Is it luck, good bounces following bad bounces, opposition falling asleep from dull play?
Or is it a change in personality on the bench for the New York Rangers?
Yes, they skated through the motions in a dismal loss to the Buffalo Sabres last week but then responded with a solid, 5-2, win over the Philadelphia Flyers the next night.
Saturday night was a microcosm of the week as the Rangers looked lackluster in the
Goalie Henrik Lundqvist (#30) – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
opening 20 minutes of play as they entered the intermission with a 3-1 deficit.
Before the game was out, the Rangers had rallied from that and 4-1 deficit in the middle frame to stun the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-4 on a goal from Michael Grabner, his second of the game, with 16 seconds left in regulation to win it.
Cam Atkinson, Markus Nutivaara and Scott Hartnell scored in the first period for the Columbus Jackets to stake the club the early lead.
Oscar Lindberg had the only goal for the Rangers in the opening frame.
After the Jackets pulled ahead 4-1 early in the second on a goal from Lukas Sedlak, Michael Grabner scored the first of his two goals on the night to make it 4-2 heading to the third.
“At that point you just have to battle, get a good bounce or something. I knew if I gave up one more goal the game was over, my game might be over. I was fighting for ice time,” the Rangers Henrik Lundqvist said of the fourth goal from the Jackets.
Lundqvist made 33 saves for the win.
In the third period, Adam Clendening scored his first two goals of the season to tie the game.
“The third period, it starts with a power play that I think needs to be saved, and it mounts,” Columbus coach John Tortorella said. “I don’t want to put it all on [McElhinney] but we do need a couple of saves there.”
WATCH: All Rangers vs. Blue Jackets highlights
“We played one real solid period that enabled us to win the game,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said of the effort in the third period.
Grabner’s game-winner came off a steal of an errant pass from Seth Jones at the Rangers blue line.
“Once the guy fanned on the puck I saw a chance to go and it worked out,” Grabner said.
The condensed much of the Rangers’ season into a 60-minute span.
“Regardless of the score we wanted to play hard. It certainly wasn’t going our way. It was great to see us play with some energy and capitalize on our chances,” New York’s Ryan McDonagh said of the bench’s approach to the final period.
Curtis McElhinney made 29 saves in the loss.
The Rangers head to their mandatory bye week.
The Jackets have lost two straight after winning 16 in a row.
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