National Hockey League
Columbus 2, NY Rangers 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 19, 2020
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Referees: T.J. Luxmore, Kevin Pollock
Linesmen: Darren Gibbs, Brad Kovachik
Attendance: 17423

Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his second goal of the game with 27 seconds remaining as the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets rallied for a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Sunday night.

The Blue Jackets tied a season high with their fifth straight win thanks to Bjorkstrand, who returned after missing nearly a month due to a back injury. Bjorkstrand recorded his seventh career two-goal game as the Blue Jackets also posted their sixth victory when trailing after two periods.

Bjorkstrand tied the game 6:08 into the third when his wrist shot from the right faceoff circle sailed over New York rookie goaltender Igor Shesterkin's glove as Rangers' defenseman Jacob Trouba attempted to block the shot.

Bjorkstrand scored the game-winner by putting a shot over Shesterkin from the middle of the slot after getting the puck from Pierre-Luc Dubois as the Rangers completed a slow line change.

Bjorkstrand's clutch goals helped Matiss Kivlenieks win his NHL debut. Kivlenieks made 31 saves, including 14 in the final 20 minutes, and his best save of the night occurred about midway through the second when he slid across the crease to make a stick save on former Blue Jacket Artemi Panarin.

Defenseman Brady Skjei scored for the Rangers, who were unable to win three straight games for the second time this season. New York also saw a five-game home winning streak halted and lost for the first time in regulation when carrying a lead into the third (16-1-2).

In his third career start, Shesterkin finished with 29 saves, including a point-blank stop on Seth Jones with about 50 seconds left.

Skjei scored eight seconds after exiting the penalty box after Dubois flubbed a pass as his stick broke. Trouba gained possession and made a long outlet pass to Skjei, who scored by flipping a shot over Kivlenieks' left pad and into the upper corner of the net with 97 seconds left in the first period.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Columbus   NY Rangers
Oliver Bjorkstrand 2 Points Brady Skjei 1
Oliver Bjorkstrand 2 Goals Brady Skjei 1
Pierre-Luc Dubois 1 Assists Jacob Trouba 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Matiss Kivlenieks .969 Save Percentage Igor Shesterkin .935
Matiss Kivlenieks 31 Saves Igor Shesterkin 29
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Columbus 31 2 0-1 0-0 0 26
NY Rangers 32 1 0-0 1-1 2 18
Upcoming Games
  • NY Rangers will play their next game at home against NY Islanders. The Rangers have a W/L % of .348 after a win and .625 after a loss.
  • Columbus will play their next game at home against Winnipeg. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .560 after a win and .480 after a loss.