Scouting Report: The Blue Jackets Head to the Big Apple for a Metro Showdown Vs. the Rangers

Columbus Blue Jackets (9-4-1) at New York Rangers (6-7-2)

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017, 7 p.m. (Madison Square Garden)

Before the season, the narrative for the New York Rangers was that the team's window at contending for a Stanley Cup was closing.

Gone already are key parts like Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin and Dan Girardi. Not getting any younger are goalie Henrik Lundqvist and Rick Nash. Is the core of a squad that has made seven consecutive playoff appearances starting to fall by the wayside?

The first month of the season suggested the answer is a resounding yes. The team stumbled to a 3-7-2 start, with a porous defense the biggest culprit as the Rangers allowed three or more goals in 10 of the first 13 games. 

The defense wasn't much better last week, but the results were as New York earned wins over Vegas, Tampa Bay and Florida. Still, the Rangers are 3.40 goals per game, good for 25th in the league. But the recent wins have reinstalled some confidence that had perhaps been lacking for the Broadway Blueshirts.

“It’s definitely something that we can look to,” defenseman Marc Staal said. “It’s definitely something we can fall back to when things aren’t going our way. We have to look to continue to keep that effort all game long.”

You Oughta Know: Pavel Buchnevich

The 22-year-old Russian's name might not sound familiar, but it should. Buchnevich was drafted in the third round of the 2013 NHL entry draft by the Rangers with a pick that originally belonged to Columbus. The pick went to New York along with Rick Nash and Steven Delisle in the trade that netted Columbus Brandon Dubinsky as well as Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a first-round pick. Buchnevich continued to play in the KHL until last year, when he played in 41 games, netting eight goals and 12 helpers while fighting a back injury. This year, he's been even better, totaling five goals and five assists in his first 15 games and of late has been on the top line featuring team leading scorer Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.

Fast Facts

• Rick Nash leads the team with 53 shots on goal but has only three tallies, good for a 5.7 percent shooting percentage. Nash's previous low is 8.2 percent two seasons ago when he finished with 15 goals in 60 games.
• The Rangers are yet to win a game against a Metropolitan foe this season, going 0-2-2 in their first four tries.
• Since the start of the 2005-06 season, the Rangers lead the NHL in wins in November (95; 95-50-10 record over the span).

Previous Matchups

THIS YEAR: Columbus used Artemi Panarin's first goal as a Blue Jacket to power a 3-1 win against the Rangers on Oct. 13 at Nationwide Arena. The Rangers struck first in the opening period but the Jackets tied it at 1, then Panarin slalomed through the entire New York team before beating Henrik Lundqvist with the winner in the third period.

Keys to the Game

ONE: Score goals. Well, yeah, obviously. But the Rangers have been giving them up like it's going out of style this year with one of the most porous defenses in the league no matter who is in net. Columbus totaled 11 goals in its two-game trip to Florida and will want to keep the good vibes going offensively even without Cam Atkinson and the strong-starting Matt Calvert.

TWO: Score first. The Rangers have just one win on the year when giving up the opening goal, and that came Saturday in Florida. New York is 1-5-2 when the opposition scores first, so creating early momentum could be key.

THREE: Don't get in a track meet. While the Rangers have given up goals, they've also scored them, and New York has a variety of offensive weapons who can put points on the board. Team defense will be important, as the Jackets have ceded at least three goals in four straight games.

Team Projected Lineup

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