Blue Jackets face the Rangers on 3-game losing streak
New York Rangers (29-23-4, seventh in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (30-17-11, fourth in the Metropolitan Division)
Columbus, Ohio; Friday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Columbus will try to break its three-game losing streak when the Blue Jackets take on New York.
The Blue Jackets are 10-5-3 against the rest of their division. Columbus averages only 3.1 penalties per game, the least in the league. Pierre-Luc Dubois leads them averaging 0.4.
The Rangers are 10-5-0 against Metropolitan Division opponents. New York is seventh in the NHL averaging 3.3 goals per game, led by Artemi Panarin with 29.
Columbus took down New York 2-1 in the last meeting between these teams on Jan. 19. Oliver Bjorkstrand scored two goals for the Blue Jackets in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Dubois leads the Blue Jackets with 43 points, scoring 17 goals and registering 26 assists. Bjorkstrand has totaled six goals and two assists over the last 10 games for Columbus.
Panarin leads the Rangers with a plus-28 in 55 games played this season. Mika Zibanejad has scored six goals over the last 10 games for New York.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rangers: 6-4-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.8 assists, 2.8 penalties and 5.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game with a .920 save percentage.
Blue Jackets: 6-1-3, averaging 2.4 goals, 3.4 assists, 2.3 penalties and 5.6 penalty minutes while giving up 1.7 goals per game with a .940 save percentage.
INJURIES: Blue Jackets: Cam Atkinson: out (lower body), Joonas Korpisalo: out (lower body), Alexander Wennberg: out (upper body).
Rangers: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.