Blue Jackets score six, hold off Rangers

NEW YORK -- The Columbus Blue Jackets left Madison Square Garden on Tuesday with a 6-4 win and a lesson learned.
Seth Jones scored two goals and Alexander Wennberg had three points to help the Blue Jackets end a two-game losing streak by defeating the New York Rangers, who have lost two in a row overall and six of their past eight games at home.
Brandon Saad had a goal and an assist and Nick Foligno and Matt Calvert scored. Zach Werenski had two assists and Joonas Korpisalo made 33 saves.

WATCH: All Blue Jackets vs. Rangers highlights
"That's another two points against a divisional team," Foligno said. "It keeps them at bay a little bit."
The Blue Jackets (33-12-4) weren't happy with how they got the two points.
They built a 6-0 lead before the Rangers (31-18-1) scored four goals in the third period. Jimmy Vesey, Michael Grabner and Chris Kreider scored in a span of 3:21 to cut the deficit to 6-3 with 13:48 remaining. Kevin Klein scored with 1:07 remaining.
"Some of it is just not knowing any better," said Blue Jackets assistant coach Brad Shaw, who addressed the media instead of coach John Tortorella. "We have to have a better awareness of when the other team is ramping things up."
Shaw said the third period is proof of how much growing the Blue Jackets have to do even though they are second in the Metropolitan Division with 70 points, two fewer than the Washington Capitals, with a game in hand.

"I think when you're near the top of the standings it's a different feel, you aren't sneaking up on other teams," Shaw said. "I think teams sort of looked at us and maybe looked past us early on in the season. We were supposed to be a lottery team. This, that and everything else was said about us and I think guys played with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder and came out to prove some of the pundits wrong.
"I think we did a great job with that. The next stage now is to learn how to play with the additional expectation and pressure that comes with where you are in the standings. That sometimes is a bumpy road and you saw quite a big speed bump in the third. Awesome that we get the two points, Hopefully we learn our lessons and we're a little better next time we get to that situation."
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was pulled at 3:42 of the second period after allowing his third goal on 16 shots. Antti Raanta, making his first appearance since Jan. 14, made seven saves in relief.
Jones scored on Columbus' first shot of the game at 3:53 of the first period. Saad scored at 1:06 of the second and Wennberg scored off a rebound Lundqvist left in front of him 2:36 later. It was the last shot Lundqvist saw.
Jones and Foligno scored on Raanta before the end of the second period.
"I know I need to be better," Lundqvist said. "That third goal is a killer. As a group we responded really well in the third. The intensity and energy we had is something that when we do have it we are a good team. But it starts with me, and especially that third goal, that's something that bothers me."
Calvert scored on a deflection 1:49 into the third before the Rangers started their comeback.

Goal of the game

Saad scored by beating Lundqvist with a snap shot over the blocker and into the short side from the lower part of the left circle. It was his 100th NHL goal.

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Save of the game

Korpisalo made a blocker save on Derek Stepan's backhanded shot with 8:23 remaining in the third period to keep Columbus ahead 6-3. Stepan was alone in front.

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Highlight of the game

Lundqvist couldn't catch Ryan Murray's knuckling shot from the right side, the puck popped out of his glove and onto Wennberg's stick in the slot. Wennberg shot it in past Lundqvist's right pad.

Unsung performance of the game

The Rangers had a power play 11 seconds into the game, but Korpisalo made five saves. Jones scored less than two minutes later.

They said it

"Teams are bringing their 'A' games and they're coming ready to play. The level has increased as far as the games go, and naturally where you're at in the season you start playing a lot more divisional games, bigger games, games that will determine if you're in the playoffs or out, whether you have home ice or not. Games are getting harder and we have to get better. We have to just improve. We have to work on our game and elevate to be able to handle these teams." -- Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky

Need to know

Columbus has allowed 18 goals in its past four games and Korpisalo has allowed 14 goals in his past three starts. … The Rangers are tied for the League lead for goals in the third period with 67.

What's next

Blue Jackets: At the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, ROOT, TVA Sports, NHL.TV)
Rangers:At the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SNO, TVA Sports, MSG, NHL.TV)