Rangers at Blue Jackets
After coming up one victory shy of matching the longest win streak in NHL history, the Columbus Blue Jackets must quickly regroup as they await a visit from the New York Rangers on Saturday night. Columbus' stirring 16-game run ended with a thud with a 5-0 loss at Washington on Thursday -- the team's first defeat since Nov. 26.
The Blue Jackets own the best record in the NHL but don't have the luxury of resting on their laurels with Pittsburgh and the Rangers each sitting three points behind them in the Metropolitan Division. "You cannot exhale," Columbus coach John Tortorella said as he prepares to face the team that fired him in 2013. "We have so much hockey to be played. ... We have a long ways to go here to really define who we are." The holiday break appears to have invigorated New York, which has won three of four (all on the road) after giving up seven goals in back-to-back games before Christmas. The Rangers had a seven-game winning streak in the series halted in a 4-2 loss at Columbus on Nov. 18.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, MSG2 (New York), FSN Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (27-13-1): Forward Rick Nash, who spent his first nine seasons with Columbus, will not get a chance to face his former club due to a groin injury that has sidelined him the past seven games, although coach Alain Vigneault said he is "close" to returning. Forward Kevin Hayes broke a 12-game goalless drought by scoring twice in Wednesday's 5-2 win at Philadelphia, giving him seven points in the last five games. Michael Grabner also scored twice and is tied for the team lead with 16 goals.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (27-6-4): Columbus outscored the opposition 62-27 during the streak, but was shut out for the first time since its last regulation defeat on Nov. 23. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky had his 14-game winning streak snapped after allowing five goals on 23 shots and Tortorella admitted he may have played his starting netminder too much during the streak. "I can just get back to kind of just looking at our situation with the season and figure out the goaltending situation, which is very important," Tortorella said.
OVERTIME
1. New York F Chris Kreider has eight goals in his last eight games, but has scored only twice in 13 contests versus Columbus.
2. Blue Jackets F Cam Atkinson has 10 goals in his last 13 games and five tallies in as many contests against New York.
3. Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist is 9-4-1 with a 2.49 goals-against average versus Columbus.