That snaps the Bruins' win streak at two games after they had beat New Jersey and Montreal by a combined 11-1 count this week.
Boston doesn't get much time to lick their wounds over this one though, as the Bruins get right back into action on Sunday in Philadelphia.
Third Period, 18:24, Rangers 1-0: Rask is out of the net for the extra attacker, as the Bruins look for the equalizer.
Third Period, 17:31, Rangers 1-0: The Bruins are really pressuring the Rangers now. Seidenberg with a point shot followed by a Peverley chace at the left post on the rebound was denied, then another rush led to Marchand trying to bang it home from the top of the crease. That drew a crowd in front, but no penalties as the Bruins will have a faceoff in the Rangers zone.
Third Period, 14:35, Rangers 1-0: Strong shift by the Peverley-Kelly-Seguin line, lots of chances but still nothing has gotten past Lundqvist. Shots are now even at 23-23.
Third Period, 12:29, Rangers 1-0: Marchand with the chance to tie at the right post from Bergeron, but he can't put it home.
Third Period, 10:18, Rangers 1-0: Rangers forwards Erik Christensen upends Rask playing the puck behind his net, but no call is made.
Third Period, 7:35, Rangers 1-0: The Bruins kill that penalty off, and now will look to get back on the attack as they try to tie this one up.
Third Period, 5:35, Rangers 1-0: So much for that momentum, as Lucic heads back to the box with another slashing call, this time on Boyle behind the Rangers net.
Third Period, 5:14, Rangers 1-0: David Krejci with the chance coming in from the left boards, but Lundqvist makes the stop and no Bruin could corral the rebound. The Bruins are doing a better job creating chances this period, but they still can't get on the board.
Third Period, 2:22, Rangers 1-0: Rich Peverley with a sneaky wrister through a crowd from the left slot that forces Lundqvist to make a tough glove save.
Third Period, 0:00, Rangers 1-0: The final frame is under way at the Garden. The good news for the Bruins? They're only down by a goal. The bad news? The Rangers are 26-0-0 when leading after two periods this season.
Brick Breaks It Down: Just spent a few minutes with NESN analyst Andy Brickley to get his take on what we've seen so far and what the Bruins will need to do in the third period to pull this one out.
Here's Brickley's breakdown:
"It's a challenge to get that emotional needle where's it's needed to be after a game like [Thursday's win over Montreal], and against the Rangers you have to earn everything you get. It's a physical battle for space and time. Still, even with that, it should be a 0-0 game. They had an offsides play with [Marian] Gaborik that led to a shot on goal and a faceoff in the Bruins zone, and they got a good break.
"I'm disappointed with the Rangers power-play opportunities. They're falling down awfully easy out there. [Brian] Boyle goes down like that. Is [Tyler] Seguin really that strong?
"Still, they're just one shot away. There shouldn't be any panic. But they've let the Rangers control the game and they can't allow that to continue. They need some sustained pressure, two-three shifts of good possession time in the offensive zone. And they need some second-chance opportunities o [Henrik] Lundqvist. You're not going to beat him on the first shot. The good news is it's just 1-0. That's what every one expected, another tight, close game with these guys."
End Second Period, Rangers 1-0: The second period is in the books with no further scoring. The Rangers had a 3-6 edge in shots that frame and lead 22-14 overall.
Second Period, 18:29, Rangers 1-0: The Bruins kill off that penalty, and may have finally picked up some momentum with a few big hits by Boychuk and then Lucic right out of the box on Michael Sauer.
Second Period, 17:04, Rangers 1-0: The Bruins with a shorthanded bid as Patrice Bergeron crashes into Lundqvist. That leads to a brief scrum, but no further penalties.
Second Period, 16:29, Rangers 1-0: The Bruins are now going to be shorthanded with Milan Lucic sent off for slashing Brandon Dubinsky. That came after Dan Girardi took Lucic hard into the boards and Lucic was unsuccessful in trying to get Girardi to drop the gloves.
Second Period, 13:31, Rangers 1-0: The Bruins can't convert that chance.the first power-play unit created some decent scoring opportunities, but the second unit struggled to even get out of the zone.
Second Period, 11:31, Rangers 1-0: The Bruins finally get their first power-play chance of the day as Marian Gaborik goes off for boarding.
