NEW YORK -- Video replay officials in Toronto might have put more work into the game played at Madison Square Garden last night than the Blue Jackets.

The New York Rangers were pumping pucks past Jackets goaltenders at such a pace it was difficult for some to keep track. At one point, the replay officials, who had two actual reviews, required a lengthy delay to determine which Rangers shot should count as a goal.

It was that kind of forgettable evening for the Blue Jackets. The Rangers rallied from an early two-goal deficit for a 7-4 romp before a sellout crowd of 18,200.

"The game was eerily similar to the Detroit game," coach Ken Hitchcock said of a 9-1 loss Nov. 11. "We were light on the puck. Our top players weren't very good. You're just not going to win that way.

"We got beat on loose-puck battles. They were a desperate, hungry team, and we didn't answer the bell."

Like first-time tourists to the Big Apple, the Jackets got caught standing around, looking at the sights. The Rangers got behind their defense and outworked them along the wall, especially off the end boards.

Even in the Red Wings debacle, the Blue Jackets didn't come close to allowing seven straight goals as they did last night in a 21-minute, 18-second stretch. That included allowing a franchise-record three goals within 71 seconds of each other in the second period.

"The bottom line is they turned up the heat and we didn't," defenseman Mike Commodore said. "They are a quick team and we gave them too much space to make plays.

Among the many bizarre characteristics of the game was that the Blue Jackets carried the play for the first 10 minutes and led 2-0 on goals from fourth-liners Derek MacKenzie and Jared Boll.

Boll managed a goal, an assist and two fights in 5 minutes, 52 seconds of play. "You are not going to win many games when your best players are on your fourth line," Hitchcock said.

The Rangers took a timeout after the Jackets scored their second goal. Coach John Tortorella told his team to take a deep breath and relax.

The Jackets must have thought Tortorella was addressing them. The Rangers, who had scored four or more goals only once in the past 11 games, feasted on porous Jackets coverage.

They scored two quick goals by cycling the puck and controlling play behind goalie Steve Mason's net. The Jackets' top line of Kristian Huselius (minus-3), Antoine Vermette (minus-3) and captain Rick Nash (minus-4) had a rough night and was singled out by Hitchcock.

Vermette lost his check on the first of two goals by Marian Gaborik, who finished with four points.

"Their top guys outplayed ours," Nash said. "We were on for a lot of goals" and only scored one.

The Rangers' second goal took several minutes to sort out as a Gaborik shot was pulled off the goal line by a Jackets player. Moments later, Artem Anisimov scored on a deflection at 13:37 of the first period. Replay determined the first shot did not cross the line.

The Jackets fell behind at 17:19 as defenseman Michael Del Zotto blew past Anton Stralman (minus-3) at the blue line and beat Mason to the far post.

Mason allowed four goals on 18 shots and was pulled after Sean Avery scored his first of two goals in a 51-second span of the second period.

The second period was one of the Jackets' worst in recent memory. The Rangers outshot them 15-4 and scored four times. Backup goalie Mathieu Garon, who entered action with a .923 save percentage, surrendered three goals on the first four shots he faced.

The Rangers caught the Jackets cheating and repeatedly got behind the defense.

"We stopped playing," defenseman Rostislav Klesla said. "We were light on the puck and they kept coming after us."

treed@dispatch.com