Rangers 2 - 5 Blue Jackets
Final
  for this game

Jackets roll over Rangers in home opener

Oct 12, 2014 - 3:26 AM Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Cam Atkinson tallied a pair of goals to lead the way in the Columbus Blue Jackets' 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers at Nationwide Arena.

Nick Foligno and rookie Marko Dano each added a goal an assist to help the Blue Jackets to a successful home opener, with Artem Anisimov also scoring to support a 24-save effort from Sergei Bobrovsky.

Columbus began its season with a 3-1 decision at Buffalo on Thursday.

"They won the net-front battles. "They got a lot of second opportunities." Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault said of the Blue Jackets. "They were the better team tonight."

Former Blue Jackets star Rick Nash netted a goal against his former team, with Lee Stempniak accounting for the Rangers' other score. Rookie Anthony Duclair registered his first two NHL assists in the loss.

Cam Talbot drew the start between the pipes for New York but stopped just 19- of-23 shots.

The Blue Jackets set the tone with a strong opening period in which they recorded a pair of unanswered goals and got 10 saves from a sharp Bobrovsky.

Scott Hartnell's backhand pass from the left corner set up Anisimov for a one- timer that rocketed past Talbot's glove 6:24 in. Foligno made it 2-0 with 2:27 left in the period with an outstanding second effort, following up his own shot and knocking the rebound past Talbot while falling down in the crease.

"We did a lot of things at the start of the game that will allow us to have success," Jackets head coach Todd Richards said. "I like the way we stuck at it out there in all areas."

Stempniak pulled the Rangers within 2-1 by converting Duclair's feed into the right circle with under six minutes elapsed in the second period, but New York never got closer as the Blue Jackets scored the next two goals.

Atkinson's first of the night came midway through the middle session, a goal set up when Ryan Johansen fired the puck on net and Foligno alertly re- directed it to his open teammate for an easy tap in into an open left side.

Dano made it a 4-1 lead with 6:13 left to play, with the 19-year-old firing home the rebound of Dalton Prout's long drive for his first career NHL marker.

Nash answered for the Rangers just 32 seconds later, taking in a give from Duclair after the young forward caused a turnover in the Columbus zone.

Talbot was pulled with less than two minutes remaining, which led to Atkinson's empty-net tally that closed out the scoring with 1:21 left.

Game Notes

Hartnell and Johansen both recorded two assists ... Rangers forward Chris Kreider received a 10-minute misconduct for instigating a fight with the Blue Jackets' Jack Skille late in the second period ... Dano was taken by Columbus with the 27th overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft.






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