By: Chad Jones | Follow me on Twitter/X @ShutUpChadJones
Monday night at Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers bested the Boston Bruins 4-3 in overtime. The Bruins’ record dropped to 30-20-3 following the road defeat. David Pastrnak tallied his 900th career point in the loss.
First Period
The game really got going in the middle of the frame. Will Cuylle kick-started the scoring started by showing off his elite hand-eye coordination. The Ranger forward tipped home a Urho Vaakanainen point shot near the period’s halfway point.
But the Bruins quickly responded. After Pastrnak went on a tour of the attacking zone, Elias Lindholm whacked in the loose puck from the edge of the goal crease to tie the game.
But not even 30 seconds later, New York was back on the hunt. Gabe Perreault delivered a slick, cross-ice feed to J.T. Miller. The Ranger captain then promptly rocketed the puck past Joonas Korpisalo to rapidly reclaim the lead for New York.
Jonathan Quick made some nice saves during the period, including stoning Alex Steeves on a clean breakaway with under a minute remaining in the session. The opening frame’s three goals were all scored within three minutes of each other. The Rangers led 2-1 after the opening 20 minutes.
Second Period
The Bruins pressured early in the period, with offensive zone time and shots on goal. They were soon rewarded for their hard work. Elias Lindholm corralled a juicy rebound from the slot, spun, and rifled the puck past Quick to knot the game at 2-2.
Nearing the middle of the contest, Pastrnak again showed off his brilliant playmaking ability. Drawing Ranger skaters near the blue line, Pastrnak slid a behind-the-back pass to Morgan Geekie. The forward settled the puck in the left faceoff circle before snapping his 29th goal of the campaign past Quick’s stick to give Boston their first lead of the contest. In two games against the Rangers this season, Pastrnak picked up nine helpers.
The primary assist was Pastrnak’s 900th career point. He became the sixth skater in franchise history, along with Ray Bourque, Johnny Bucyk, Patrice Bergeron, Phil Esposito, and Brad Marchand, to accomplish the feat.
In the middle frame, Korpisalo and the Bruins’ penalty killers came up big, keeping New York off the scoreboard, including neutralizing a five-on-three with Henri Jokiharju and Charlie McAvoy in the box. Boston took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission.
Third Period/Overtime
In the third, Boston spent most of the frame in their defensive zone, and eventually, New York made them pay. With just over six minutes remaining in regulation, Will Borgen beat Korpisalo with a point wrist shot to tie the game 3-3.
In the five-minute extra session, the Rangers mostly dictated play. Boston was held to zero shots in overtime. New York secured the extra point thanks to Matthew Roberston. The New York defenseman made a power move to win inside position against Pavel Zacha and beat Korpisalo to propel the Rangers to the victory. New York handed Boston only their third extra session defeat this season.
The Bruins will be back on home ice tomorrow to take on the Nashville Predators. If you want to see the Black and Gold in person at TD Garden or on the road, consider using this official StubHub Ticket-affiliated link here for the most competitive concert and sporting event tickets in the North American region.
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