Overtime, Rangers 4-3: Well, that didn’t take long.
Marian Gaborik has himself a hat trick, and the Rangers have their first win of the season.
The Bruins turned the puck over in the offensive zone, and Gaborik gets behind the defense thanks to a nifty flip of the puck to himself. He beats the B’s defense down the ice and after his first attempt is stopped by Tuukka Rask, Gaborik bats home an airborne rebound.
If you’re looking for a positive, it’s that the B’s get out of town with a point, and they do so in battling back despite a slow start.
We’ll get to breaking this down and will have a look at how the Bruins can take some positives out of this seemingly heart-breaking loss.
End third period, 3-3: Tuukka Rask just made two huge saves on two of the game’s best offensive players.
First, it was a save on Rick Nash who came walking in on the right wing. The rebound bounced to Marian Gaborik, but Rask was able to flop to his right just enough to keep away the rebound chance.
This all came after another fantastic penalty kill (sound familiar?) in which the B’s were able to basically ensure they’ll get a point.
Thanks to Rask, they have that point. Now they look for the extra point in overtime.
Third period, 16:10, 3-3: The Bruins’ penalty kill goes back to work, this time without one of its most valuable members. Daniel Paille gets a tripping penalty. This is a huge PK for the B’s. Obviously.
Third period, 15:37, 3-3: Remember Nathan Horton and his clutch goal-scoring abilities? Yeah, they’re back.
Horton scores the equalizer during 4-on-4 play with a great team effort from the Bruins. Andrew Ference pinches down to keep the play alive, and Gregory Campbell finds Horton in the high slot with a beautiful pass, which Horton sneaks through Lundqvist’s five-hole.
Third period, 13:55, Rangers 3-2: Rick Nash and Chris Kelly get matching minor penalties, Nash for holding and Kelly for interference, apparently.
Not sure why Kelly gets something for that, as he was basically just skating and Nash pulled him down.
Third period, 12:27, Rangers 3-2: Things have been pretty back and forth in the third period, but the Bruins have definitely started to control play after killing off the penalties.
That’s the good news if you’re a Bruins fan. The bad news, of course, is that they have nothing to show for it yet. The Rangers have a way of making a one-goal lead seem like more than that, but the B’s have to stick to the plan, get pucks to the net and get traffic in front of Lundqvist if they want to at least salvage a point out of this.
Third period, 10:21, Rangers 3-2: The Bruins come up with another masterful penalty-killing effort to kill the 5-on-3 and the ensuing 5-on-4.
Once again, Patrice Bergeron comes up huge with a couple of faceoff wins and an incredible individual effort to kill off more time and even get a shot on goal. Gold stars also go to Zdeno Chara, Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille for their work on the PK.
The Bruins seemed to get a bit of a jump out of that kill, and they’ve turned up the heat a little bit.
Third period, 5:17, Rangers 3-2: Aaron Johnson got caught in transition through the neutral zone as the Rangers looked to break out, and Johnson’s stick got caught in Carl Hagelin’s skates.
Hagelin went flying to the ice, and Johnson goes to the penalty box for tripping.
Just moments later, Adam McQuaid staples Dan Girardi to the board, and McQuaid is called for boarding.
The Rangers take their timeout, and once again, the Bruins call on their penalty kill to come up big. The Rangers had a 5-on-3 on Saturday night which they couldn’t score on, and they’d love nothing more than to avenge that right now to get the insurance goal.
Third period, 2:34, Rangers 3-2: We’re under way in the third period, with the Bruins looking to replicate a solid second period.
Second intermission notes: All in all, a much better period for the Bruins, even though they still trail 3-2 through 40 minutes.
The Bruins came out lethargic, and that cost them early on, giving up those two early goals. But credit the B’s for bouncing back in the second, with a couple of really good shifts early on, one of which produced the Brad Marchand goal on the power play.
