It was another close affair, as these clubs played a one-goal decision for the 12th time in their last 14 clashes.
Third Period, 17:30, Rangers 3-2: The Bruins are getting chances, but Lundqvist is holding the fort here late in the third.
Shots are 36-29 in favor of the B’s, but the Rangers hold the edge where it matters with the 3-2 lead.
Third Period, 14:20, Rangers 3-2: The Bruins’ efforts to press for agoal have led to some opportunities for the Rangers.
The latest was a 2-on-1 with Callahan and Anisimov with Chara back. Callahan took the shot from the left wing, but Rask came up with the save.
Third Period, 12:00, Rangers 3-2: The Bruins are starting to take some chances trying to net the equalizer.
They’re activating their defense more, with Seidenberg the latest blueliner to jump up into the play to try to sustain the attack.
Third Period, 8:25, Rangers 3-2: The Bruins kill off another penalty, and Chara comes out of the box to clear the puck out of the zone as the Rangers continued to pressure.
David Krejci had a great chance at scoring the equalizer short-handed early in the kill, but was denied on a shot in front.
Third Period, 6:25, Rangers 3-2: Finally something to cheer about at the Garden, where the jumbotron just asked, “Whose season ended last night?”
The correct choice of the New York Yankees received a huge response, while Sox slugger Kevin Youkilis also received a rousing ovation when he was shown on the screen seconds later.
Third Period, 6:25, Rangers 3-2: The Bruins find themselvs back on the penalty kill with yet another penalty, this time Chara going off for slashing.
That came just seconds after Jordan Caron nearly tied it with a chance at the left post off a great feed by Blake Wheeler.
Third Period, 3:32, Rangers 3-2: The Bruins survive the Campbell double minor, though not without some scary moments around the crease as the Rangers put plenty of pressure on Rask.
The Bruins can now try to mount a counterattack of their own looking for the tying goal at even strength.
Third Period, 0:00, Rangers 3-2: The final frame is under way, and with Boychuk out, Ference opens the period on the penalty kill with Chara.
The crowd has also been announced as another sellout at 17,565.
Second Intermission Notes: Not a great night for the Bruins so far in this one, though they are certainly still in it trailing by just a goal going into the third period.
They’ve had plenty of energy, but haven’t directed it to positive results often enough.
They’re soending way too much time in the box, while also not taking advantage of the power-play chances the Rangers are giving them.
There can’t be any complaints with Chara’s effort, however, as he has now played 21:33 so far, with a goal, seven shots, four hits and two blocked shots. The Bruins were outhit 8-6 in the second, with Chara supplying three of those hits.
Beyond the scoreboard, the bad news for the Bruins is the loss of Johnny Boychuk to an undisclosed injury. The Rangers also lost forward Brandon Prust to a nasty-looking high-stick to the face by Greg Campbell. New York still has 3:31 left on that power play to start the third.
End Second Period, Rangers, 3-2: This period ends just as it began, with the Bruins trailing by a goal.
This time they will enter the next frame with a penalty to kill off. A lack of discipline has been an ongoing problem all night, and Campbell’s careless use of the stick is the latest — and most egregious — example so far.
Second Period, 19:30, Rangers 3-2: Greg Campbell draws a double minor for high-sticking Brandon Prust.
This one looked bad, as Prust appeared seriously hurt on the play. Did not look intentional, but very careless use of the stick by Campbell, who gets his second high-sticking double minor of the young season. Hopefully Prust is not seriously injured, but it did not look good as he was helped off the ice.
Second Period, 17:20, Rangers 3-2: Andrew Ference delivers a big hit on Rangers forward Brandon Dubinsky.
Those two were chirping at each other before the face-off coming out of the TV timeout.
Second Period, 15:46, Rangers 3-2: The Bruins can’t convert again, and are now 1 for 6 on the power play in this one.
The lone goal came on a two-man advantage, so they’ve been shut out on 5-on-4 chances so far.
Second Period, 13:46, Rangers 3-2: The Bruins get another power-play chance, but this one may have come at a price.
Mark Stuart was engaged with Brian Boyle in a puck battle at the Rangers blue line when he was belted from the side by Boogaard. Huge hit that left Stuart looking woozy, and Boogaard gets a two-minute minor for boarding.
Second Period, 12:27, Rangers 3-2: The Bruins pullback within one thanks to a little wizardry by David Krejci.
After Dennis Seidenberg made a nice play to keep the puck in at the right point, sending it into the near corner, Krejci dished a backhand pass between his legs to Nathan Horton in the slot for a quick shot that beat Lundqvist.
Second Period, 11:59, Rangers 3-1: The Bruins kill off the penalty as Campbell is out of the box.
It’s not all good news though, as it has been announced that Johnny Boychuk will not return with an undisclosed injury.
Second Period, 9:59, Rangers 3-1: Now the Rangers get a chance on the power play with Campbell off for slashing.
Avery slams into Rask and knocks him over at the whistle, but gets no call for goalie interference.
Second Period, 9:04, Rangers 3-1: Lots of sustained pressure on the power play, but the Bruins can’t convert.
