If the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers end up squaring off in the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, we doubt any viewers would complain.
Monday’s Bruins-Rangers matchup at Madison Square Garden was a battle to the bitter end, continuing the trend the teams set in their Black Friday nailbiter earlier this season.
The B’s won that first meeting by a goal. This time around, it was the Blueshirts’ turn to do the same.
Jesper Fast deflected a Keith Yandle shot past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask with 1:42 remaining to give New York a 2-1 victory and hand Boston its fourth loss in five games.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
With Rask called to the bench for an extra attacker, Brad Marchand was unable to jam the puck past goaltender Henrik Lundqvist after a scrum in front of the New York net.
GOALTENDING GOLD
Despite the lack of goal-scoring, the game was wildly entertaining. That typically means the goaltenders were fully dialed in, and that certainly was the case Monday.
Rask and Lundqvist both were stellar throughout the contest, finishing with 28 and 32 saves, respectively.
Rask kept the Rangers off the board until early in the third period — Derick Brassard put one in from the doorstep 35 seconds into the final frame — and Lundqvist made the save of the night three minutes later when he denied a wide-open attempt by Max Talbot.
SPOONER BUSY EARLY
Ryan Spooner enjoyed one of his better games of the season Saturday night in Ottawa, and he picked up right where he left off against the Rangers.
The 23-year-old center created one scoring chance during the game’s opening minutes, then had an even better one after scooping up a Chris Kreider giveaway at the New York blue line. Spooner raced toward the crease and dangled around Lundqvist but was denied by the goal post.
Spooner tallied three of the Bruins’ 11 shots on goal in the first period.
BIG BROTHER STRIKES FIRST
Jimmy Hayes, who was facing his younger brother, Rangers center Kevin Hayes, for the second time this season, opened the scoring when he whipped a snap shot underneath Lundqvist’s blocker at the 9:04 mark of the second.
Zdeno Chara initiated the rush when he picked the pocket of Kreider, who did not have the best night for the Blueshirts. The big defenseman poked the puck to Spooner, who in turn fed it to Hayes.
Both players were credited with assists, giving Spooner 20 helpers on the season and Chara 17.
VATRANO TAKES A SEAT
Rookie Frank Vatrano watched the game from the press box as a healthy scratch, the first time he’d done so since his call-up from Providence in early November.
Vatrano has provided some exhilarating highlights for the Bruins this season, but he hasn’t exactly been the picture of consistency thus far in his young NHL career. Three of his six goals came in one game, and he’s failed to score a point in 22 of his 26 contests, including eight of his last nine.
Tyler Randell also sat out Monday night, with wingers Brett Connolly and Zac Rinaldo returning to the lineup. Connolly, who entered with just one goal in his previous 29 games, put a shot off the post in the final minute of the second period.
FOURTH-LINE FIRE
The Bruins’ fourth line of Rinaldo, Talbot and Landon Ferraro put forth an excellent effort, tallying a combined nine shots on goal. The trio’s productivity allowed coach Claude Julien to roll all lines for the majority of the contest, with the three fourth-liners each logging more than 12 minutes of ice time.
UP NEXT
Two games remain on the Bruins’ current five-game road trip. They’ll visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night before closing out the trip Friday night in Buffalo.
Thumbnail photo via Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports Images
