Rangers 3, Blue Jackets 1: Derick Brassard burned his former team by snapping a tie midway through the third period as visiting New York seized sole possession of third place in the Metropolitan Division.

Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin also tallied as the Rangers climbed within one point of second-place Philadelphia after registering their 22nd road win to match St. Louis for top honors in the league. Former Blue Jackets defenseman Anton Stralman and Mats Zuccarello each notched a pair of assists while Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 25 shots in the win.

With the score tied at 1-1, Brassard backhanded his wraparound attempt off the back of Sergei Bobrovsky (29 saves) and into the net at 11:31 of the third. The goal was Brassard's 16th of the season and third in two games. Hagelin sealed the victory by scoring into the empty net with 39 seconds remaining.

Playing in his first contest at Nationwide Arena since being traded prior to the 2012-13 season, Rick Nash was whistled for incidental contact with Bobrovsky as he appeared to score on a breakaway late in the second period. The goal quickly was dismissed as fireworks developed between the teams, and Nash engaged in a spirited fight with Matt Calvert 12 seconds into the third.

Benoit Pouliot's stick snapped as he attempted a pass in his own zone, allowing Nick Foligno to gather the loose puck and wrist it over the blocker of Lundqvist 1:12 into the third period to open the scoring. New York answered Foligno's career-high 18th goal just 44 seconds later as defenseman Ryan McDonagh circled the net before setting up Stepan, whose one-timer from the slot beat Bobrovsky.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Selected first overall in the 2002 draft, Nash initially was booed when he touched the puck before receiving a standing ovation after a video tribute was shown during the first television timeout. ... Both teams continued to struggle on the power play. New York went 0-for-4 after entering the contest 1-for-19 in its previous six games, while Columbus failed on all three opportunities to drop to 0-for-29 in its last eight contests. ... New York D John Moore, who was acquired from Columbus along with Brassard last April, suffered an undisclosed injury and did not return for the third period.