The first unit of Krejci, Lucic and Horton up front and Recchi and Chara at the points was especially effective, while the second unit also nearly scored when Tyler Seguin just missed Bergeron on a backdoor pass as Bergeron came in from the right point.
Second Period, 7:04, Rangers 3-1: Lots of pressure from the Bruins on that shift, including a swing and miss by Bergeron on a bid at the left post.
That pressure does pay off though, as the Bruins go back on the power play with Prust going off for hooking.
Second Period, 5:35, Rangers 3-1: Bit of a Bronx cheer for Rask as he smothers a long shot in his chest for a face-off.
Rask hasn’t been at his sharpest, which is not surprising considering the long layoff between starts, but he doesn’t deserve the bulk of the blame in this one.
Second Period, 0:48, Rangers 3-1: Not only do the Bruins fail to convert, they give up a crushing goal to the Rangers as Marc Staal scores on a breakaway.
Staal comes out of the box, collects the puck just outside the blue line and breaks in alone, beating Rask with a backhander.
Second Period, 0:00, Rangers 2-1: The second period is under way, and the Bruins open with 39 seconds left on the power play to try to tie this one right away.
Big opportunity to build off Chara’s late goal in the first.
First Intermission Notes: Plenty to digest in that first 20 minutes, as the Bruins find themselves trailing for the first time since going down 1-0 in the second period in New Jersey last Tuesday.
They answered that with four straight goals before the period ended, and in this one they got one back before the break.
Lots of physical play in this one, with the Bruins holding a 17-12 edge in hits and the teams combining for 52 penalty minutes and six fighting majors. Great energy being shown by the Bruins, but they need to channel it a bit better and start creating more scorin chances and clean up their play in front of Rask a bit.
Huge effort so far from the captain, as Chara leads all players with five shots and played more than half the period at 10:22 of ice-time. He was rewarded with a late goal that will hopefully spark the Bruins to complete the comeback here.
End First Period, Rangers 2-1: And a wild first period comes to a close at the Garden, with the Bruins trailing by a goal.
There was no lack of excitement in that frame, as the teams combined for three goals and three fights in a back-and-forth battle. If they can deliver two more periods like that, there shouldn’t be any complaints from anyone watching this one.
First Period, 19:55, Rangers 2-1: The Bruins do convert, with Chara blasting home a shot from the top of the right circle.
Nathan Horton and Mark Recchi pick up the assists and the Bruins gain a huge momentum boost. And they’ll still have 39 seconds of power-play time to start the second.
First Period, 17:34, Rangers 2-0: The Bruins will 8et a late power-play chance as Rozsival goes off for holding.
And Marc Staal joins him five seconds later for slashing, giving the Bruins a 5-on-3 for 1:55.
Bruins need to convert here to get back in this one.
First Period, 17:26, Rangers 2-0: The physical play keeps on coming, as Chara steps up into the Rangers’ zone to deliver a big hit on Ryan Callahan.
Brad Marchand then takes a healthy run at Michael Del Zotto. THat pair have words after the whistle, while Dubinsky also comes over for a chat with Marchand.
First Period, 15:17, Rangers 2-0: The action continues at a fast and furious pace, as Lucic drops the gloves with Brandon Prust for the first period’s third fight.
Lucic was fresh out of the box for an interference penalty, and hooked up with New York’s other tough guy. Both men landed solid shots, but Prust appeared to get the better blows in. Lucic was not happy that the linesmen jumped in early.
First Period, 14:18, Rangers 2-0: Greg Campbell goes down hurt from blocking a shot. He limps to the bench, but doesn’t go to the room.
First Period, 12:37, Rangers 2-0: The gloves are off again, and as expected Thornton and Boogaard come together for the appointment they set up earlier.
Thornton does a good job getting inside the bigger man and landing a couple uppercuts before Boogaard mounted his counterattack. Solid job by Thornton trying to spark his team.
First Period, 12:01, Rangers 2-0: The Rangers strike quickly again with a fluke goal by Alex Frolov.
Frolov’s shot in front appeared to deflect up off Seidenberg in front and hopped up and over Rask.
First Period, 11:34, Rangers 1-0: The Rangers didn’t need much time on that man-advantage, as Anisimov bats in a rebound in front for the game’s first goal.
Dubinsky had the initial shot in, and Anisimov’s backhand whack just about crossbar level, but the goal was upheld after a video review.
First Period, 11:20, 0-0: So much for that full-strength defense, as Seidenberg gets called for tripping.
Big kill here for the Bruins in a 0-0 game.
First Period, 10:58, 0-0: Stuart gets out of the box after serving his fighting major, and receives a round of applause at the bench.
The Bruins now have their full complement of blueliners back.
First Period, 8:30, 0-0: Interesting subplot developing, as Shawn Thornton and Derek Boogaard had a long chat before the face-off coming off the TV timeout.
Nothing developed, but Thornton tripped up the big guy off the draw, then took two runs at him during the shift. Something to file away for later in the game. Thornton gives up a ton of size in that matchup, but they have fought before.
First Period, 7:34, 0-0: The Bruins can’t cash in on the power-play chances.
