Overtime, 7:03, Rangers 4-3: Chris Kreider wins it for the Rangers.
Rick Nash feeds Kreider, and the former Boston College Eagle beats Tuukka Rask.
Overtime, 6:52, 3-3: The Bruins just tilted the ice with a few great scoring chances from the Patrice Bergeron line. All three players had a chance to score.
Overtime, 3:21, 3-3: Tuukka Rask opens overtime with two big saves on Risk Nash and another on Chris Kreider.
Overtime, 0:10, 3-3: Overtime is underway.
End third period, 3-3: The Bruins were able to keep the game tied in the final seconds, and we’re going to overtime.
Third period, 19:06, 3-3: We’ve got under a minute to play here in the third.
The Bruins, with their fourth line on the ice, just iced the puck. Claude Julien intelligently takes his timeout.
Third period, 14:25, 3-3: The Rangers had a great power play, but they weren’t able to score.
They came real close just after the penalty expired, though, as Brian Boyle got a shot on in the slot. The rebound wasn’t controlled by Tuukka Rask, which gave Boyle another chance. He put a shot that looked destined for the back of the net at Rask, but the goalie made an unbelievable arm save to keep the game tied.
Third period, 12:00, 3-3: The Rangers get another power play, this time thanks to Chris Kelly.
The Boston forward was called for tripping, and the B’s are back on the kill.
Third period, 10:00, 3-3: The Rangers just made the Bruins pay for a bad penalty, and it’s a tie game again.
Brian Boyle just beat Tuukka Rask after a gorgeous centering pass, and Boyle sniped it by Rask.
Third period, 8:55, Bruins 3-2: Now the Bruins have to go back on the penalty kill.
They got caught in a sloppy change, and they were called for too many men on the ice.
Third period, 8:06, Bruins 3-2: Tyler Seguin finally breaks through, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Bruins.
Seguin was turned away by Henrik Lundqvist on a one-timer after a gorgeous pass from Dougie Hamilton, but Seguin put home his rebound to give the Bruins the lead.
Third period, 6:04, 2-2: A play that was almost a disaster for the Bruins turns into a power play.
The Rangers had a 3-on-2 in the Boston zone with plenty of speed, but Ryan McDonagh crashed the net a little too hard and bowled over Tuukka Rask.
He gets two for goalie interference, and this is obviously a huge power play for the Bruins.
Third period, 1:15, 2-2: Derek Stepan just abused Zdeno Chara and Tuukka Rask, and it’s a tie game now.
Stepan muscled a puck away from Chara behind the net and beat an out-of-position Rask with a wraparound goal.
Not the way the Bruins wanted to start the third.
Third period, 0:10, Bruins 2-1: The third period is underway.
Second period reaction: For the first time since this series shifted to New York, we saw a little bit of something from the Rangers in the second period. The unfortunate thing for them, however, is that the Bruins scored twice in the second.
The B’s took full advantage of the hapless Blueshirts early in the period with a pair of power-play goals. The Bruins were able to easily move the puck on the power play, and they made New York pay. It also didn’t help that Henrik Lundqvist let a puck through the five-hole on the Nathan Horton goal. The Torey Krug goal, meanwhile, would have been a tough one for anyone, as he may have never seen the youngster’s blast from the point.
The Rangers really shouldn’t even be on the board right now. Tuukka Rask fell and then did a poor job of recovering, and that’s the only reason the Rangers have a goal right now. However, they did get that aforementioned jump after the weird goal, and they brought it for a few minutes after that. The stretch following the goal, which lasted a few minutes, was the best New York has played all game. They got into the Boston zone and established possession. Rask did a great job of bouncing back after the ugly goal to keep the lead intact.
End second period, Bruins 2-1: The second period comes to an end with the Bruins leading 2-1. The Rangers have 20 minutes to save their season.
Second period, 16:47, Bruins 2-1: The Rangers weren’t able to get anything on the power play, but they did have a chance just after the penalty expired.
A loose puck bounced to Derek Stepan in the slot, and he just kind of whiffed on it. That gave Daniel Paille just enough time to clear the puck out of danger.
Second period, 13: 28, Bruins 2-1: The Rangers, who are gaining momentum after that fluky goal, are going on the power play.
