The Bruins have made it clear no deficit fazes them, so trailing by just one goal in the third period on Tuesday, they pretty much had the Rangers right where they wanted them.
With Shawn Thornton turning out to be the latest unlikely player to make major contributions to a victory, the Bruins saved all their scoring for the third period in the 2-1 win. Opportunistic goals by Daniel Paille and Johnny Boychuk helped the B’s take a 3-0 lead over the Rangers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.
Thornton recorded an assist on each of those goals, which overcame the second-period tip-in by Taylor Pyatt to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Boychuk’s goal tied the game, but Paille’s goal featured a play unlike anything most fans have ever seen. The puck caromed off Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and high into the air, barely staying outside the red line. But while the Rangers breathed a sigh of relief, Paille sneaked in and tapped the puck into the net for the game-winning goal.
