The Rangers faced an even larger deficit in this game than they did just two days prior.
And after climbing out of a two-goal hole against the Penguins, the Blueshirts proved they haven’t totally lost their inspiration and overcame a four-goal margin in a single period Monday night to force overtime before Kirill Marchenko won it, 5-4, for Columbus in the extra session.
Gabe Perreault had a hand in three of the Rangers’ four goals in the third period, scoring two of them — including the game-tying score — and assisting on one to help his team pick up at least one point.
Facing a Columbus team without Zach Werenski (illness), the Rangers endured their sixth loss in their last eight games.
The Rangers didn’t get on the scoreboard until early in the third period, when the home team scored twice in the span of 24 seconds to make it a two-goal game with a bulk of the final frame remaining.
Vladislav Gavrikov scored his 10th goal of the season before Perreault took advantage of Denton Mateychuk’s whiffed pass.
The 20-year-old collected the puck and whipped it past Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins.
With an extra skater on the ice due to a delayed Blue Jackets penalty toward the end of the final frame, the Rangers cut Columbus’ lead to one.
After captain J.T. Miller got taken down in front, Will Borgen stuffed a loose puck in for the 4-3 score.
Less than six minutes into the game, Adam Fantilli redirected a Marchenko feed to take a 1-0 lead over the Rangers.
When the Rangers bench was later assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the Blue Jackets capitalized on their first power play of the night.
Marchenko’s one-timer beat Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin for a 2-0 edge going into the first intermission.
Miller nearly got his team on the board with a goal on the power play early in the middle frame.
A goaltender interference challenge, however, overturned the Rangers goal.
Video review determined Alexis Lafrenière made contact with the head of Merzlikins.
Seconds later, Sean Monahan took himself on a shorthanded odd-man rush to give the Blue Jackets a 3-0 lead over the Rangers.
After Mathieu Olivier made it a 4-0 game, the Rangers skated off to hearty boos from the MSG crowd as they made their way to the locker room for the second intermission.
