NEW YORK _ Storming back with three power-play goals in the third period, the Rangers extended their winning streak to four games, edging the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-3, at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
Kevin Shattenkirk scored at 5:10 of the third, Chris Kreider at 9:40 and Pavel Buchnevich at 11:27, victimizing Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who had outplayed Henrik Lundqvist through the first 40 minutes. Michael Grabner's empty-netter, after he poked the puck ahead and flew past Zach Werenski for his second goal of the night, made it 5-3 with 48.8 seconds left.
After the Rangers (7-7-2) had pulled into a 2-2 tie on Shattenkirk's score, Boone Jenner jarred Lundqvist in front and Oliver Bjorkstrand put the loose puck in front past him at 8:01. But Zack Dac went off for elbowing Steven Kampfer at 9:37, and the Rangers tied it again. Right off the faceoff on the power play, Buchnevich's slap shot hit Ryan Murray in front and dropped to the ice. Kreider pounced and beat Bobrovsky to square the game at 3.
Led by Jesper Fast and Michael Grabner, they've denied 20 of 22 power plays.
David Savard's trip gave the Rangers a man advantage again. Mika Zibanejad won the faceoff, and later got the puck down low on the left side. His backhand, cross-ice pass found Buchnevich all alone on the right side for his sixth of the season. Zibanejad had assists on the first three third-period goals.
After a scoreless first period, the Rangers climbed out of a hole after the Blue Jackets scored twice in a 4:24 span in the second period. The red-hot Grabner, who has six goals in the last six games, pushed off Jack Johnson away from the crease and a prone J.T. Miller one-handed the puck toward the net. Grabner jammed it through at 12:41 to trim Columbus' lead to 2-1.
On their third power play, after Artemi Panarin, who scored at 38 seconds of the second, high-sticked Ryan McDonagh, Shattenkirk walked the blue line, and with Kreider screening in front, fired from the middle. It appeared to graze Jenner and change direction and went past Bobrovsky's outstretched glove at 5:10 to tie it at 2.
In the first period, the Rangers were on their toes, but Bobrovsky was up to the task. Jimmy Vesey intercepted a pass on the first shift and was denied on a breakaway. The defending Vezina Trophy winner then stopped Mats Zuccarello's wrister, used his glove to snare David Desharnais' wrister from the left side and knock away Nick Holden's shot.
After Werenski fanned on a shot, the Rangers broke down the ice and Rick Nash was tugged down driving to the net by Josh Anderson and the Rangers had their first power play. They shot a few pucks wide, and Bobrovsky was finally forced to make a low glove save on Vesey with 14 seconds left.
Grabner then had two bang-bang chances, a backhander and then a one-timer while falling down at 12:29, but didn't get enough wood on it and it was gloved by Bobovsky. The Rangers kept working hard, but had no shots on goal after Holden's at 13:25 and the period ended scoreless, with the Jackets settling in.
On Saturday, the Blueshirts had wrapped up a two-game Florida swing with a 5-4 overtime victory over the Panthers. They didn't need overtime on Monday.
