COLUMBUS — As Sam Carrick and Mathieu Olivier stalked each other with gloves dropped and fists drawn on Saturday at Nationwide Arena, Carrick felt a sense of calm wash over him.

It’s a learned habit that the New York Rangers veteran center has developed over the course of 58 career fights.

“It seems to help,” Carrick said following New York’s 2-1 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. “The more experienced you get, the better you feel and the more confidence you have.”

There are very few opponents, if any, who bring the level of ferocity and danger that Olivier does to a tilt. But as Rangers captain J.T. Miller proudly proclaimed, “Sam is showing that he’s right in that group of fighters.”

Both combatants landed heavy blows, with each drawing a reaction from the crowd. And while Olivier eventually won a narrow decision on a right hand that knocked Carrick down to one knee, the result was less meaningful than the act itself.

Sam Carrick and Mathieu Olivier exchange punches 👊 pic.twitter.com/1CSWk6C7WK

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 16, 2025

Carrick watched intently as Olivier crunched defenseman Matthew Robertson from behind, then went after Braden Schneider on the same shift earlier in the second period. He decided something needed to be done about it.

“Anytime there’s borderline hits that the refs seem to be letting go, and then there’s a scrum right after where a guy ragdolls our guy, throws him down, and refs have no problem letting that go, then I think that’s when the temperature of the game starts to rise,” Carrick said. “That’s when I start to — I don’t know if you call it anger or whatever — but I’m just looking to stick up for teammates.”

With Matt Rempe on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury suffered in an Oct. 23 fight with San Jose Sharks brawler Ryan Reaves, the responsibility to answer the bell has fallen squarely on Carrick’s shoulders. He’s embraced it with three spirited fights this season, which hasn’t gone unnoticed.

It’s often galvanized the group, with coach Mike Sullivan calling out Carrick as “courageous” following Saturday’s win while multiple teammates directed attention toward him in the visiting locker room.

“He has since Remps has been out, and Sam’s tough as nails,” Sullivan said. “He’s a good fighter. He’s brave. He’s a tough kid, and he plays the game hard, and he plays an honest game. That’s a thankless job, but I know he commands so much respect from his teammates, his coaching staff. … It’s an element that he adds to his game that makes him that much more valuable to our group.”

Miller put it more succinctly: “He’s got some balls.”

Carrick’s impact goes well beyond a few timely fights. He’s been the anchor of a fourth line Sullivan uses to create momentum, with the 33-year-old posting a solid 54.25 percent expected goals-for rate, according to Natural Stat Trick. He’s also winning 50.7 percent of his faceoffs while serving as an effective penalty killer. But it doesn’t hurt that he’s become the player the Rangers look to when tempers flare and order needs to be restored.

“It’s not really much different than what I’ve done my whole career,” Carrick said. “It’s basically what got me to this level was playing that role. Obviously, I’m not the biggest guy, so it’s not always easy. When you’re looking to spark your team a lot, it’s a tough job. … I’m used to just having to do that here and there. I enjoy it. I enjoy the buzz you get from the teammates after. It seems to spark guys, so it’s fun.”

Eight more observations from Rangers’ third straight win

1. The Rangers (10-7-2) returned to their lockdown defensive ways following Wednesday’s 7-3 win in Tampa Bay, which Sullivan described as too “loose.” They limited the Blue Jackets to 24 shots on goal over 65 minutes while controlling their transition game, which was an issue against the Lightning. Neither team scored at five-on-five, but that low-event style has suited New York well while compiling an NHL-best 9-1-1 record on the road. “It’s evidence that we can win different ways,” Sullivan said. “I think a sign of a good team is when they have a comfort level playing in a one-goal game and a low-scoring game, and I believe that we’re developing that comfort level.”

2. There was a lengthy feeling-out period to begin the game, with neither team generating a whole lot in the opening 15 minutes. The turning point came when Jackets forward Miles Wood split the Rangers’ defense off the rush and got hooked from behind by Taylor Raddysh before he could complete the partial breakaway. You could argue it only warranted a two-minute minor, but the officials signaled for a penalty shot as Wood crashed into the back boards.

