Rangers Edge Blue Jackets, NHL News

Eric Staal hardly had a storybook debut with the New York Rangers: no goals and not a lot of big plays.

The 31-year-old forward had to settle for a win, courtesy of Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta.

Stepan's short-handed goal snapped a tie with 2:48 to play and Raanta preserved the win with a last-second save to lead the Rangers to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.

"It's been a lot of fun coming here and joining this group," said Staal, who has not been on a playoff team since 2009. "It's a great group of guys that made me feel real welcome right off the bat. It feels real nice to get the win -- that's what we're focused on here as a group."

Staal, acquired in a trade with Carolina on Sunday, had one shot on goal and his failure to get the puck out of his zone in the waning seconds forced Raanta to make a crucial stop.

"Everybody saw the size and puck protection capabilities as he gets more comfortable with the group," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "Every time you add a new piece, you change the dynamics of the group. You got a guy here who comes in and was a captain. He is going to help our leadership group, and we just need to give him a little bit of time to get used to the environment."

Mats Zuccarello also scored and Raanta made 26 saves in giving the Rangers their 13th win in 18 games (13-4-1). Henrik Lundqvist's backup denied Cam Atkinson on the doorstep with less than a second remaining to preserve the victory.

Monday, February 29 Scoreboard

NY Rangers 2, Columbus 1

Philadelphia 5, Calgary 3

Pittsburgh 6, Arizona 0    

Tampa Bay 2, Toronto 1

Detroit 3, Dallas 2 (OT)

San Jose 6, Montreal 2

Tuesday, March 1 Schedule (All Times Central)

Calgary at Bostonm, 6 p.m.

Carolina at New Jersey, 6 p.m.

Edmonton at Buffalo, 6:30 p.m.

St. Louis at Ottawa, 6:30 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Washington, 6:30 p.m.

Dallas at Nashville, 7 p.m.

Colorado at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Florida at Winnipeg, 7 p.m.

NY Islanders at Vancouver, 9 p.m.