Alexandar Georgievmade 39 saves in regulation and the five-minute overtime period, and stopped all 15 shots he faced in the first period. He was selected as the game's Second Star. Georgiev made 94 consecutive saves and posted a shutout streak of 147:23, from the 15:02 mark of the first period Mar. 29 vs. St. Louis to the 2:25 mark of the third period tonight vs. Columbus (he played in three games over the span - Mar. 29, Mar. 31 at Philadelphia, and tonight); according to NHL Stats & Information, Georgiev's streak of 94 consecutive saves is the longest by a Rangers goaltender since the start of the 1997-98 season (the previous record was 81 by Henrik Lundqvist from Jan. 9, 2010 to Jan. 14, 2010). In addition, Georgiev's shutout streak of 147:23 is a career-high. Over his last three appearances, he has posted a 2-0-1 record, along with a 1.31 GAA, a .966 SV% (112 saves on 116 shots), and 1 SO. Georgiev has made at least 30 saves in four of his last five appearances, in seven of his last nine appearances, and in 17 of 32 appearances this season.
Mika Zibanejadrecorded two assists,*both of which were primary assists, tied for the team-high with four shots on goal, and posted a plus-two rating while skating in a team-high 24:42 of ice time. Zibanejad, who was named the Rangers' MVP for the 2018-19 season prior to tonight's game, has established career-highs in goals (30), assists (44), and points (74) this season. He is the only Ranger who has skated in all of the team's games this season.
Chris Kreidertallied the first goal of the game, tied for the game-high with three takeaways, registered three shots on goal, and posted a plus-two rating. He recorded his 28th goal of the 2018-19 season, tying his career-high. Kreider is the Rangers' all-time leader in goals against the Blue Jackets (10).
Pavel Buchnevichrecorded the game-tying goal with seven seconds remaining in regulation and posted a plus-two rating while skating in a single-game career-high 21:35 of ice time. He tallied his 21st goal of the season in tonight's game, adding to his career-high. Buchnevich has registered a point in eight of his last nine games (five goals, four assists), and he has also tallied a goal in three of his last four games.
Ryan Stromenotched an assist and posted a plus-one rating. He has recorded six points (three goals, three assists) in the last six games and 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in the last 14 contests.
Neal Pionk*skated in his 100th career NHL game (and his 100th career game as a Ranger) in tonight's contest.
