COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Derick Brassard and Derek Stepan scored third-period goals, and Henrik Lundqvist made 25 saves to lead the New York Rangers to a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. It was the first game back in Columbus for Rangers star Rick Nash, the Blue Jackets franchise leader in goals, assists and games. He was given a standing ovation during a video tribute in the first period, but was booed loud and long after a second-period, two-handed shove up high on Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Carl Hagelin added an empty-net goal, and defenceman Anton Stralman had two assists for the Rangers, who moved two points ahead of the Blue Jackets in the tight Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference playoff races. Nick Foligno scored for Columbus, 7-2-2 in its last 11 games. Bobrovsky made 29 saves. Both teams came in with 78 points, the third most in the Metropolitan. The Blue Jackets have played one fewer game. After two scoreless periods, Columbus took a 1-0 lead when Foligno intercepted Benoit Pouilots pass and scored his 18th goal of the season with a wrist shot from the high slot at 1:12. Just 44 seconds later, the Rangers countered when Ryan McDonagh carried the puck along the back wall and then fed Stepan for his 14th goal. With 8:29 left, Brassard -- who played his first five NHL seasons with the Blue Jackets -- took a pass along the back wall from Stralman and flipped the puck between his legs to the doorstep. Brassard then pivoted and jammed a shot in off Bobrovskys pad. Nash, then the Blue Jackets captain, requested a trade in early 2012 and was finally dealt on July 23, 2012. Nash was sent along with a minor-league defenceman and a 2013 third-round draft pick to the Rangers for centres Artem Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky, defenceman Tim Erixon and a 2013 first-round pick (Kerby Rychel). Nash is Columbus franchise leader in games with 674 (next on the list is 131 games behind), goals with 289 (by 169), assists with 258 (by 54) and points with 547 (by 230). Most of the capacity crowd of 18,513 gave him a standing ovation during the video tribute, although there were still some boos. All of that good will evaporated in the second period after Nash rushed the net and had a goal disallowed for interfering with Bobrovsky. As Nash went to get his stick, Bobrovsky picked it up with his stick and then dropped it as Nash reached for it. Nash then hit Bobrovsky high with both hands. That touched off five two-man scuffles and sent Nash to the box for roughing. When the cameras showed him in the penalty box, the majority of the crowd booed loudly. The crowd roared early when Nash was hit and dumped to the ice by rising young star, Ryan Johansen. Another time, Bobrovsky appeared to slip his stick between Nashs skates to knock him down. There was also a fight, some chippiness on both sides, and one two-man penalty-kill by the Blue Jackets. The Rangers had 30 seconds of a 5 on 3 advantage and got off two shots, but Bobrovsky turned both aside. In the opening seconds of the third, Nash held onto the stick of Matt Calvert for several seconds. That led to a fight as the crowd roared. NOTES: The Blue Jackets have 12 regular-season games left. ... Former Columbus RW Derek Dorsett was a late addition to the Rangers lineup in place of Daniel Carcillo, who was a healthy scratch. ... The Rangers are 6-5-1 since the Olympic break, 18-10-2 in 2014. ... The Rangers had been in Columbus since Tuesday night while the Blue Jackets played at Montreal on Thursday night, winning 3-2. Authentic Soccer Jerseys .Y. -- The Buffalo Bills will head into the regular season short on experience at quarterback after trimming the roster on Friday. Cyber Monday Soccer Jerseys .com) - The Chicago White Sox have officially announced that the club has agreed to terms with utilityman Emilio Bonifacio on a one-year, $4 million contract that includes a team option for the 2016 season. https://www.fakesoccerjerseys.com/. The 36-year-old Colts receiver is going back to the playoffs as a division champion. Cheap Soccer Jerseys . Just ask last seasons Supporters Shield winners, the New York Red Bulls, who were resoundingly defeated last weekend by a rampant Vancouver Whitecaps in a match which produced two contenders for MLS Goal of the Week from Sebastian Fernandez and Pedro Morales. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys . It will be their 15th head-to-head meeting and fourth in the post-season (Sunday at 2pm et/11am pt on CTV) and for his part, Brady isnt downplaying just how big the game is for him. "Im excited - Its everything you could ask for as an athlete," the New England Patriots quarterback told WEEI Radio in Boston on Monday.Toronto FC has experienced considerable drama over the franchises eight year existence. This time the drama isnt of Toronto FCs own doing. Michael Bradley has become the central figure in a public spat of which he never asked to be a part. The Toronto FC midfielder has done no wrong or said anything out of place. Bradley has conducted himself to the highest professional standard representing club and country. Yet, he now serves as a big named pawn amidst the struggles of US Soccers coming of age. The combatants are Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber and US Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The long and short of the dispute: Klinsmann doesn’t publicly support big-named American players returning home from Europe to play for ‘inferior’ teams in MLS, while Garber sees Klinsmann’s public position as “very, very detrimental” to the league and personally infuriating. Bradley is central to the argument simply based on the fact he decided to come home to play in North America. That’s it. That’s all. His play for the USMNT hasn’t wavered and he remains one of the most important players on the US team. It is hardly fair on the 27-year-old to be in the middle of this mess between the two power brokers. A philosophical disconnect is to blame with Garber reaching his boiling point after Klinsmann issued another warning shot Monday towards players like Bradley and Clint Dempsey. “I made it clear with Clint’s move back and (Bradley’s) move back that it’s going to be very difficult for them to keep that same level that they experienced at the places where they were, said Klinsmann. It’s just reality. It’s just being honest.” Bradley has been the particular target of these types of warnings. Its not easy for Michael, and its not going to be easy in the future ... He has to prove that he hasnt lost a bit. Lost a bit? Does a player lose form less than a year after switching clubs, going from competing for a spot in a team to playing every day? Seems a bit of a reach. Every International manager will have his opinions on what the preferential situation should be for his players to thrive