It’s obviously nice to see that power play break out after some early struggles in the first two games and the first period of this one. Dougie Hamilton, who didn’t do a very good job on the second New York goal in the first period, was a catalyst on the power-play tally in the second. He showed some impressive poise with the puck, and that led to his first career point with the assist on Marchand’s goal. He also had a couple of other nice plays in the offensive zone. There’s no denying this kid has some serious offensive talent, and you have to think that playing alongside defensive veterans like Zdeno Chara, Andrew Ference and Dennis Seidenberg will improve the rookie’s play in his own end. It’s quite a testament to Hamilton that only Chara has logged more ice time in two periods.
As is often the case when you play the Rangers, the Bruins are going to have to find a way to get pucks through to the net in the third period. The Rangers are blocking shots per usual, so Boston will have to find a way to get around that.
Tuukka Rask has looked shaky at times, and he got a gift when Mike Rupp was called for roughing, a penalty he basically earned for being bigger than Chris Bourque. If Boston is going to win this game, the third has to be Rask’s best period of the night, which probably should go without saying.
End second period, Rangers 3-2: The Bruins will take some momentum into the dressing room after something of a flurry in the period’s final seconds.
The B’s did everything but score with a couple of late chances from Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin, but more shot-blocking as well as some fine play from Henrik Lundqvist ensure that New York will take a 3-2 lead into the third period.
Second period, 18:44, Rangers 3-2: The Bruins can’t score on the power play, once again thanks to the Rangers’ shot-blocking tendencies.
Ryan Callahan comes up with the big shot block this time, getting in the way of a Zdeno Chara slapshot from the point that allows the Rangers to bleed out the rest of the penalty.
Second period, 16:24, Rangers 3-2: The Rangers looked to have taken another two-goal lead, but the Bruins get a little bit lucky.
The Rangers scored again, but the referee ruled that Mike Rupp was guilty of a roughing penalty on Chris Bourque. Really, though, it looked pretty harmless.
Regardless, the B’s are back on the power play.
Second period, 13:10, Rangers 3-2: Just like that, the Rangers grab the lead back.
Shawn Thornton wasn’t able to clear the puck in his own end, and it allows Derek Stepan to take a shot from the point. Tuukka Rask wasn’t able to control the rebound, and Taylor Pyatt was waiting. He jams home the rebound to give the Rangers the 3-2 lead.
Second period, 12:24, 2-2: The Bruins did a great job right there of moving the puck out of their own zone, and it eventually leads to the game tying goal.
Milan Lucic shows once again how strong he is, cleaning up a rebound in front, jamming home a backhanded shot to tie things up.
The scoring effort started in the other end, though. A frantic attempt for the Rangers turned into transition offense going the other way with Zdeno Chara starting the rush. He carried the puck into the zone to set things up, eventually leading to Lucic’s goal.
Second period, 10:00, Rangers 2-1: The Bruins kill off the penalty (again), continuing their impressive penalty-killing efforts.
Midway through the second, the B’s’ look like a different team. Claude Julien must have said something pretty effective during the first intermission, because the Bruins have much more in their step in all three zones. They’ve had a handful of scoring chances so far, and they’re right back in this game.
Second period, 8:35, Rangers 2-1: Boston goes back on the penalty kill after something of a misplay by Tuukka Rask behind his net.
Rask went to play the puck behind the net and stumbled a bit. That created a scrum. That scrum led to Zdeno Chara losing his balance and catching Marian Gaborik with a high stick. Luckily for the Bruins, there was no blood, but Chara still gets two for the high-sticking.
Second period, 8:06, Rangers 2-1: The Bruins power play stalls when Tyler Seguin tries to get a little too cute toward the end of the two minutes. He tried to force one across the slot, but it was broken up and the puck was cleared.
Dougie Hamilton looked like a rookie in the first period, but he’s’ bounced back here in the second. He had his first career point in getting the helper on the Marchand goal, and he almost picked up his second assist moments later. Prior to the Piatt penalty, Hamilton walked the puck down the right wall and found Seguin skating down the left side. Hamilton delivered a perfect pass across the slot, but Seguin hit the post.
