Looking to get back in the win column, the Jackets were at home against the visiting New York Rangers, and though the Jackets would at one point be up 4-1, the Rangers clawed their way back and defeated the home team 5-4 in regulation.
The Jackets opened the scoring just 1:54 into the game, when Markus Nutivaara blasted home a slapper from the point.
They’d follow up that goal with a powerplay mark off the stick of Cam Atkinson, but the Rangers would cut the lead to one with Oscar Lindberg’s first of the season.
Scott Hartnell restored the two-goal lead at the 15:57 mark, batting a Sam Gagner pass out of midair and behind Rangers starter Henrik Lundqvist.
Early in the second period Hartnell bombed a pass through the air to a streaking Lukas Sedlak, who gathered the puck and raced in on Lundqvist, beating him under his gear to give his team the 4-1 lead.
The Rangers would score three unanswered goals to tie the game, and with less than a minute left Seth Jones committed a horrible turnover, which led to Michael Grabner scoring on a breakaway to seal the victory for New York.
Curtis McElhinney was not very good for the Jackets tonight. One has to wonder what the outcome would have been with Sergei Bobrovsky in the net.