A hooking call may have sufficed here but #NYR get the save from Igor on the penalty shot so they’ll take it. pic.twitter.com/COwACZd0Gu

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) November 16, 2025

Are the Rangers crazy to prefer a penalty shot from a fourth-liner vs. giving the other team a power play? It worked out in their favor, with Igor Shesterkin calmly making a left-pad save on Wood’s attempt to keep the game scoreless with 3:41 remaining in the period.

“We call them critical moments,” Sullivan said. “There are moments in a game that have the potential to change outcomes, and that’s one of them. We get a great save from Shesty in that instance, and I think our team gets life from it.”

3. The Rangers dominated from there and put together one of their sharpest stretches in the last several games. They began the second period by registering the first 11 shots on goal, including two from Mika Zibanejad that led to a power-play goal at the 5:42 mark — the first resulting in a rebound that he converted for his sixth goal of the season. New York now has four PP goals in its last five games after scoring the same number in its first 14, with the recent uptick coming in the aftermath of moving Will Cuylle to the net-front position on the top unit.

STUCK WITH IT. pic.twitter.com/mwxEVfM0us

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 16, 2025

“When you have that net presence and you make the goalie sight lines difficult and you force defensemen to have to pay attention and defend you there, opportunity presents itself,” Sullivan said. “I thought for a lot of the season, the power play has generated a lot of offense. We went through that stretch of games where it was just a struggle for us to score — five-on-five, the power play, every circumstance. But I feel like as the season’s gone on here, we’re starting to climb our way out of that.”

4. The Rangers’ momentum was disrupted once penalties began flying midway through the second period. There were six called in total, including for too many men on the ice, that led to Columbus forward Dmitri Voronkov netting a PP goal that knotted the score at 1-1 with 4:40 to play in the period.

5. Neither team could break through in a tight-checking third period, which led to overtime and then the Rangers’ first shootout of the season. Sullivan went with Artemi Panarin first, who was stopped by Jackets goalie Jet Greaves, but Vincent Trocheck and Miller followed by each converting their attempts to secure the win. Miller calmly approached from the left wing and finished with a forehand over Greaves’ shoulder. It was a predetermined move that he claimed came from having limited choices in his bag. “I just have basically two shots and a move,” the captain said. “You kind of have your mind made up (before you go).”

THE CAPTAIN ENDS IT! 🚨 #NYR pic.twitter.com/tlzBmCNo28

— Snark Messier (@SnarkMessier) November 16, 2025

6. Sullivan said at the morning skate that he anticipated Will Borgen playing after he missed Friday’s practice with an upper-body injury, but after taking warmups, the Rangers decided to hold the 28-year-old defenseman back. That ended Borgen’s streak of 285 consecutive games played, which dated back to the 2021-22 season and ranked as the ninth-longest active streak in the league.

7. It was another quiet night for rookie Gabe Perreault, who’s still feeling his way out at this level. The 20-year-old winger earned his first career assist in his season debut Monday, but it’s been tough sledding on this two-game road trip. He started on the top line once again with Miller and Zibanejad, and while that trio out-attempted Columbus 7-1 without allowing a shot on goal, Perreault rarely had the puck and failed to register an attempt of his own. He was demoted to the bottom six toward the end of the second period in both Tampa and Columbus, finishing with 12:37 time on ice Saturday.

Perreault’s having trouble finding the time and space to show off his offensive capabilities, and there were a few noticeable occasions when he was outmuscled for pucks. No one is expecting him to play a grinding role, but you can bank on opponents trying to push him around until he proves he can handle it.

“We’ve seen some really good things he’s done,” Sullivan said. “Obviously he’s got real good offensive instincts, sees the play really well. He thinks the game on a high level. I think where his opportunity for growth and improvement is really just strength on the puck and a little bit of quickness. And I think they go hand in hand. As a young player, it’s just physical maturity. The speed of the game and the size and the strength of the players at this level is second to none. For most young players, that’s one of the challenges in making the jump to being an impact player at this level.”

8. It will be interesting to see how long of an adjustment period the Rangers are willing to give Perreault. It only seems fair to allow him a few weeks before they consider pulling the plug, which I believe they will, but Sullivan was open about it being a fluid situation.

“I know everybody always wants the young players to be in the lineup as soon as possible, which we do as well,” Sullivan said. “But we also want to put them in a position, when we do put them in the lineup, where we can put them in a position to succeed. We don’t want them to be overwhelmed.”