Jimmy Vesey scored in the fifth round of the shootout to lift the Rangers over the host Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-4, on Saturday night.
Vesey beat goalie Joonas Korpisalo after the Blue Jackets’ Oliver Bjorkstrand was stopped by Alexander Georgiev to give the Rangers their fifth win in six games, bringing their record to 5-0-1.
The score remained tied at 4-4 through the third period despite an 11-2 shot advantage by Columbus and a scoreless five-minute overtime period. The Blue Jackets outshot the Rangers, 38-19, for the game.
Kevin Shattenkirk and Mika Zibanejad also scored in the shootout for the Rangers. Artemi Panarin and Anthony Duclair each had a goal for the Blue Jackets.
Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich each had a goal and an assist in regulation, and Zibanejad and Chris Kreider also scored for the Rangers. Georgiov stopped 34 shots.
Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal and assist for Columbus, and Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg and Nick Foligno also scored. Seth Jones had three assists. Korpisalo finished with 15 saves.
Zibanejad scored the opening goal on a 2-on-1 rush 5 minutes 54 seconds into the game. Columbus tied it late in the first when Dubois threaded a pass into Atkinson, who tipped it in for a power-play goal.
Another odd-man rush allowed Buchnevich to beat Korpisalo and give the Rangers the lead in the second period. Kreider tapped in his team-leading eighth goal of the season off a pass from Kevin Hayes later in the second to push the Rangers’ lead to 3-1.
The Blue Jackets tied the score again in the second with two goals in a 32-second span. Dubois got credit for redirecting a one-timer by Jones, and Foligno tipped in the second from the door step on a rush.
Wennberg got his first of the season, a short-handed tally off the post to put the Blue Jackets ahead. But the Columbus lead did not last long. Vesey capped the scoring in the busy second period to knot the score once more at the second intermission.
PANTHERS 4, ISLANDERS 2 Aleksander Barkov scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as the Florida Panthers beat the visiting Islanders.
Troy Brouwer, Mike Hoffman and Denis Malgin also scored for the Panthers, who won their third straight. Roberto Luongo made 29 saves for his third consecutive victory after missing nearly a month with a knee injury.
Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal scored for the Islanders, who have lost three in a row after winning their previous five. Robin Lehner had 27 saves.
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