Second period, 5:21, Rangers 2-1: It’s been a tale of two periods so far.
The Bruins have come out like a house of fire, and they are making the Rangers pay. Taylor Piatt goes off for a tripping penalty after another good rush from the Bruins.
Second period, 1:05, Rangers 2-1: The Bruins scored a real-life, power-play goal. Seriously.
The Bruins did a great job on the PP of moving the puck, including Dougie Hamilton, who had a rough first period. Hamilton helped cycle the puck around before moving to the point. From there he took a shot from the top and Brad Marchand deflected it home to cut the lead in half.
Second period, 0:58, Rangers 2-0: Bruins are back on the power play, which comes just seconds after their best chance of the evening.
Milan Lucic walked in on Henrik Lundqvist with a good chance, but he couldn’t put it by the goalie. David Krejci had a chance to put the rebound home into a wide-open net, but he missed completely to the left.
The good news, though, if you wanna call it that, is the Bruins are going on the power play as Marc Staal goes to the box for a slashing penalty.
First intermission notes: We just mentioned that this was the worst period of the season for the Bruins, which isn’t saying much given the B’s success early on.
But it was a little disheartening to see the Bruins come out so flat. They knew they were going to get a desperate Rangers club, but they still looked surprised when New York came out flying. The Rangers did a great job of getting to loose pucks and spreading the ice. There was no better evidence of the latter than on the first goal. New York started the breakout from behind their net with a long pass to center ice where Brad Richards made a gorgeous tip pass to Rick Nash streaking down the left side. Nash then passed it across the ice to Marian Gaborik who put it up under the crossbar to set the tone.
On the Boston side, the power play remains a point of concern. The Bruins didn’t show much of anything on the man-advantage. However, if you have power play issues, the Rangers aren’t the team you want to see. New York blocks shots better than just about anyone in the league, and when they pack it in on the penalty kill, you’re going to have problems getting it to the net.
Good on Adam McQuaid for going after Brian Boyle following that (kind of) late shot in the final minutes of the period. Not only did McQuaid stand up for himself, he might have given the club a bit of a jolt going into the intermission. The effective penalty kill might help, too.
End first period, Rangers 2-0: The Bruins are able to kill off the extra two minutes for McQuaid’s irritability upon taking the Boyle shot to the leg.
They go to intermission in a two-goal hole, though, in what was by far their worst period of the season. We’ll dive in a little bit more in just a few minutes.
First period, 17:31, Rangers 2-0: The Rangers carried the puck into the Bruins’ zone, and were called for offside. That’s all well and good, but the thing is, is that Brian Boyle decided to shoot the puck after the whistle.
Adam McQuaid, who took that shot in the leg, wasn’t a fan. So naturally, McQuaid went right after Boyle, gloves on the way to the ice while he went after Boyle. Boyle eventually agreed to go — he was going to get punched either way — and the two did a little dosey-do.
McQuaid got an extra two minutes for roughing, though, as he was the one who started the fight.
First period, 15:16, Rangers 2-0: The Bruins are going back on the power play, which may or may not be bad news at this point, given the B’s issues with the man-advantage.
It’s tough not to sound like a broken record when it comes to the power play, but when you’re 0-for-10 and have a history of struggles on the PP, you’re going to be criticized as such.
First period, 12:14, Rangers 2-0: Nothing to show for from the Boston power play, which is once again becoming a well-known refrain for Bruins fans.
There wasn’t much to get excited about, either, as the only real “chance” came when Dougie Hamilton fired a wrist shot on Henrik Lundqvist, which the veteran goalie turned stopped with ease.
Boston has slowed the Rangers attack some, the penalty helped, but other than that, there’s not much rhythm or attack out of the B’s yet. This is a much different team right now than we saw Saturday night, or even Monday afternoon.
