Field Level Media - Professional sports content solutions | FLM

Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox scored two goals apiece Saturday night for the visiting New York Rangers, who moved into the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot by routing the San Jose Sharks 6-1.

Jonny Brodzinski and Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Rangers (35-32-7, 77 points), who won for just the second time in seven games (2-4-1) but still climbed past the Columbus Blue Jackets (33-30-9, 75 points) by virtue of the Blue Jackets’ 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators earlier Saturday.

The Rangers are also two points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens, who were idle Saturday, and three points ahead of the New York Islanders, who fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-3, Saturday afternoon.

Goalie Jonathan Quick carried a shutout deep into the third and finished with 21 saves for the Rangers, who salvaged a back-to-back west coast set after squandering a pair of two-goal leads in Friday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

Cam Lund scored his first NHL goal to spoil Quick’s shutout bid with 2:14 left for the league-worst Sharks (20-43-9, 49 points), who had their two-game winning streak snapped. San Jose was attempting to win three straight games for the third time this season.

Alexander Georgiev, who opened his career by spending five seasons with the Rangers, recorded 27 saves.

Panarin set the tone for the Rangers by scoring twice in a span of fewer than two minutes shortly beyond the midway point of the first. The left winger scored from the left faceoff circle with 7:56 left before his shot from the high slot sailed through Georgiev’s legs as the goalie was screened by teammate Macklin Celebrini as well as Trocheck with 12:04 remaining.

Fox scored his first goal 4:48 into the second before the Rangers piled on in the third, when Brodzinski scored at the 3:08 mark and Fox added his second goal just 2:39 later. Trocheck collected a short-handed goal with 3:07 left before Lund, a 20-year-old appearing in his second NHL game, scored his milestone goal.

–Field Level Media