Kreider's goal, which made it 2-1, came two seconds after a too many men on the ice penalty to the Blue Jackets expired. He scored on a one-timer from the slot off a pass from Mika Zibanejad.
"They tried all game long to pass low, then the slot," Merzlikins said. "The guy had a good shot and he shoots it well."
During the Columbus penalty kill, Boone Jenner had a breakaway with 4:44 left but his shot hit the left post.
"I tried to be patient and cover as much net as possible and wait for him to make a move," Georgiev said. "He made a move to the side; turned out pretty good."
Pavel Buchnevich gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead 22 seconds into the first period with a waist-high redirection from the right face-off dot after a shot by Jacob Trouba. Buchnevich has scored in two straight games and has six goals in the past 10 games.