Zdeno Chara had the best chance on the 5-on-3 with a right-point shot through a Bergeron screen, while Lucic and Blake Wheeler had back-to-back bids after the Rangers got one man back.
Dennis Seidenberg made a nice play to keep the puck in at the blue line with a kick save, but Boston couldn’t convert on the sustained pressure.
First Period, 5:34, 0-0: A huge opportunity early here for the Bruins, as they’ll have a 5-on-3 for 47 seconds.
Brandon Dubinsky joins Avery in the box for slashing.
First Period, 4:20, 0-0: And the intensity is already on display, as Mark Stuart and Sean Avery shed the gloves early in this one.
Like many of Stuart’s bouts, this one was triggered by a clean but huge hit as he leveled Ruslan Fedotenko at the blue line. Avery came over immediately and they started trading punches, with Stuart getting his rght free for the better blows.
Avery gets the instigator for his troubles, giving the Bruins a power play and a 17-minute break from the Rangers’ chief agitator.
First Period, 1:00, 0-0: The action is under way and already we have some good hitting from both sides in the opening shifts.
Milan Lucic looks ready to play as he was throwing his weight around, but the Rangers are not backin down. Should be an entertaining affair.
7:05 p.m.: Now it really feels like hockey season is back on, as Rene Rancourt belts out the anthem at the Garden for the first time this season.
Definitely an electric atmosphere for this one, with a packed house on hand for this Original Six matchup.
6:55 p.m.: It’s offical, Tuukka Rask is starting this one for the Bruins, looking to continue his past success against the Rangers.
McGrattan, Paille and McQuaid are again the scratches, while the Rangers have scratched defenseman Steve Eminger as expected.
The top line of David Krejci between Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton will start, with Zdeno Chara and Johnny Boychuk on defense.
The Rangers counter with Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan and Artem Anisimov up front, Marc Staal and Michal Rozsival on defense and Henrik Lundqvist in net.
6:40 p.m.: The Bruins’ lines in the warm-up remained the same as the past four games.
Brad Marchand took his turn on the fourth line with Greg Campbell and Shawn Thornton, while Brian McGrattan did not skate in the line drills. Barring a late change by Claude Julien, it appears that Marchand will be good to go in this one and McGrattan will have to wait again to make his Bruins debut.
The defense pairs also remained the same, so look for Adam McQuaid to also sit out again despite skatng in the warm-up.
6:30 p.m.: The Bruins and Rangers have taken the ice for warmups, and Tuukka Rask led the Boston players into the ice at the Garden.
That’s traditionally the indication of who will start, so look for Rask to get his first start since the season opener in Prague.
Henrik Lundqvist led the Rangers out and should get the start for them as expected.
Both Brad Marchand and Brian McGrattan are on the ice for warm-ups, as is Adam McQuaid. Daniel Paille is the only Bruin not skating in the pre-game warm-up. Marchand is expected to stay in the lineup if he doesn’t have any late issues with his injured foot, but McGrattan would be a viable option to dress for the first time as a Bruin against the Rangers and their heavyweight Derek Boogaard.
5:45 p.m.: The Bruins will look to extend their early-season winning streak to five games on Saturday as they take on the New York Rangers at the Garden.
Boston was never able to put together a five-game win streak last season, so the Bruins have a chance in just their sixth game this year to enjoy more sustained success than they managed throughout the entire 2009-10 regular season.
For a full breakdown of this matchup, check out the Facing Off feature.
4 p.m.: The Bruins and Rangers are getting ready for the first of four clashes between the Original Six rivals this season.
Based on the morning skate, it appears there won’t be any lineup changes for the Bruins, as Brad Marchand was able to take part in the skate and expects to play despite taking an Alex Ovechkin shot off the foot on Thursday.
If Marchand can go, that likely means tough guy Brian McGrattan, as well as Daniel Paille and Adam McQuaid, will remain healthy scratches. McGrattan has yet to make his Bruins debut. THis game might have been a good opportunity to insert him into the lineup, as the Rangers will bring 6-foot-7, 265-pound enforcer Derek Boogaard to the Garden, but Bruins coach Claude Julien also has to worry about upsetting the club’s quickly developing chemistry in the midst of a four-game winning streak.
Tuukka Rask was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, indicating he’ll likely get his first start since the season opener. Of course, he was off first on Thursday morning and Julien still went with Tim Thomas, so we won’t know for sure until the pre-game warm-ups.
The Rangers are expected to start Henrik Lundqvist in goal for what should be another tight, low-scoring affair if history is any indication.
8 a.m.: After waiting for 15 days into the season to play their first home game on Thursday, the Bruins get to stick around for a while as they host the New York Rangers at TD Garden on Saturday night.
The Rangers limp in with a 2-2-1 record and are literally hobbled with forwards Marian Gaborik, Chris Drury and Vinny Prospal all sidelined with injuries. But New York is still a dangerous opponent, and games between the Bruins and Rangers are always highly competitive. The last 13 meetings have produced 11 one-goal decisions, with the other two games won by just two goals.
The puck drops at 7 p.m. at the Garden, so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action.