First period, 9:56, Rangers 2-0: Brian Boyle, who drew the ire of John Tortorella following Saturday night’s game for taking dumb penalties, goes to the box again.
This time it’s for tripping after getting tied up with Aaron Johnson behind the Boston net.
The Bruins’ power play, as you may have heard, has not been very good. They’ll try to fix that now.
First period, 6:49, Rangers 2-0: The Rangers look like the team we all expected them to be in the first few minutes of this game.
New York scores again, Gaborik again, when the dangerous forward tips in a rebound in front of Tuukka Rask.
Claude Julien takes his timeout, and he uses it to blow his squad up. The Bruins are so incredibly flat right now, and New York is making the B’s pay in a big way. They’ve got two goals before the B’s can even get a shot on the Rangers’ net.
First period, 4:36, Rangers 1-0: The Rangers look like a desperate team in the early going, and they just cashed in on that early desperation.
The Rangers did a great job of breaking out of their own zone, spreading the ice to break it out. Rick Nash and Marian Gaborik ended up all alone closing in on Tuukka Rask, where Nash shoveled it across to Gaborik who scored the game’s first goal from just in front of the goal line to Rask’s left.
The Rangers have five shots on goal already, and the Bruins have none. It’s been all New York so far, and it’s clear that they’re trying to make an early statement after the disappointing start to the season they’ve experienced.
First period, 0:10 0-0: We’re finally under way. Thanks for joining us, let’s get this thing going.
7:42 p.m.: Change of plans apparently. Dougie Hamilton is starting for the Bruins, and he’s doing so alongside … Zdeno Chara. The plot thickens.
This game, which is a national broadcast on NBC Sports Network, will start at some point. Hopefully soon?
7:08 p.m.: Here’s an update from Madison Square Garden, via NESN’s Naoko Funayama on Twitter.
“Seidenberg is not playing game tonight vs Rangers,” she just tweeted. “Lower-body injury, day-to-day.”
It also sounds like Dougie Hamilton will be skating with his third different defensive partner. Hamilton was out there with Seidenberg on opening night before being paired up with Zdeno Chara on Monday. He’ll be next to Andrew Ference for this one, according to the pregame skate.
It might not be much of a surprise that Brad Marchand looks to be returning to the lineup.
6:55 p.m.: Now that dinner is out of the way (pork chops for this guy, thanks for asking), let’s get back to hockey, shall we?
We’re about 35-40 minutes from getting under way, which means there’s no better time for a skate around the NHL.
Here are just a few scatterbrained thoughts from the first few days of the season.
- The Philadelphia Flyers are in trouble. There’s no denying that Philly has some top-six talent that ranks among the league’s best, but after that, there are some question marks. The Flyers are already 0-3, and they’ve been outscored 11-3. Some of the fault falls with Ilya Brzgalov, but there’s certainly a lack of depth on that blue line. Special teams have also been an issue. The Flyers are just 1-for-15 on the power play, and they’ve already allowed three goals. It sounds like Scott Hartnell is injured, too, which could be a crushing blow.
- Injuries are already becoming an issue. The aforementioned Hartnell injury could be a major factor. Out in Colorado, the Avalanche will be without Steve Downie for the rest of the year after he tore a knee ligament, and that may play into the favor of Ryan O’Reilly, who is a restricted free agent who remains unsigned. Ian White, the Detroit defenseman who called Gary Bettman an “idiot” during the lockout, will miss 2-3 weeks with a nasty leg laceration. Then there’s Dennis Seidenberg here in Boston as well.
- Gotta chance to watch the Blackhawks-Blues game on Tuesday night, and it was a pretty impressive showing for Chicago. They’re loaded. Marian Hossa is showing no issues coming back from the concussion he sustained in the playoffs last season, and he’s flying around the ice. Jonathan Toews is arguably the best player in the world. There is plenty of depth there. The biggest question is the goaltending, but that hasn’t been a problem yet.
