It was the kind of third period that gives Rangers fans a reason to believe again, and the kind of overtime that reminds them why this season has been so painful. After clawing back from a stunning 4-0 deficit to tie the game in the final five minutes of regulation, the New York Rangers lost 5-4 in overtime to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
The comeback had the building alive by the end. But the mood shifted again when captain J.T. Miller stepped in front of the postgame cameras.
Miller suggested the home crowd going silent was part of the problem, pointing to the Garden quieting down after a disallowed goal in the second period as a turning point that drained the building’s energy.
“We had a great start, drew a penalty, scored on a penalty, it’s funny how the game works sometimes. All of a sudden it’s 3-0 and they’re booing again”
J.T. Miller talks about how momentum shifted after the second period tonight vs. Columbus pic.twitter.com/I3C4O0bTvH
— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 3, 2026
How It Unraveled
For 40 minutes, the Rangers were not good enough. Columbus, playing without leading scorer and workhorse defenseman Zach Werenski, went to intermission up 4-0.
The turning point came in the second when Miller appeared to cut the lead in half on a power-play goal. Video review upheld a goaltender interference challenge, wiping it off the board.
The Garden fell quiet.
Twenty-three seconds later, Sean Monahan scored short-handed, the Rangers’ ninth short-handed goal allowed this season, to make it 3-0.
Mathieu Olivier added a fourth before the period ended.
The Comeback
Whatever was said during the second intermission worked. Vladislav Gavrikov scored 30 seconds into the third. Twenty-four seconds later, Gabe Perreault made it 4-2.
Perreault, who had not scored in 10 games, finished with two goals and an assist for a career-high three points. Igor Shesterkin stopped all eight shots he faced in the third, including a play at 6:22 when he dove out of his crease to poke the puck off a Columbus stick after a break up ice.
The Rangers out-chanced Columbus 13-5 in the period, dominated high-danger chances 6-0, and posted an expected goal share of 81.5 percent. It was the formula they needed for a full game, condensed into 20 minutes.
In overtime, Kirill Marchenko’s wrist shot clipped Shesterkin’s blocker for the short-side winner at 1:04.
The Fallout
While Miller praised the team’s resilience, saying, “We talked about no quit. Proud of the way we kept pushing,” he also pointed to the crowd’s silence after the disallowed goal as a momentum killer.
It has now been 99 days since the Rangers last won a game in regulation at Madison Square Garden.
Fans who continue to fill the building during that stretch were quick to note that their silence followed the overturned goal and the short-handed strike that came seconds later.
Can’t boo this guy pic.twitter.com/dV2yDZMW0k https://t.co/sKFF0Uavsw
— Mr. Tenkrat (@PeterTenkrat) March 3, 2026
Adam Fox, who has been involved in trade deadline rumors, put it more diplomatically: “We want to be able to deliver that for a full 60 minutes, not just one period at a time.”
Columbus has been outscored 76-54 in third periods this season and still led 4-0 after two. The Rangers allowed that to happen. Miller’s comments ensured the conversation afterward was not just about the comeback, but about who carries responsibility when momentum slips away.
