Shorthanded goal lifts Blue Jackets past Rangers

COLUMBUS -- Matt Calvert didn't see the puck that opened up his forehead and resulted in more than 30 stitches, according to the Columbus Blue Jackets forward.
But after the damage was done, he went back onto the ice and scored the shorthanded winner in the third period to help the Blue Jackets defeat the New York Rangers 4-2 at Nationwide Arena on Friday for their record seventh straight home win.
Calvert left the game at 9:28 of the second when he took a Nick Holden slap shot to the head. He returned at the start of the third period wearing a wide bandage and broke 2-on-1 with William Karlsson, keeping the puck to score his second goal at 11:35.

WATCH: All Rangers vs. Blue Jackets highlights
"I think when something like this happens, emotions kind of take over. [You're] running on adrenalin," Calvert said. "I made a shot. It's great to see it hit the back of the net. It's been a little tough offensively for me lately."
Boone Jenner scored into an empty net at 19:59 for Columbus (9-4-2), who twice before won six in row at home.
Karlsson and Sam Gagner scored off turnovers for Columbus and Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves.
"They took it to us for large portions of the game where they were forcing us into mistakes we usually don't make," Rangers defenseman Marc Staal said.

The Rangers (13-5-0) trailed 2-0 but got a goal by Michael Grabner - his team-high 11th - at 11:04 of the second period and Mika Zibanejad at 8:32 of the third. Henrik Lundqvist made 20 saves for the Rangers, who had a three-game winning streak end.
The two highest scoring teams had three shots apiece in the first period, with the Blue Jackets scoring on their last one at 16:34 for a 1-0 lead when Karlsson scored unassisted for his third goal.
Gagne made it 2-0 at 5:38 of the second on the Blue Jackets' sixth shot before the Rangers rallied to tie the score.
It stayed that way until Calvert's heroics.
"You can't script it any better," Gagner said.

Goal of the game

Calvert's shorthanded winner was fortuitous and fast. A Rangers' shot came off the boards to Columbus defenseman Ryan Murray, who started the transition to Karlsson, and Calvert finished the rush.

Save of the game

Bobrovsky somehow snared a shot from the left point by Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh with 12 seconds left in regulation. New York, with an extra attacker, won the draw and Chris Kreider set a screen in front of Bobrovsky, but he was able to glove McDonagh's shot at the last second.

Unsung moment of the game

It looked like a big penalty kill at the time when the Rangers, trailing 2-1, did not allow a shot on goal during the Columbus power play beginning at 5:30 of third period. The Rangers tied the score 62 seconds after the penalty expired.

Highlight of the game

Grabner left the Blue Jackets in his wake, flying into the zone with a loose puck to create space before putting a move on Bobrovsky to pull the Rangers to within 2-1.

They said it

"I don't think my wife is going to be happy with the scar. It's a bit of a big one." --Blue Jackets forward Matt Calvert
"He's just an unbelievable teammate. He gave every guy on the bench a huge shot when he came back. You saw the energy he was bringing, getting on the forecheck. It didn't slow him down at all. That's just a heart-and-soul guy." -- Blue Jackets forward Sam Gagner on Calvert

"They were cycling the puck and getting first to the corner. We were chasing the puck more than we were used to. When a team has possession like that and making plays, we were trying to get into battles and trying to stop them." - Rangers defenseman Marc Staal
"In my book that's no excuse." - Rangers coach Alain Vigneault on whether fatigue was a factor for the last of a four-game trip. New York played at the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday

Need to know

Columbus ended a seven-game losing streak to the Rangers. … Rangers forward J.T. Miller's younger brother, Matt, is a freshman defenseman on the Ohio State hockey team. The Millers are from East Palestine, Ohio. … Columbus defenseman Dalton Prout missed his second straight game because of back spasms, the same injury that has kept Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich out three games. The Rangers' healthy scratch was defenseman Adam Clendening. … Columbus forward Boone Jenner played his 200th NHL game.

What's next

Rangers: Host the Florida Panthers on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; MSG, FS-F, NHL.TV)
Blue Jackets: At the Washington Capitals on Sunday (12:30 p.m. ET; SN, CSN-DC, FS-O, NHL.TV)