The Columbus Blue Jackets are one of the biggest surprises in the NHL this season. Currently occupying the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, the s

Vincent Trocheck scored the only goal of the shootout, Igor Shesterkin stopped 27 shots and New York Rangers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0.

The Blue Jackets are underway in a key stretch that could go a long way in deciding whether their fans are doing “playoff math” this spring.

NEW YORK -- Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves and stopped all three shooters in the shootout to lift the New York Rangers to a 1-0 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. "We played awesome," Shesterkin said about the Rangers defensive effort.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have shot into the stratosphere from being projected as one of the worst teams in the league to a legitimate playoff threat. Columbus rides a five-game win streak heading into Thursday's puck drop against the San Jose Sharks.

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James van Riemsdyk scored twice and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Thursday night to extend their win streak to six games — their longest since January 2020. Kent Johnson had a goal and an assist and Adam Fantilli scored a goal to stretch his point streak to eight games.

The four-game, six-night venture begins tonight in Manhattan, as the Blue Jackets take on the New York Rangers before heading to take on the Islanders on Monday. From there, the wheels are up to Toronto for a Wednesday meeting before the trip ends a night later with a third division game Thursday in Carolina.

Game time is 7 p.m. ET and you can watch it on NHL Network or live stream it on ESPN+, fubo TV (FREE trial, add-on), Sling TV (discount, add-on) or DirecTV Stream (FREE trial and discount, add-on).

The Rangers are allowing an average of 2.67 goals in nine games in January, far better than their first 36 games.

Final Thoughts: The Islanders last faced the Blue Jackets on Oct. 30, when they were shut out 2-0. That was the game in which Mathew Barzal suffered his long-term upper-body injury. The gap between the Islanders and Columbus is eight points right now.