New York Rangers @ Columbus Blue Jackets: 2024-25 NHL Season Game 56

The Rangers and Jackets remember how the first meeting this season ended. The Rangers would win a hotly contested game in Madison Square Garden 1-0 in overtime. Tonight, plenty of goals would be scored in regulation as both teams pushed for a crucial Wild Card position ahead of the 2025 NHL Four Nations Tournament. Further, Zach Werenski would look to make it a twenty-one home-game point streak. In addition, many players were looking to start or extend point streaks of their own. So, let's recap a Metro Match Up! 

The Rangers would start out the game flying with purpose after losing at home last night (3-2 against the Penguins at home.) This would result in an early goal past Elvis Merzlikins, giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead just 1:56 into period one. This goal would become number three for A. Kaliyev. The primary assist would be credited to R. Lindgren. becoming his thirteenth this season while the secondary would be credited to M. Zabanejad, becoming his twenty-sixth this season. The Jackets would refocus and doing so would pay off as Kent Johnson would add goal number seventeen at 14:31. Zach Werenski, the man of the season, continues his tour through NHL History as he intends his home point streak to twenty-one games! This primary assist also marks his forty-second this season and, yes, he still leads the Jackets in this department! Adam Fantilli, one of the many bright young players on this team adds his seventeenth assist this season with the secondary. This would be the equalizer but the Jackets weren't done as Justin Danforth would add his fifth goal this season at 15:29, giving the Jackets their first lead at home tonight! Jack Johnson also adds his fifth assist with the primary while Zach Aston-Reese adds his eighth on the secondary. The Jackets, who quickly turned the tides at home, would go from down 1-0 to up 2-1 after period one. 

Goal eleven would come for M. Zabanejad 6:38 into period two, tying the game at 2-2. A, Fox would add his fortieth assist with the primary while the secondary would become number four for C. Kreider. But, at 17:17, a stitched-up James van Riemsdyk would give the Jackets back their lead with his eleventh goal this season! This goal would give Damon Severson his sixteenth assist on the primary while Cole Sillinger would add his eighteenth on the secondary. The Jackets would hold off the Rangers for the remainder of this period and the Jackets would carry another single-goal lead into the final period of regulation. 

With how fierce the completion has been between these two teams all season, and with a playoff spot before the break on the line, it should come as no surprise that the Rangers did tie the game again. The goal came so fast on a penalty against the Jackets that it hadn't even been called yet before the puck crossed the line. At 1:57, W. Cuylie would add goal fourteen to his season and the only assist on his goal would go to V. Trocheck, his nineteenth this season. The game was about to go into overtime after Zach Werenski's send-off moment with just a few minutes left in the game, but the scoring duo from before would score again at 18:21. W. Cuylie would add goal number fifteen this season and V. Tracheck would add his twentieth assist. Try as they might, they couldn't get the goal back, and the Jackets would lose tonight 4-3. Oof, what a heartbreaker. 

James van Riemsdyk does achieve the Third Star of the Game with a 1-0-1 night. 

With any luck, the Jackets will return from the Four Nations Break with a purpose to push post-loss. I have no doubt they will. This team has proven time and again that they want to see the postseason, and the next step to that is beating the Chicago Blackhawks on February 22nd.  They will travel to Nationwide on a night that is sure to see a lineup shakeup as at least one injured players are set to return, and he's one of the biggest. Captain Boone Jenner, need I say more? Cannot wait to see him back on the ice soon, along with his team for the first time this season. 

Until then, I will have updates as I follow Zach Werenski and Team U.S.A. in the NHL's 2025 Four Nations Tournament. It will kick off on Wednesday as Team Canada and Team Finland play at 8:00 p.m. followed by Zach Werenski and Team U.S.A. playing Sweeden on Thursday at 8:00 p.m.

Good luck, Werenski!  





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