internationally. Klinsmann, from firsthand experience, understands the benefits of playing overseas and rates the individual progress one can make playing in an alternative environment preferable to the current standards in North America. He is entitled to that opinion. Top European leagues are better than MLS at the highest level, but what makes for a better National team player has to be based on a case by case basis, not by sweeping generalizations. Publicly questioning a player with 91 caps and a lynchpin in the team is hardly progressive. Taking unnecessary shots at the quality of MLS only further complicates matters. A strong domestic league with proper team set-ups across MLS is essential to the continued growth of the USMNT program and Canadian Soccer alike. Ironically enough, Klinsmann and his consulting company were hired by Toronto FC in 2010 to help set the franchise in the right direction and any criticism of MLS seems out of place as, just four months ago, nine current MLS players started for the US in an all-important World Cup match against his native Germany. MLS is doing just fine as home for America’s best and will continue to be the breeding ground for future generations. So why is Klinsmann so worried about Bradley in particular? Bradley brushed off Klinsmanns comments and assisted on Jozy Altidores goal in a 1-1 draw with Honduras on Tuesday. If Klinsmann were honest, hed acknowledge Altidore is better off returning to MLS to play regular minutes with his compatriots, rather than wasting away on the bench at Sunderland. Bradley is not a problem for Klinsmann. He is reliable as they come. As for Dempsey, he was arguably the US top player in Brazil. So there’s that. When you speak with Bradley, you understand how much he and his family love Toronto and the lifestyle that comes along with his new city. He and his young family are settled. This is where he wants to grow, personally and professionally. If thats not good enough for Klinsmann, then so be it, but there is little evidence to suggest the USMNT has better options than the Toronto FC midfielder and there is even less evidence to suggest he wont continue to be a top contributor for his country. Klinsmann should be concerned with Bradleys fitness, form and where he plays on the field and how that works with his international role, not for which club team hes playing. Just as his decision to come home shouldnt come intto the conversation, neither should his $6.dddddddddddd.5 million per year salary. Players all over the world try to maximize their earning potential. It is no different than any of us in other walks of life. Its how one responds and continues to grow that matters. Toronto FC missing the playoffs shouldnt matter either. DaMarcus Beasley, Brad Davis and Chris Wondolowski are all USMNT players on struggling MLS teams. Newcomer to the national team set-up, Miguel Ibarra, plays in the NASL. Any astute observer of the game understands that more than one player determines the success and/or failures of a team. Toronto FCs failures having nothing to do with Bradley and everything to do with the collective. He joined a team building from the ground up. A club record for wins and points in a season should not be overlooked. It matters. And Bradley was part of that. The build towards a winner starts with Bradley. He is the foundation. Perhaps Klinsmann knows Bradley is immune to criticism and is using the player to put forward his own agenda. Klinsmann already flexed his muscles in keeping Landon Donovan out of his World Cup squad, a fact that Garber still believes is an item of contention. There are no sacred cows. Lines have been drawn in the sand. Klinsmann holds an incredible amount of power and it seems that there is little Sunil Gulati, president of the United States Soccer Federation, is willing or able to do to influence his golden child. Klinsmann has expertly carved himself out as a popular and all-important figure in American soccer. His bravado and self-confidence screams Americana. More American soccer fans will relate to Klinsmann and his past footballing exploits and current standing as head coach of a loveable team than they relate to Garber. Perception is everything. Garber remains an all-important figure for a league experiencing incredible growth, but yet to crack the mainstream audience that the sport has already touched on the international level. His most influential work takes place behind the scenes. Klinsmann performs in front of the camera. Wednesdays spur-of-the-moment teleconference with Garber suggests a power struggle: two men with differing approaches. It all came across as rather personal. The feelings of discontent are genuine, but the bottom-line is that Garber sees development and top talent acquisition as key to the success of the business, while Klinsmann is in the business of winning. “Jurgen’s comments are very, very detrimental to our league,” Garber said. “They’re detrimental to the sport of soccer in America and everything we’re trying do north of the border. And not only are they detrimental, I think they’re wrong.” Garber continued, I think [Klinsmann] needs to think very hard about how he manages himself publicly.” Critics were quick to hit out at the commissioners chosen method and delivery of his message. It begs the question why this conversation didn’t play out face-to-face between Klinsmann and Garber, rather than an impromptu conference call with the media. The stage and platform to defend his league and its players, with CBA negotiations on the horizon, was apparently too grand to pass up. Make no mistake, an ongoing PR-battle is being waged. Its being fought because of the growth potential in North American sport, MLS trying to improve its global standing, and the continued efforts to win over the American public. There is much at stake. Again, none of this has anything to do with Bradley. He will continue to play for the USMNT as long as hes good enough, no matter for what club or what league he plays. What Bradley did not need is Garber going to bat for him. Bradley has dealt with criticism before. He has never given excuses, even when battling through injury. What he needs is this story to go away. He doesn’t need to be pulled into this situation and Garber may have made things worse. Klinsmann and Garber need to keep the players out of it. They should be more concerned with the governance of the game and getting US Soccer leaders on the same page. This is critical to sustained growth. Infighting has been detrimental to the cause across this continent, stunting the growth of the game, especially here north of the border. It’s not about picking sides. There is no right or wrong here. There is substance to what Garber and Klinsmann are both preaching and hearts are in the right place. What shouldn’t be the case is Michael in the middle. Bradley has bigger battles ahead that have nothing to do with public relations. ' ' '