NYR 1, CBJ 0 (SO): Tarasov Shines, But Blue Jackets Fall To Rangers In Shootout Loss To Snap Six-Game Win Streak

	1	2	3 (OT) (SO)	F
	0	0	0 (0) (0)	0
	0	0	0 (0) (1)	1
CBJ GOALS:  None

The win streak is over, but the point streak is not.

Daniil Tarasov and Igor Shesterkin put on a show at Madison Square Garden but the Columbus Blue Jackets came up short Saturday night, losing 1-0 in a shootout to the New York Rangers.

Despite the loss, Tarasov is credited with his first career shutout. He made 26 saves in regulation and overtime and allowed just one of three to slip by him in the shootout.

Unfortunately, Shesterkin made 27 saves and stopped all three in the three-round shootout competition.

The two goalies were the First and Second Stars of the Game, with Shesterkin getting the nod for number one.

"(Tarasov) played a strong game and I think everybody was committed in front of him, as well," said head coach Dean Evason. The Blue Jackets had 16 blocked shots for the game, their fifth straight in which they've given up two or less goals.

The overtime point continues Columbus' point streak, which is now at seven games. Their 51st point of the season was enough to keep them in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Here's how the unique game came to be in the Big Apple:

1st Period:

There was no scoring in the first period, but not for a lack of trying. The Rangers hit a goalpost minutes after getting one within a few inches from crossing the line to go in, but the proverbial puck-luck did not go their way. For the Blue Jackets, they were stymied several times by Shesterkin. Expected goals in the opening twenty minutes per Natural Stat Trick were 1.31 to 0.70 in favor of Columbus.

2nd Period

Another scoreless period, but this one saw the Rangers even things up a bit in the analytics department. They out-attempted the Blue Jackets 21-14, had a 12-5 advantage in shots on goal, and had all five of the high-danger chances for the middle twenty minutes. Expected goals were 1.02 to 0.18 in favor of New York. This was a fast-moving, penalty-free second period of hockey in which perhaps the best scoring chance came for the Rangers with just under five minutes remaining. The Blue Jackets have a spot of trouble trying to get the puck out of their own zone and the puck ends up on the stick of Artemi Panarin, but his shot to Tarasov's right is denied by Tarry.

Tarry's locked in! pic.twitter.com/TA5TIB0vP6

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 19, 2025

3rd Period / Overtime / Shootout

For just the second in the 2024-25 season, the Blue Jackets went go into the third period of a game with neither team on the board — and for the first time since April 2021, they would go to overtime in a 0-0 game. 

Tarasov played brilliantly in overtime, including a pair of stops on Mika Zibanejad that came with the All-Star on a breakaway.

In the shootout, Vincent Trocheck of the Rangers had the only goal. Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli, and Kirill Marchenko had their attempts saved by Shesterkin.

Stat Chat:

• The Blue Jackets had more scoring chances by a 27-25 margin, but it was the Rangers who dominated in the high-danger chances: they doubled up Columbus, 14-7.
   
• Columbus' offense sputtered more as the game went along: they had 21 attempts in the first, 14 in the second, and just 12 in the third period. Shesterkin was hot, but wasn't tested frequently enough.
   
• It was another heavy dose of Zach Werenski, to no surprise. He skated 28:31 and led all Blue Jacket skaters in ice time by nearly five minutes. Ivan Provorov was second, at 24:13.

Up Next:

Columbus will stay in New York for one more game: they face the Islanders at the UBS Arena on Monday, with puck-drop slated for 7:30 p.m.