Rangers 4, Blue Jackets 3 (SO): Rick Nash scored the decisive goal in the third round of the shootout as host New York extended its point streak to a season high-tying eight games (6-0-2).

After both teams converted in the first round of the bonus format and failed in the second, Nash beat Curtis McElhinney low to the stick side and Cam Talbot (27 saves) broke up Cam Atkinson's opportunity with a poke-check to clinch the win. Martin St. Louis scored twice, Kevin Hayes also tallied and Derek Stepan notched two assists for the Rangers, who improved to 4-0-2 in their last six at home and climbed within two points of the first-place New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division with three games in hand.

Artem Anisimov and Marko Dano each recorded a goal and an assist while defenseman David Savard also scored for the Blue Jackets, who completed a 2-2-1 road trip. Nick Foligno registered a pair of assists and McElhinney turned aside 34 shots.

Hayes opened the scoring 5:57 into the contest, grabbing a loose puck just inside the blue line and moving to the top of the slot before beating McElhinney to the glove side with a wrist shot. St. Louis doubled the lead just over two minutes later, when he received a pass from behind the net by Stepan and banked the puck off the netminder from the left side of the crease.

The Rangers pushed the advantage to 3-0 just 84 seconds into the middle session as captain Ryan McDonagh made a perfect pass across a crowded slot to St. Louis, who fired the puck past McElhinney from the bottom of the right faceoff circle. Dano got Columbus on the board 53 seconds later and former Ranger Anisimov tapped in his own rebound in the crease with 1:49 left in the period before Savard's one-timer from the blue line with 4:19 remaining in the third knotted the contest.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Rangers, who posted an eight-game winning streak from Dec. 8-27, improved to 26-0-1 when leading after two periods this season and 140-1-9 in their last 150 in that situation. ... St. Louis also scored two goals on Nov. 3 against the St. Louis Blues. ... The Rangers were held to one shot on goal in the third period after registering 30 over the first two sessions.