In a game littered with minor penalties and 5-on-5 seemed like an afterthought, the Rangers scored the winner Monday at even strength.
Jimmy Vesey scored from close in on the right side, going past David Savard and beating Sergei Bobrovsky at 13:28 of the third period for the 3-2 victory to extend the Rangers’ winning streak to a season-high six games.
The goal was a long time coming for the rookie, only his second in the last 17 games, but a short time after the Blue Jackets tied at score at 11:53 when Nick Foligno’s pass bounced in off J.T. Miller in front of the net.
“We did what we have to do here,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.
“We found a way to win, and we had a few of their guys maybe not having their top game. And usually that’s the sign of a good team when you can win a game when you’re not really at your best as far as execution. It’s not a bad sign.”
Antti Raanta, who has served as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup for two seasons, got the victory, Raanta, who finished with 29 saves, had not started since Jan. 14 in Montreal, when he left after the first period with a lower body injury.
His last complete game was a 6-3 victory in Arizona on December 29 – 45 days earlier.
“It was time to get him back in. I wanted to make sure he’s had quality practice time, and I’m sure he’s going to play well tonight,” coach Alain Vigneault said before the game.
Kevin Hayes gave the Rangers a one-goal lead at 4:49 of the third when he poked the puck away from Savard at the red line and raced in alone on Bobrovsky, slowed, deked and went five-hole to snap a 1-1 tie.
The two points pulled the Rangers into a tie with the Blue Jackets for third place in the division with 75 points, but Columbus has a game in hand.
The teams close out the season series at the Garden on Feb 26.
Former Ranger Brandon Dubinsky scored his eighth of the season at the end of a rush as a power play expired in the
first.
He called for the puck near the left post and Brandon Saad, behind the net, found him for a quick shot that beat Raanta shortside at 8:12.
In that dreary first for the Blueshirts, they managed just one shot on Bobrovsky on two power plays, when a goal could have tied the score, with Josh Anderson off at 11:25 for slashing and Sam Gagner in the box at 16:40 for tripping.
In the first 10 minutes, they had one shot on goal, Rick Nash’s wrister.
The scoresheet credited the Rangers with seven shots on goal, six misses and eight attempts blocked.
Vigneault tinkered with three of the four lines, moving Mats Zuccarello back with Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan; putting Pavel Buchnevich with Mika Zibanejad and Rick Nash, and sending Vesey down to the fourth line with Oscar Lindberg and Jesper Fast.
But they didn’t have much success offensively.
Instead, it was a defenseman who forged the tie. Just 12 seconds into the second period, with Kevin Klein still in the box on a carryover penalty from the first, Dan Girardi wristed a loose puck off Bobrovsky from the right circle to even the score at1.
Girardi was playing his first game since last Tuesday, when he injured his ankle blocking a shot against the Ducks.
Both Hayes and J.T. Miller made hustle plays to create the opportunity.

RESULTS
Coyotes           5 Flames               0
Rangers           3 Blue Jackets       2