- Also watched some of the Sharks-Oilers game on Tuesday night. The Oilers still have a ways to go. A lot of it comes down to goaltending, though. Devan Dubnyk allowed six first-period goals, and that was pretty much that. But the young talent the Oilers feature is undeniable. Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Nail Yakupov, Justin Schultz and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all had at least a point the game with San Jose. It was tough not to be impressed with Schultz who logged a game-high 23:41, and still managed to avoid finishing the game with a negative rating.
4:55 p.m.: While you’re waiting for this clash of Eastern Conference foes, perhaps you’d like to do a little reading?
If that’s the case, be sure to check out this story on Providence tough guy Bobby Robins. Away from the rink, he’s a pretty good dude.
2:20 p.m.: While just about all of the Bruins took part in an optional morning skate, just a handful of Rangers skated. In fact, only five guys took the ice, including both goaltenders.
The Rangers’ team website says that there’s a good chance Steve Eminger will make his season debut against the Bruins. That might mean that Stu Bickel will once again move from the blue line to a forward position. Bickel prefers to play defense, but Arron Asham’s injury may move Bickel up front.
Bickel played forward Saturday against the Bruins, and he dropped the gloves in a second-period fight with B’s forward Gregory Campbell. Asham made his Rangers debut on Sunday night in New York’s loss to the Penguins.
For the Bruins, Tuukka Rask was the first goalie off the ice, which means he’ll likely make his third straight start to open the season. Henrik Lundqvist is expected to be back in there for the winless Rangers.
12 p.m.: The Bruins just wrapped up their morning skate at MSG, which was an optional skate. Even though it was “optional,” every member of the B’s skated, except for captain Zdeno Chara.
That includes Brad Marchand and Dennis Seidenberg. Marchand was given the day off Tuesday for a “maintenance day,” while Seidenberg practiced after missing Monday’s game with a lower-body injury. Claude Julien told reporters in New York that both are game-time decisions. You have to think that if Marchand missed practice for maintenance Tuesday he’d almost certainly be back in there. Julien didn’t seem too concerned about Seidenberg’s injury following Monday’s game, and said the club was “very, very hopeful” Seidenberg would be back for Wednesday.
If Seidenberg does return, it will make for an interesting decision from Julien. Seidenberg was paired with rookie Dougie Hamilton on Saturday night. With Seidenberg’s injury Monday, however, Hamilton skated alongside Chara and looked pretty good in doing so. We’ll have to wait and see apparently.
8 a.m. ET: The Bruins enjoyed the confines of home to open the 2013 season, but they’ll take their act on the road on Wednesday night when they visit another Garden — Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The B’s will don their road jerseys for the first time this season when they take on the Rangers in a rematch of their opening night win over New York on Saturday in Boston. The B’s used a full team effort in that one to come away with the 3-1 win, a victory they followed up with a shootout win over Winnipeg on Monday at the Garden.
Things haven’t been so rosy for the Rangers, however. John Tortorella’s bunch returned home following the loss to Boston for a Sunday night matchup with another Eastern Conference power, the Penguins. Pittsburgh tore the Rangers apart, scoring four goals, including three in the first period, on Henrik Lundqvist, leading Tortorella to pull the Vezina winner in the second period.
Tortorella was asked following the Rangers game which specific areas the club needs to improve in.
“All of them,” he deadpanned. “And that is certainly not being sarcastic. All of them.”
The surly head coach also said that “maybe we need to get whacked around a little bit right now,” in reference to a Brooks Orpik hit on Chris Kreider. Well, if that’s what the New York coach wants, he might get that on Wednesday when the Bruins come to town. Boston has shown no problem with taking the body in their first two games, and you can probably expect the same in this one.
It’s an important game for both teams, even if it is only the third of the season for each. The Bruins want to continue to distance themselves from the Rangers, something that could end up being advantageous come season’s end, while the Rangers just need a win.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at MSG, but we’ll be here to provide updates throughout the day leading up until game time.