Jaromir Jagr pulled down Derek Stepan, and he gets called for holding.
Second period, 8:39, Bruins 2-1: Just as quickly as the Bruins take the 2-0 lead, the Rangers respond with a weird goal.
The Rangers were entering the zone with a little bit of momentum as they chased the puck. That’s when Tuukka Rask caught an edge and just fell down. The puck was shot by Carl Hagelin and blocked by Johnny Boychuk before it just rolled by Tuukka Rask.
Second period, 7:41, Bruins 2-0: Torey Krug, ladies and gentlemen.
There was plenty of traffic in front from two Rangers defensemen, but Krug blew a slap shot by Henrik Lundqvist. That was just a rocket.
Second period, 6:04, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins will get a chance to add to their lead on the power play.
Michael Del Zotto was called for interference.
Second period, 4:39, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins have the game’s first lead, thanks to a power-play goal, of all things.
Nathan Horton just sneaked a shot through Henrik Lundqvist’s legs, and the B’s have the 1-0 lead.
Second period, 3:09, 0-0: Kris Newbury just bowled over Tuukka Rask. You can’t do that. The Bruins get the power play.
Second period, 0:10, 0-0: The second period is underway.
First period reaction: The stats certainly say the Bruins dominated the first period, and while that may be a little misleading, I certainly think the Bruins have been the better team.
The Bruins are certainly pressuring the Rangers, and they’re forcing New York to make some uncomfortable plays. The B’s are already outshooting New York 12-4, and the Rangers didn’t get their first shot until about six minutes into the game.
John Tortorella said after Game 3 and before Game 4 that his players needs to do a better job of possessing the puck. So far, they haven’t done that very well. Tortorella also said they needed to get in on the forecheck in order to get the puck. They haven’t done that, either. I really think that’s the difference so far. There hasn’t been much urgency, which is puzzling, really. You would have thought that the Rangers would at least come out with a big jump in the early going, but that wasn’t the case.
It certainly looks like the Bruins are the team that wants it more, and they look like the team that’s down 0-3, not the Rangers.
End first period, 0-0: Twenty minutes in the book, and we’ve got a scoreless game.
First period, 15:00, 0-0: The Bruins kill off the penalty, and the Rangers’ struggles continue.
They did look somewhat competent on the man-advantage, and Tuukka Rask made a big save on Rick Nash.
First period, 12:29, 0-0: Now it’s time for the Rangers to go on a power play, which has been good news for the Bruins when it’s happened so far in this series.
The Rangers are 0-for-10 with the man-advantage in this series, and they are just 2 for their last 38. Matt Bartkowski is the guilty party, as he was called for slashing.
First period, 6:10, 0-0: The Bruins didn’t get much of anything at all going on the power play, and we’re scoreless because of it.
The new Rangers’ fourth line looks like it’s all about trying to mix it up. They took a couple of runs in their first shift opposite Boston’s fourth line, and Derek Dorsett tried to get Adam McQuaid to engage in a fight to no avail.
With how well the Bruins’ fourth line has played in this series, especially in Game 3, it makes no sense for any of them to drop the gloves at this point.
First period, 1:43, 0-0: The Bruins will get the game’s first power play, and their first power play in New York.
Welcome back, Roman Hamrlik, as he’s called for delay of game as he fires the puck over the glass.
First period, 0:01, 0-0: The first period is underway, and the Bruins are looking to sweep away the Rangers.
6:38 p.m.: The Bruins have taken the ice for pregame warmups, and by golly, no lineup changes.
Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden didn’t even go out for the skate, so they’re out.
On the Rangers’ side, Brad Richards and Arron Asham are out, Micheal Haley and Kris Newbury are in. On the blue line, Anton Stralman is out, and he’ll be replaced by veteran blueliner Roman Hamrlik.
6:25 p.m.: If the Bruins win Game 4, and that’s still a big if, at this point, will John Tortorella lose his job because of it?
John Giannone just said on NESN pregame coverage that he thinks Tortorella will be safe no matter what happens in Game 4 and in the rest of this series. Giannone speculated that since Tortorella didn’t get a full training camp to work out his club, he didn’t get a chance to fully implement his style of play. Quite frankly, I don’t buy that one bit. I do think that Tortorella’s job should be in jeopardy if the Rangers lose this game. It might be time for a change of voice in The Big Apple if the Rangers can’t come back and make a series out of this. It just looks like that team is starting to kind of tune him out. That’s something that should be considered before the lack of a training camp or some other excuse like that.
