| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
CBJ GOALS: |
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Not good.
For the second straight game, the Columbus Blue Jackets were shutout on home ice, this time falling 4-0 to the New York Rangers in a pivotal divisional game.
The Blue Jackets played from behind nearly the entire game after the Rangers scored less than two minutes in on a disastrous sequence.
Damon Severson lost the puck in Columbus' zone and both he and goalie Daniil Tarasov go for it. They're beat by New York's Mika Zibanejad, who then threw it in front of the net to Alexis Lafrenière for one of his easiest goals of the season.
"To have that first goal go in in the manner that it went in ... there's nothing there and it ends up in our net," said head coach Dean Evason.
Columbus had a golden chance to tie game in the second period, but Dmitri Voronkov's would-be goal went off the post to keep the Rangers lead intact. Just minutes later, former Blue Jacket Artemi Panarin scored to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
Vincent Trochek scored two goals in the third period to put the game out of reach.
Tarasov, making his third start of the season against the Rangers, stopped 17 of 20 shots.
The loss puts Columbus on the outside looking in for a playoff spot for the first time since Feb. 25. The Rangers, now at 72 points and two ahead of the Blue Jackets, take over the second wild card spot.
Here's how the Blue Jackets came up short Saturday night:
1st Period:
(1:43 — NYR Goal): Columbus' mistakes results in an early lead for the Rangers. Severson turns the puck over to Zibanejad falling back into Columbus' own zone. They both go for the puck to the right of Tarasov — who also goes for the puck, leaving the net wide open. Zibanejad is first to it and throws it back in front of the net, where Lafrenière is waiting to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
New York goal!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 15, 2025
Scored by Alexis Lafrenire with 18:17 remaining in the 1st period.
Assisted by Mika Zibanejad.
Columbus: 0
New York: 1#NYRvsCBJ #CBJ #NYR pic.twitter.com/UUCiFRFN8a
2nd Period:
(11:36 — NYR Goal): The Blue Jackets don't convert on a power play for the 15th consecutive time, and they pay for it almost immediately after. Artemi Panarin gets his team-leading 29th of the season to put the Rangers up 2-0.
3rd Period:
(14:38, 16:41— NYR Goal): Vincent Trocheck scores twice in 2:03 to put the Rangers up 4-0. The second goal comes with Tarasov pulled and the Blue Jackets on a power play, making it a short-handed goal — the third time in two games the Rangers get a shorty on the Jackets.
| NYR | GAME STATS | CBJ |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | SHOTS | 21 |
| 59% | FACEOFFS | 41% |
| 0/1 | POWER PLAY | 0/3 |
| 3/3 | PENALTY KILL | 1/1 |
| 21 | HITS | 24 |
| 11 | GIVEAWAYS | 22 |
| 2 | TAKEAWAYS | 3 |
| 17 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 13 |
| ALL SITUATIONS ADVANCED STATS | ||
| 3.64 | EXPECTED GOALS | 2.63 |
| 47 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 57 |
| 28 | SCORING CHANCES | 26 |
| 9 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 10 |
| Data via NHL.com & NaturalStatTrick.com | ||
Stat Chat:
-
Make it six straight games and 0-for-16 on the power play for the Blue Jackets. They had just one shot on goal tonight while on the man-advantage.
-
The Blue Jackets are without a goal in 129 minutes, 31 seconds. That is the longest streak of the season.
- Columbus was able to generate a game-high 23 shot attempts in the third period, but quality matters over quantity: the Blue Jackets registered just six shots on goal on Shesterkin and just one high-danger opportunity in that time.
Up Next:
The homestand continues with vital points on the line as the Blue Jackets face the New Jersey Devils on Monday night. The St. Patrick's Day tilt begins at 7 p.m.
