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Staal debuts, Stepan scores short-handed goal in Rangers win

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Mats Zuccarello (l.) gives the Rangers an early in Monday's win over the Blue Jackets.Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images

Mats Zuccarello (l.) gives the Rangers an early in Monday’s win over the Blue Jackets.

John Tortorella and Columbus tried their best to ruin Eric Staal’s debut with the Rangers, but Derek Stepan made sure the Blueshirts could welcome their trade deadline acquisition to the Big Apple with a win.

Stepan roared down ice and put a nasty move on Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo to score the game-winning, short-handed goal in a 2-1 victory at the Garden. Captain Ryan McDonagh poked the puck away from Jackets defenseman Seth Jones on the penalty kill to spring Stepan’s skillful goal.

It was the Rangers’ second shorthanded goal of the season, both scored by Stepan.

Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray appeared to tie the game in its final second with the goalie pulled, but the clock had struck zeroes before the shot was even taken.

Eric Staal makes his Rangers debut against Columbus.Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images

Eric Staal makes his Rangers debut against Columbus.

Staal was welcomed warmly by the crowd and played over 15 minutes in his debut after waiving his no-move clause with the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday to facilitate a trade to the Rangers for two second-round picks and a prospect.

The Rangers (37-20-6, 80 points) won their third straight, overcoming a Cam Atkinson game-tying breakaway goal at 3:46 of the third period that answered Mats ZUccarello’s goal on a Dan Boyle assist at 17:41 of the first period. And the Blue Jackets (26-30-8, 60 points) fell.

Alain Vigneault used Staal heavily on face-offs, starting him at center and playing him in the middle of Oscar Lindberg and Kevin Hayes for the first two periods.

Backup goalie Antti Raanta comes up with several huge saves to help secure the Rangers win.Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Backup goalie Antti Raanta comes up with several huge saves to help secure the Rangers win.

With the score just 1-0 at the end of two periods and the Rangers with just 13 shots on goal, though, the coach shuffled his lines and moved Staal to the left wing of his top line with Derick Brassard and Zuccarello.

The byproduct was moving Hayes back to the middle of his familiar line with Lindberg and Viktor Stalberg on the wings, and Hayes responded with a strong third period.

Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo made a nice right pad save on a Hayes breakaway midway through the third with the score knotted at one apiece, though. Raanta made a huge blocker save on ex-Ranger Brandon Dubinsky off the rush at 1:07 of the final period and stopped Atkinson’s initial breakaway shot but was helpless on the rebound with Girardi out of the play and unable to tie up the Jackets forward.

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