6 p.m.: It’s almost hockey time.
As a reminder, we’ve got the 7 p.m. puck drop instead of the 7:30 p.m. start we’ve seen in the other night games in this series. Also, pregame coverage is beginning right now on NESNplus.
3:10 p.m.: Claude Julien isn’t going to offer any clue as to what lineup he’ll go with for Game 4.
“Our lineup will be on the ice for warmup tonight, guys,” he told the media in a minute-long session after his club’s morning skate. “That’s all I’m gonna say about that.”
The obvious decision will be what the club does on the blue line with its defensemen. The Bruins have obviously won all three games with a blue line featuring three rookies. However, both Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden are getting healthy; both players were on the ice for morning skate.
However, the Bruins did go with the same defensive pairs during the skate that they have used all three games of this series. Wade Redden and Dennis Seidenberg were paired together as the fourth pair, which would seem to indicate they’ll be out for at least one more game.
It would make some sense, too, given the team’s lead in the series. If the Bruins can close out the series tonight, and they can do so without putting either of those veteran D-men in, why wouldn’t they do it? They’re looking at a few days of rest if they can close it out in Game 4, which would allow both guys time to get healthy. So you can go ahead and add that to the list of reasons it’s big for the Bruins to clinch Thursday night.
3 p.m.: Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist hasn’t necessarily been great in this series, and the Bruins have certainly taken advantage of that.
The New York goalie was great in Game 3, though, but the Bruins were still able to escape with the win. They got a little help with some puck luck, according to Lundqvist.
“”I’ve looked at a few games and they definitely got some lucky bounces,” Lundqvist said, according to ESPN.
See what else Lundqvist had to say by clicking here.
1:10 p.m.: Jaromir Jagr was not on the ice for morning skate, but that doesn’t appear to be much of an issue at all. He skated Wednesday at an optional practice, so he’ll be good to go for Game 4.
1:05 p.m.: So as we said, Brad Richards is out for Game 4, but that’s not the only lineup change the Rangers are making.
Arron Asham and Anton Stralman also appear to be out. Get caught up with all of the lineup changes by clicking here.
12:05 p.m.: The biggest news out of New York in advance of Game 4 is that the Rangers will be without a past Conn Smythe winner, and it’s by the head coach’s choice.
New York forward Brad Richards will not play, as John Tortorella is making him a healthy scratch for a do-or-die Game 4.
8 a.m. ET: The Bruins will be in a familiar position when the puck drops for Game 4 at Madison Square Garden, and they can call on examples of both the right way and the wrong way to handle the situation.
The B’s will take on the Rangers on Thursday night, and they’ll have a chance to end the Rangers’ season. Boston enters Game 4 holding the 3-0 series lead after the 2-1 win over the Blueshirts on Tuesday night. Only a few teams have blown a 3-0 series lead, including this Bruins team, under Claude Julien, just three years ago against the Flyers. Of course, the Bruins bounced back a year later to win the Stanley Cup, sweeping the Flyers in the process.
Boston got another reminder of how important it is to close a series in the first round of this year’s playoffs, too. Toronto pushed the B’s to the brink after the Bruins had a 3-1 series lead before hanging on to win the series with a Game 7 overtime win.
So if anyone knows the importance of closing things out with a big series lead, it should be the Bruins. The Rangers aren’t necessarily inspiring any confidence right now, either. New York has been outplayed in all three games of the series, and even with Henrik Lundqvist standing on his head in Game 3, it just wasn’t quite enough. Making matters worse for John Tortorella’s bunch is that they’re a little banged up following a physical, bloody Game 3. Both defenseman Anton Stralman and forward Chris Kreider both left Tuesday’s game with injuries that will bear keeping an eye on in Game 4.
Other than that, Game 4 will be all about which team is more desperate. The Rangers’ desperation is obvious. The Bruins, meanwhile, would probably love nothing more than to end the series now and get some rest in advance of the Eastern Conference finals.
Puck drop for Game 4 is set for just after 7 p.m. in New York.
