Vesey’s goal lifts Rangers

Jimmy Vesey scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, and Antti Raanta stopped 29 shots as the New York Rangers beat the Blue Jackets, 3-2, last night in Columbus, Ohio.

Dan Girardi and Kevin Hayes also scored for the Rangers, who won their sixth straight game and moved into a three-way tie for second place with Columbus and Pittsburgh in the tough Metropolitan Division.

Raanta made two big saves in the final 23 seconds after the Blue Jackets pulled the goalie for a sixth skater and were swarming.

Brandon Dubinsky and Nick Foligno scored for Columbus, and Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 20 saves.

Coyotes 5, Flames 0 — Christian Dvorak had two goals and an assist, and Mike Smith made 36 goals as Phoenix beat host Calgary. Martin Hanzal, Jordan Martinook and Ryan White also scored for the Coyotes.

Elsewhere in the NHL — Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust’s upperbody injury may be worse than the team initially feared. Coach Mike Sullivan classified Rust’s injury as “longer term.”

Rust left during the second period of a 4-1 win over Colorado last Thursday after crashing into the net. Sullivan said the team is hopeful the injury isn’t season ending but he is reluctant to put a specific time frame on it. Rust has 12 goals and 13 assists in 50 games for Pittsburgh this season.

Center Evgeni Malkin skated with his teammates and is a game-time decision for tonight’s visit by Vancouver. Malkin has missed seven straight games with a lower-body injury. ...

Bob Miller, the 78-yearold Hall of Fame television play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Kings, will miss another seven games while he continues recuperating from a mild stroke he suffered last month.