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 For the second consecutive game, the Rangers erased a third-period
deficit against a top team in the Eastern Conference; only this
time, they left Madison Square Garden with two points following a
2-1 victory against the Boston Bruins on Monday.
The win was secured by right winger Jesper Fast, who scored his
seventh goal of the season on a remarkable deflection with1:42
remaining after center Derick Brassard pulled the Rangers into a 1-1
tie 35 seconds into the final period.
Two days earlier, the Rangers rallied from down 2-0 in the third
period against the league-leading Washington Capitals only to
squander a 3-2 lead in the dying seconds before losing 4-3 in
overtime.
This time, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist held the fort with the Bruins
pushing for a tying goal in the final minute.
From Nov. 19 through Dec. 20, the Rangers went 5-11-2 after a 14-2-2
start to the season. They are 4-2-1 in their past seven games and no
longer resemble the team that couldn't defend in its own zone if
lives depended on it.
In the third period, with defenseman Dan Girardi out with a hand
injury suffered in the second period, the Rangers did enough to
emerge victorious with just five defensemen.
"After what happened last game, we knew we could come back," said
Lundqvist, who made 31 saves. "We knew we could maybe turn it up a
little bit. We had some really good looks but I felt like we
increased the intensity in the third. We did a really good job and
we got rewarded in the end. It's nice, after what happened last
game, to get that bounce."
Lundqvist wishes he could have the goal back he allowed to right
winger Jimmy Hayes early in the second period, a 40-foot, unscreened
wrist shot that beat him to the stick side, but he made the save of
the game early in the third period.
About two minutes after Brassard evened the score, Bruins left
winger Max Talbot had the puck on his stick and most of the net
available. Lundqvist denied Talbot with a scorpion save, as he
lifted his right skate into the path of the puck while lying prone
on his stomach.
It was one of Lundqvist's 11 saves in the final 20 minutes.
"We've been talking a lot lately getting to the inside," said Fast,
whose deflection came with his back to the net from just outside the
crease. "The last couple weeks, maybe we've been on the outside.
It's something we talked about a lot, and I think we did a lot both
this game and last game."
While the Rangers (23-14-5) find themselves trending in the right
direction, the Bruins (21-15-5) have two wins in their past nine
games and have gone from fighting for the Atlantic Division lead to
barely holding a wild-card spot.
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Goaltender Tuukka Rask couldn't do much on the two goals he allowed.
Brassard was left with a tap-in after right winger Mats Zuccarello
walked around defenseman Kevan Miller on his way to the front of the
net, and Fast's deflection was through a screen.
Rask stopped 28 shots and deserved a better fate than a regulation
loss.
"They got that goal right off the bat (in the third period), so that
maybe gave them some momentum there," Rask said. "I thought we
battled back and that last one decides to go in. I felt maybe we
deserved an extra point, but that's not how hockey goes all the
time."
"I thought we played a lot in the first (40 minutes) and did a great
job of getting on them," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "For the
third period, we talked about going out there and doing the same
thing. It wasn't as good as the first two. They seemed hungrier and
found a way to win."
The Rangers have three road games in four days against division
rivals upcoming, as they will visit the Islanders in Brooklyn on
Thursday before playing the Philadelphia Flyers and Capitals over
the weekend. If the Rangers have really put their sloppy ways behind
them, they should know for sure by Monday morning.
"We need to keep this rolling," Brassard said.
NOTES: Bruins LW Brad Marchand faced the Rangers for the first time
since Nov. 27 in a game that featured Marchand getting a goaltender
interference penalty that upset Rangers coach Alain Vigneault.
Rangers C Derek Stepan was lost for three weeks with a rib injury
resulting from a hit by LW Matt Beleskey. ... The Bruins scratched
LW Frank Vatrano and RW Tyler Randell. ... Rangers LW Chris Kreider
returned from a two-game absence due to a hand laceration and
replaced LW Oscar Lindberg, who entered the game with one more point
than Kreider.
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