too. He won 11 of 15 (73%) against one of the NHL's top faceoff teams.
"The last maybe 5-10 games, I haven't been as effective as I can be," Sillinger said. "That's your first 50/50 battle, and with me, I'm an emotional player. So, the more of those I win, the less I think and the better I play. Playing center ice, that's one of the things you have to be good at is taking draws."
Gaudreau didn't think Trocheck's hit on him with 6:22 left in the second was a penalty, but other Blue Jackets players and Vincent disagreed.
Since the puck wasn't close to Gaudreau as Trocheck made shoulder-to-shoulder contact, interference could've been called. Instead, referees Francis Charron and Furman South reversed their original call on Trocheck and sent Olivier to the penalty box for retaliating with a cross-check.
Fox capped the ensuing power play the Rangers were gifted, putting them up 2-0 with 5:41 left in the second period.
"I don't know what I can or cannot say," Olivier said. "I will say the contact was shoulder-to-shoulder, but I did think it was a late hit. So, that's why I responded that way. I was right next to it when it happened. The angle I had, out of the corner of my eye, it didn't look good. So, a response was needed, I felt like. Our whole bench agreed. Watching the replay, it's easy to analyze after it, but in the heat of the moment, it seemed like we needed a response there."
The reversal of power-play fortunes was just the latest in a series of head-scratching officiating decisions that have gone against the Blue Jackets this season. This one led to a string of 11 straight successful penalty-kills being nixed in what probably should've been a 4-on-4 situation with each team being penalized.
"I've never been a referee in the National Hockey League, so I know the game goes quick," Vincent said. "It's not the call we wanted, but that's the call they made."
It wasn't a secret that New York wasn't happy with Sunday's game in Columbus, so the expectation was for the Rangers to come out flying Wednesday night.
They didn't disappoint in that regard, outshooting the Blue Jackets 17-9 in a dominant first 20 minutes. Merzlikins, however, was sharp and stopped all 17 shots. That included high-danger scoring chances for Panarin and Johnny Brodzinski from close range plus several other "10 bell" saves to stop wrist shots from farther out.
Merzlikins was also key Sunday in the Blue Jackets' win at Nationwide Arena, making 38 saves in that one. Three days later, he made 28 more to keep his team close. Since allowing five goals on 34 shots during a 5-4 overtime loss Jan. 27 in Vancouver , Merzlikins has allowed three goals or fewer in five of his past six starts for a 3-3-0 record, 2.84 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and one shutout.
"That's a good offensive team on the other side," Vincent said. "Once they smell the blood, they take advantage of it. But Elvis was outstanding in the first period and it gave us a boost. I see a guy who is more confident. He seems like he's in control. We can see his talent. He's playing good for us."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Rangers edge Blue Jackets in New York: 5 takeaways
