COLUMBUS, Ohio _ It was the Blue Jackets' season in a nutshell, neatly packaged into another frustrating game Thursday night at Nationwide Arena.
All of the elements were on display in a 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers, who handed the Jackets their third straight loss despite being outshot 47-19 and finishing with 46 fewer shot attempts.
There was a blown 1-0 lead late in the first period, which has become common. There was a fevered, failed push in the third _ when the Jackets outshot the Rangers 18-2 and did everything but tie the score after Seth Jones made it 3-2 just 3:33 into the period.
There was also the guy wearing No. 10 for the Rangers, Artemi Panarin, who scored what turned out to be the winning goal at 15:32 of the second period despite being booed nearly every time he touched the puck.
"Real angry in the game ... but it's OK," said Panarin, who shunned a large contract offer from the Blue Jackets this past summer to sign with the Rangers. "(The goal) really helped me feel better after."
It didn't do much for the Blue Jackets or their fans, who gave their former star left wing a mixed reaction of boos and cheers during a "welcome back" video montage played during a first-period stoppage of play.
This was just the latest frustration for Panarin's former teammates, who have struggled to convert scoring chances all season.
It was no different in this game, as the Blue Jackets attempted 85 shots to the Rangers' 39, but they fired numerous shots over the net, wide of the net, off the posts and off the crossbar. They were stonewalled quite a bit by goalie Alexandar Georgiev, who made 45 saves.
Joonas Korpisalo allowed three goals on 19 shots for the Blue Jackets, who skated away from another game wondering why they can't score more than just a couple goals a game.
Oliver Bjorkstrand was the unfortunate epitome of it, not recording a point despite tying a Jackets record with 10 shots on goal and attempting 17.
Rookie Emil Bemstrom missed the net three times, including twice from close range with a wide area to shoot at, while Josh Anderson and Jones finished with seven shots each.
Cam Atkinson scored the game's first goal at 12:43 of the first period, but the Rangers erased it on a Brendan Lemieux's goal with just eight seconds left before the first horn.
"We were dominating in the first period," said captain Nick Foligno, who recorded his 300th career point as a Blue Jacket with his pass to Atkinson. "They get that late goal, then we come out, we have an opportunity and don't quite get it done (and) they get it done on their power play. That's the difference right now for us, is those focus moments when you've just got to be razor sharp."
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