An incredible goal from young Jimmy Vesey turned out to be the difference in the New York Rangers win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- New York Rangers 3 (37-18-1, 75 pts)
- Columbus Blue Jackets 2 (35-15-5, 75 pts)
- NHL, Final, Box Score
- Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
They are, indeed, for real.
The Blueshirts 3-2 thrilling victory puts them at 75 points, tying the Pittsburgh Penguins and these very same Jackets for second in the Metropolitan Division.
It was a gritty, defensive struggle all night long. That was, until, skill and talent took over in the third period.
Skating at one-all, Kevin Hayes put together an individual effort to die for. He picked off a Jack Johnson pass intended for David Savard at the red line broke in, juked once and went five-hole on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Rangers the lead:
What…a…freaking…play by Kevin Hayes. The takeaway and the five-hole. 2-1 #NYR. pic.twitter.com/G0mGVjivYD
— Elite Sports NY (@EliteSportsNY) February 14, 2017
After a fortunate goal tied it up for Columbus (bouncing off J.T. Miller in front of Antti Raanta), a teammate of Hayes one-upped the young center.
Now, folks, what you are about to see isn’t just a talented goal. It’s a goal that could only be executed by a very special hockey player. Rookie Jimmy Vesey, playing with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash, stunned not only the paying audience at the Nationwide Arena, but a hockey nation in how good this beauty was:
This isn't just a talented goal, this is one that could only be executed by a SPECIAL player. Jimmy Vesey, 3-2 #NYR pic.twitter.com/jIMg2j4Pbi
— Elite Sports NY (@EliteSportsNY) February 14, 2017
From there, the Jackets came as close as a team can get when looking to tie the game with the extra skater. Raanta and the defense, however, stood up to the heat.
All in all, Raanta — playing his first game since his daughter was born — stopped 30 of the 32 shots he was tasked with. Only Nick Foligno‘s goal that banked in off Miller and a Brandon Dubinsky tally 8:12 into the first period snuck past Henrik Lundqvist‘s backup.
Dan Girardi accounted for New York’s third goal, a shorthanded version just 12 seconds into the second period.
New York has now won six straight games and is tied with both the Jackets and Pens for second in the Metro having played just one more game. Next up will be the dreaded New York Islanders in Brooklyn on Thursday night.
#NYR WIN 3-2!! SIX IN A ROW!! pic.twitter.com/YP9QsQZ1nd
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 14, 2017
Welcome back Dan!!
Short?? has the game tied at 1! pic.twitter.com/3bzSR4AZ6E— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 14, 2017