Second Period, 9:05, Rangers 1-0: Nine minutes into the second and the Bruins have yet to put a shot on Lundqvist. The Rangers have nine so far this period, but it remains a 1-0 game.
Second Period, 6:31, Rangers 1-0: Nice moment here at the Garden as the home radio booth in the press box was officially named in honor of longtime voice of the Bruins Bob Wilson, who was on hand for the ceremony. Wilson unveiled a gold microphone that will be displayed in front of the radio box on level nine of the Garden.
Second Period, 5:52, Rangers 1-0: Shawn Thornton appeared to ask Rangers tough guy Brandon Prust to dance there at the blue line, but Prust wasn't interested in giving Thornton the chance to spark his club.
Second Period, 4:33, Rangers 1-0: Very sloppy play from the Bruins so far in this period, as they've had trouble even getting out of their own zone cleanly. Shots are 5-0 New York so far in the second.
Second Period, 3:07, Rangers 1-0: The Bruins survive that Rangers' power play as well, with Rask making a few more big stoops and Johnny Boychuk helping out by clearing the puck off the goal line at one point.
Second Period, 1:07, Rangers 1-0: Not the start the Bruins were looking for in this period, as Mark Recchi takes a hooking call deep in the Rangers zone early in the frame.
Second Period, 0:00, Rangers 1-0: And the middle frame is under way here at the Garden, where the Bruins are looking to rally from a one-goal deficit against the Rangers.
First Intermission Notes: After 11 goals in their last two games, the Bruins are still looking for their first in this one after 20 minutes.
It's not surprising that the Bruins have struggled to match the energy of Thursday's showdown with Montreal, but they're only down a goal and still very much in this one if they can summon a little more for the final 40 minutes.
Scoring chances have been scarce with the Rangers' tight-checking style, but there has been plenty of hitting. The Bruins trail there as well though, with New York holding a 15-9 edge in hits in addition to a 9-8 advantage in shots. The Rangers also have seven blocked shots to Boston's two as the Bruins have struggled to get shots through the defense and onto Henrik Lundqvist.
Tuukka Rask allowed the one goal, but there was little he could do on that deflection. He's been strong so far and helped keep Boston in it, especially with some big saves on the Rangers' lone power play.
End First Period, Rangers 1-0: That wasn't the way the Bruins wanted to build off Thursday's big win. Not a horrible period, but the Rangers struck for the only goal of the frame and the Bruins don't quite seem to have the same jump they showed against the Canadiens.
First Period, 18:09, Rangers 1-0: There's been plenty of hitting in this one, but offensive chances have been in short supply as the Rangers cling to their one-goal lead late in the first.
First Period, 14:30, Rangers 1-0: Finally some pressure by the Bruins, with a strong shift by the third line. Rich Peverley nearly ties it with a shot off the side of the net from the left slot.
First Period, 10:46, Rangers 1-0: The Rangers put a ton of pressure on the Bruins on that power play, but Boston survives thanks to some big stops by Rask.
First Period, 8:46, Rangers 1-0: The Bruins will now have to kill off the Rangers' first power play of the day as Tyler Seguin goes off for interference.
First Period, 6:39, Rangers 1-0: After a missed offsides call leads to a faceoff in the Bruins zone, the Rangers strike first when Michael Sauer's shot from the right point off the draw is deflected in front past Rask for the first goal of the game.
Derek Stepan gets the goal for the tip in front, with Sauer and Vinny Prospal picking up the assists.
First Period, 6:10, 0-0: Rask is called upon to make his first save of the day on a shot from the right circle, and the first "Tuuuukka" chant goes up in the Garden.
First Period, 2:44, 0-0: Sean Avery wastes no time getting into some action upon his return to the lineup, challenging Greg Campbell on his first shift. After a long square off, they come together and do more spinning than punching. Avery lands the only real punch of the bout, but it was a bit of a cheap one coming after they were already on the ice.
First Period, 1:20, 0-0: Nathan Horton gets his pocket picked by Ryan Callahan, but Horton comes back with a big hit on Brandon Dubinsky in response.
First Period, 0:00, 0-0: This one is under way at the Garden, with the Bruins looking to build off Thursday's emotional win over Montreal against a Rangers team that could be another potential playoff opponent.
