NEW YORK — Alexis Lafreniere‘s second aim of the sport tied it with 11 seconds left in regulation, after which he had the one rating within the shootout because the New York Rangers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Sunday night time.

Chris Kreider had a aim and an help for the Metropolitan Division-leading Rangers, who're 9-0-1 of their final 10 video games. Artemi Panarin had two assists to increase his season-opening level streak to 14 video games, tying Hall-of-Famer Rod Gilbert for the franchise document set in 1972-73. Jonathan Quick made 26 saves.

“I’m playing with really good linemates and trying to get open,” mentioned Lafreniere, who had his first profession three-point sport in final Thursday’s 4-1 win over Minnesota. “We’ve got a lot of games to play, so I’m just trying to stay consistent and keep playing well.”

Justin Danforth, Adam Fantilli and Sean Kuraly scored for Columbus, with misplaced its fifth straight (0-3-2). Erik Gudbranson had two assists and Elvis Merzlikins completed with 37 saves.

“We played a good game. In the third period, we had our chances … but we were 11 seconds short,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent mentioned. ”Elvis performed nicely.”

The Rangers had 17 photographs on aim within the third interval, lastly breaking by way of within the waning seconds.

PHOTOS: Lafreniere scores twice plus shootout winner as Rangers beat Blue Jackets 4-3

“That was a wild one for sure,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette mentioned. “They fought and competed real hard.”

In the tiebreaker, Lafreniere backhanded the puck previous Merzlikins within the third spherical, and Quick denied Alexandre Texier to safe the win.

“They are going in expecting to win,″ Laviolette said. ”Jonathan was actually good tonight. … The group is discovering methods to get it carried out.”

Quick returned after he wasn’t out there for New York’s win over Minnesota because of an upper-body harm.

Despite collaborating in New York’s morning skate on Sunday, starter Igor Shesterkin didn’t gown as he continues to work by way of minor soreness. Louis Domingue, who acquired his first win with the Rangers within the final sport, was Quick’s backup as Shesterkin missed his fourth straight sport.

“They got some pressure in the second. They took the lead but we didn’t stop we kept coming,” mentioned Quick, who improved to 4-0-1. ”We have been in a position to get one late to tie it, then get one within the shootout to win it. It’s nice.”

With Quick pulled for an additional attacker, Lafreniere was in a position to slide the puck previous Merzlikins to ship the Madison Square Garden crowd into hysterics as he tied it 3-3 within the closing seconds.

“The crowd was really loud tonight,” Lafreniere mentioned. “It was fun.”

Fantilli and Kuraly had scored 19 seconds aside halfway by way of the second interval to provide Columbus a 3-2 lead.

Lafreniere had given the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 11:17 of the second earlier than the 2 fast strikes by Columbus.

Lafreniere completed off a precision passing play from Vincent Trocheck and Panarin by whipping the puck previous Merzlikins.

The groups traded targets within the first as Danforth opened the scoring with 3:34 left, deflecting Gudbranson’s shot previous Quick for his fourth of the season.

Kreider tied it with 1:14 remaining within the interval together with his tenth. Kreider leads the Rangers in targets this season and his 275 profession targets place him 5 behind Adam Graves for third on the all-time franchise listing.

Gustafsson has 10 factors this season, together with three targets.

Fantilli, the 19-year-old rookie ahead drafted third general by Columbus final June, tied the competition at 12:35 of the second earlier than Kuraly put the guests forward at 12:54 together with his fifth.

The Rangers appeared to tie it with 1:37 remaining within the second after a sharp-angle shot by Will Cullye wedged between Merzlikins and the put up. But after a prolonged assessment by referees Kevin Pollock and Brandon Blandina, they dominated the play was frozen earlier than Kaapo Kaako tapped the puck simply into the web.

UP NEXT

Blue Jackets: Host Pittsburgh on Tuesday night time.

Rangers: At New Jersey Devils on Saturday night time.

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