Adam Fantilli registered his second career hat trick and Mathieu Olivier made twice when the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets pulled away for a 7-3 victory over New York Rangers Sunday evening.
The winnings send the jackets into the first Jokcard Playoff spot in the eastern conference.
Fantilli did twice in 26 seconds to start a four-goal second period and completed Hat Trick with a goal in a somewhat vacant network with 8:09 left in the third. Fantilli – who also had a hat trick on January 22 at Toronto – became the fifth blue jacket that reached 20 goals this season.
Olivier scored his first two goals since he signed a six -year contract extension on Wednesday. He netted one on a redirection with 2:57 left in the other to snap a 3-3 tip and struck again about two minutes before Fantilli’s third speech.
The Big Nights by Fantilli and Olivier raised the blue jackets to 70 points, one before the Ottawa Senators.
Zach Werenski set up Olivier’s first goal and helped a first period of Justin Danforth to give him 260 career assistants and surpass Rick Nash for the most part in team history.
Dante Fabbro added a goal late in the second and Dmitri Voronkov set up two of Fantilli’s speech.
Artemi Panarin band a career high by scoring a fifth straight game when Rangers dropped his third straight (0-1-2) and heard High Boos at the last minute. New York’s 68 points are two ahead of the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins.
Braden Schneider and Chris Kreider scored short -handed goals 42 seconds apart, but Rangers fought defensively all night.
Columbus goalkeeper Daniil Tarasov made nine of his 33 rescues during three New York Power games. Rangers Netminder Jonathan Quick allowed seven goals on 27 shots.
After Danforth and Panarin acted in the first period, Fantilli began the wild seconds where the team combined for six goals.
Fantilli made a shot from the right circle 3:07 into the period after Voronkov forced a turnover of Will Borgen along the boards of New York’s offensive zone. Fantilli scored again when he went to the net and converted Voronkov’s centering session after Schneider misplayed the puck behind the net.
Schneider pulled blueshirts within one by blasting a shot from the left circle past Tarasov 6:54 into the other. Kreider tied it when he finished a 2-for-0 with Mika Zibanejad.
After Olivier and Fabbro scored in the last 2:57 of the second, Blue Jackets made twice in 94 seconds in the third to finish their fifth victory in seven matches.
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