1:05 p.m.: Legendary Bruins broadcaster Bob Wilson is on hand for the ceremonial puck drop.
1 p.m.: The Bruins will open with Brad Marchand back on Patrice Bergeron's line, with Mark Recchi on the opposite wing, Tomas Kaberle and Dennis Seidenberg on defense and Tuukka Rask in goal.
The Rangers counter with Vinny Prospal, Derek Stepan and Marian Gaborik up front, Marc Staal and Dan Giradi on the blue line and Henrik Lundqvist in net.
12:55 p.m.: No surprises in the scratches, as the Bruins make it official that Daniel Paille, Steven Kampfer and Shane Hnidy will remain in the press box for this one.
The Rangers have scatched Mats Zuccarello, Matt Gilroy and injured goalie Martin Biron. That puts agitator Sean Avery back in the lineup. He's been a healthy scratch in five of the last six games.
12:45 p.m.: While you're waiting for the start of this one, here's a few things worth checking out.
Bruins president Cam Neely weighs in on a number of Bruins-related topics, including the fallout over the Max Pacioretty injury and the scenario that can put the Bruins officially in the playoffs by the end of the Saturday. A Bruins win and a regulation loss by Carolina against Tampa Bay (7 p.m. start) would clinch a berth for Boston.
12:40 p.m.: No changes in the lines for the Bruins in warm-ups, though expect Brad Marchand and Michael Ryder to be alternating between the second and fourth line again as they have the last two games.
Here's the line combinations from warm-ups:
Lucic-Krejci-Horton
Recchi-Bergeron-Ryder
Peverley-Kelly-Seguin
Marchand-Campbell-Thornton
Defense pairs:
Chara-Boychuk
Kaberle-Seidenberg
Ference-McQuaid
12:30 p.m.: Tuukka Rask led the Bruins out for warm-ups, indicating he'll get the start in this one. It's the first time Tim Thomas hasn't gotten the next start after posting a shutout this season.
Henrik Lundqvist led the Rangers out and will start as expected.
12 p.m.: The Bruins will host the Rangers for the final time this year in about an hour. The final time in the regular season anyway. There remains a possibility that these Original Six rivals could still meet in the opening round of the playoffs, which adds some extra flavor to this matinee matchup.
Bruins coach Claude Julien confirmed moments ago that there would be no lineup changes from Thursday, but wouldn't comment on who would be in goal. We'll have to wait for warm-ups to see if Tim Thomas will get another start after shutting out Montreal on Thursday.
8 a.m.: The Bruins put together arguably their finest performance of the season in Thursday's 7-0 statement win over the Canadiens. Now they'll look to build off that as they welcome another Original Six rival to the Garden with the New York Rangers paying a visit for a Saturday matinee matchup.
The Bruins appear to be fully out of their recent funk with a pair of victories this week, beating New Jersey and Montreal by a combined 11-1 count. But Boston can't afford to get cocky against the Rangers, who have plenty of momentum themselves.
New York fell to Ottawa 2-1 in a shootout on Thursday, snapping a five-game win streak. But the Rangers have still earned points in six straight and are 7-1-1 in their last nine games. They currently sit in seventh place in the East, but are just two points back of sixth-place Montreal. A win in this one could help them leap past the Habs, making New York another potential first-round playoff opponent for the Bruins.
Boston strengthened their hold on the Northeast Division lead and third seed in the East with its win over Montreal. The Bruins are now five points ahead of the Habs with two games in hand.
Don't expect this one to be decided until the final whistle. Since the St. Patrick's Day Massacre when the Rangers routed the Bruins 7-0 on March 17, 2007, the Bruins and Rangers have met 15 times. Thirteen of those games have been decided by one goal, including both meeting this season, while the other two were each 3-1 decisions. The overall results in that span are extremely close as well, with the Bruins going 7-5-3 in those games.
This season, each team has posted a 3-2 victory in the other club's building. The Rangers won by that margin at the TD Garden on Oct. 23 behind 35 saves from Henrik Lundqvist in a game that featured three fights. Things were calmer but just as close at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 17, as the Bruins prevailed 3-2 behind goals from Milan Lucic, Tyler Seguin and Mark Recchi and 34 saves by Tim Thomas.
The puck drops at 1 p.m., so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action.
