Columbus and New York square off in division action
Columbus Blue Jackets (45-31-4, fifth in the Metropolitan Division) vs. New York Rangers (31-36-13, seventh in the Metropolitan Division)
New York; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Columbus Blue Jackets will travel to play division foe New York.
The Rangers are 18-14-8 on their home ice. New York is last in the Eastern Conference shooting 29.2 shots per game.
The Blue Jackets are 23-14-2 in road games. Columbus has given up 30 power-play goals, killing 85 percent of opponent chances. In their last meeting on Jan. 13, Columbus won 7-5. Ryan Murray recorded a team-high two assists for the Blue Jackets in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mika Zibanejad leads the Rangers with 42 assists and has collected 72 points this season. Ryan Strome has scored five goals over the last 10 games for New York.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Jackets: 6-3-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 4.9 assists, 1.8 penalties and 3.9 penalty minutes while giving up 1.9 goals per game with a .936 save percentage.
Rangers: 3-7-0, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.8 assists, 4.5 penalties and 11.5 penalty minutes while giving up 3.2 goals per game with a .912 save percentage.
Rangers Injuries: Pavel Buchnevich: day to day (undisclosed), Filip Chytil: day to day (undisclosed), Jesper Fast: out for season (upper body).
Blue Jackets Injuries: None listed.
