The New York Rangers have won three straight and 11 of their past 13 games. They've scored at least three goals in nine consecutive games (8-1-0). The Rangers lead the NHL with 4.24 goals per game. Columbus is second with 3.36. New York has won seven straight against Columbus, but center Derek Stepan is looking forward to playing the Blue Jackets under former Rangers coach John Tortorella. "A lot of us know the coach," he said. "The coach demands a high compete level for them. It's a good test for us to come into a building with a team that's playing at a high level." Stepan will play Friday after taking a shot to the foot Tuesday in a 7-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks. He did not practice Thursday but skated Friday morning. "There's discomfort there but nothing that I'm concerned about going into tonight," he said. Forward Chris Kreider is expected to return after missing two games with injuries that he said Thursday were related to neck spasms that caused him to miss four games earlier this season. He said the symptoms were similar to what could be experienced with post-concussion symptoms but added testing proved that they weren't. "Luckily I got the best news possible," he said. "There's definitely a sense of peace of mind, just continue to treat the neck-based stuff and go from there." Kreider has three goals and eight assists in 11 games.
