Merzlikins stops 38, Blue Jackets end Rangers’ winning streak

COLUMBUS -- Elvis Merzlikins made 38 saves, and the Columbus Blue Jackets ended the New York Rangers’ 10-game winning streak with a 4-2 victory at Nationwide Arena on Sunday.

New York finished one win shy of setting a franchise record after tying its longest mark of 10 consecutive victories with a 2-1 win at the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. The Rangers also won 10 straight from Dec. 19, 1939, to Jan. 13, 1940, and Jan. 19 to Feb. 10, 1973.

Rangers forward Chris Kreider said the focus was not on the record.

“Two points, divisional opponent,” he said. “You never want to lose a hockey game, especially since we’ve been playing well. Points matter, especially this point of the season.”

Dmitri Voronkov, Kirill Marchenko and Jack Roslovic each had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets (19-28-10), who had lost four of their past six (2-4-0). Johnny Gaudreau had two assists.

“We are growing,” Columbus coach Pascal Vincent said. “We just learn from the past. We've had more success recently. There is more confidence. It's a team that is learning and tonight was the result of those setbacks. Hopefully we're going to keep growing. We locked it down in the third and it was good to see.”

Artemi Panarin and Adam Edstrom scored, and Jonathan Quick made 37 saves for the Rangers (39-17-3), whose last loss came on Jan. 26 against the Vegas Golden Knights, 5-2.

“We needed to win tonight,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said. “There’s no excuses with the schedule. Everybody catches back to backs. I expect us to handle that and tonight it wasn’t our best. We’ll learn from it.”

Voronkov gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead at 4:34 on the power play with a wrist shot from the edge of the left circle on a pass from Marchenko. It was the rookie forward’s fourth goal in his past six games.

“About two weeks ago, he said he was going to pass more and play smarter, and it looks like he is doing that,” Voronkov said of Marchenko through a translator.

Panarin tied it 1-1 at 14:22 with a tight-angle shot over the left shoulder of Merzlikins for his NHL career-best 33rd goal of the season.

“The last couple of games our starts haven’t been very good,” Kreider said. “They get the power-play goal, we fall behind. Obviously, you want to dominate games from when the puck drops.

“We’re capable of that but we’re also aware we’re playing good hockey, getting every team’s best and we have to be ready for that.”

Marchenko gave Columbus a 2-1 lead 18 seconds into the second period, tucking the puck inside the left post.

Edstrom tied it 2-2 at 11:11 when his pass went off the skate of Columbus defenseman Jake Bean.

Roslovic put the Blue Jackets back ahead 3-2 at 11:57, scoring on the rush on Gaudreau’s cross-ice pass.

“To give one up that quick hurts, but the overall period they were moving out of our O-zone and getting those rushes,” Rangers defenseman Adam Fox said.

Ivan Provorov extended it to 4-2 at 18:35 with a wrist shot from the right circle on the rush. Merzlikins made the lead stand with 18 saves in the third period.

“Personally, I don't think the first was all that great, but we stepped up in the second and did a job tonight,” Roslovic said. “You’ve got to tip your hat to Elvis at the end.”

NOTES: The Rangers lost for the first time (9-1-0) on the second half of a back to back this season. … Panarin’s previous career high in goals was 32 for the Rangers in 2019-20. He has 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in his past 11 games. … Quick had his four-game winning streak end. … After scoring his first NHL goal in his fourth game Saturday, Rangers forward Matt Rempe got his first assist on the Edstrom goal. … The Blue Jackets ended an opponents’ double-digit winning streak for the second time in franchise history. The other was Dec. 31, 2017, against the Minnesota Wild, who had a 12-game streak. The Blue Jackets’ victory in that game was the 15th in their 16-game winning streak. … Forward Alexander Nylander, who was traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins for Emil Bemstrom on Thursday made his Blue Jackets debut. He had 11:23 of ice time and two shot attempts.