Rangers’ Cam can’t

Goalie blitzed on eve of MSG opener

COLUMBUS — The Blue Jackets fire off a cannon inside Nationwide Arena every time they score, and on Saturday night, they sent the Rangers home to New York with a bang.

“They worked harder than us,” defenseman Marc Staal said after a 5-2 thumping due mostly to the Blueshirts being outmuscled in countless puck battles. “That’s something that needs to change.”

Staal, defensive partner Kevin Klein, and backup goalie Cam Talbot all had difficult nights to accompany their forwards’ inability to generate a forecheck, and the result was a split of the Rangers’ season-opening, two-game road trip.

They return to the Garden for Sunday night’s home opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs disappointed in themselves, hoping to regain the identity they lost in the corners against the physical and relentless Blue Jackets (2-0-0).

“We didn’t play up to standards,” said forward Mats Zuccarello, who was minus-four playing on a line centered by Derick Brassard that was a no-show. “All the younger guys are working hard. Our line isn’t playing well at all. We’ve got to step it up. Today wasn’t good enough.”

Zuccarello was referring to one of the few bright spots; rookie left wing Anthony Duclair, 19, was the real deal in his second career game. He recorded his first two NHL points with assists on goals by Lee Stempniak and Rick Nash and rang another puck off the post.

Duclair was on ice with Nash because left wing Chris Kreider’s night essentially ended when he received 17 penalty minutes, including a 10-minute instigating misconduct, for fighting Jack Skille in response to the Jackets forward’s hit on Zuccarello late in the second period.

“Unfortunately Kreids was in the box for most of the third, and I was put in with Marty and Nasher,” said Duclair, who also had chemistry with Nash in the preseason. “That was pretty cool.”

The officiating was brutal, including a no-call on Jackets forward Scott Hartnell’s hit on Stempniak way after a first-period whistle. But Alain Vigneault correctly pointed out the referees were not the reason the Rangers lost after winning Thursday night’s season opener in St. Louis, 3-2.

“There were a lot of ‘50-50’ pucks that they got to,” Vigneault said. “Was it that they were a little quicker than we were, or that they wanted it more? I’m not exactly sure on that yet.”

Kreider added: “I thought we were getting pushed around early … I just saw Zucc on the ice, and it was an opportunity to push back.”

Defenseman Matt Hunwick played serviceably in his team debut replacing the injured Dan Boyle (broken right hand), but collectively the Rangers were a mess defensively. Talbot (19 saves) didn’t help, particularly when he failed to stop former Ranger Artem Anisimov’s one-timer from the high slot 6:24 in.

“I think that was kind of a turning point for us and a shot that I probably should have saved,” Talbot said.

Jackets forwards Cam Atkinson (two goals), Nick Foligno (goal, assist) and Marko Dano (goal, assist) did the rest of the scoring.

Columbus No. 1 netminder Sergei Bobrovsky made an incredible right pad stop on Martin St. Louis to snuff out a two-on-one in the second period and finished with 24 stops.

The Rangers at least are relieved to have an early home opener. They didn’t play at the Garden until their 10th game last season on Oct. 28, due to poorly timed renovations of the arena.

Still, they won’t be able to enjoy the homecoming if they play the way they did Saturday night.