In New York, the match between the Rangers and the visiting Boston Bruins was all it was billed and hyped to be.
The first period featured a pair of teams almost itching for this game with the Rangers breaking out to a 2-0 lead on a Nick Bonino, his first of the season, at 5:58, and a power play goal from Chris Kreider at 10:56.
“That was something,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “That was back and forth and a lot of emotion, probably from both teams, invested into that game, and a really, really strong effort for us to stay with it and push through that and forge through at the end against a really good hockey team.”
Boston replied with a pair of goals to tie the game, 2-2, with the two goals coming 24 seconds apart.
Charlie Coyle hit at 13:50 to trim the deficit to 2-1, and Morgan Geekie tied it, 2-2.
“There’s always little challenges within the seasons, and this is one of those,” Coyle said. “You can’t play a perfect season, by any means, and there’s always ups and downs. The great teams find a way to right the ship quicker than others, and we have the team to do that.”
Kreider then hit for his second of the period, on a shorthanded breakaway to restore the lead to New York at 3-2.
“Not willing to forecheck, not willing to work for offense, and then the breakdowns defensively,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “We’re not giving our goaltenders an opportunity — like we were before — of stopping the strong-side shot. They got to worry about the weak side, they got to worry about the back post. There’s a lot of things that, unfortunately, our habits and details have kind of eroded on us defensively here.”
Despite being hotly contested throughout, the Rangers potted two in the second and third periods to take down the Bruins, 7-4.
Jonathan Quick made 27 saves in the win.
The Rangers improved to 15-3-1, and took over the lead in the Eastern Conference.
“I thought the crowd today was a big difference-maker for us,” the Rangers’ Jacob Trouba said. “Especially when [we] gave up that early lead, the crowd kind of gets reenergized, and it picks us up.”
Boston tied the game, 3-3, with a marker from David Pastrnak with just 26 seconds gone in the middle frame.
It stayed that way until a delayed penalty gave the Rangers an extra skater, and Jimmy Vesey scored at 16:37 to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead.
“I knew there was a penalty coming, so I thought why not hang out around the front of the net?” Vesey said. “[Panarin] and [Trocheck] were doing their thing on the flanks, and I think [Zac Jones] made a few great plays to keep the possession. I just chipped in the rebound.”
New York pushed the lead to 5-3 when K’Andre Miller started a Rangers breakout from their zone and chased the play into the Bruins zone, took a drop pass from Mika Zibanejad and put a shot in with 24 seconds left in the middle frame for a 5-3 lead.
“We knew where they were in the standings,” Miller said. “It was obviously kind of in the back of our head going into this game, but once that puck dropped, I don’t think we talked about it too much. I think we got out to our game right away, and the first period kind of set the pace for how we wanted to play for the rest of the game.”
Boston dropped to 14-3-3 off their second straight loss.
“We were forcing a little bit too much, compared to when we were really rolling,” the Bruins’ Brad Marchand said. “A little bit too much at the blue lines and into the slots instead of holding on to it and making strong plays down low. And then not being tight enough defensively.”
Tyler Pitlick put the Rangers up, 6-3, with 76 seconds gone in the third off a shot from from the right circle.
Coyle hit for his second at 2:29 to give the Bruins a little more life at 6-4.
Artemi Panarin scored his 11th of the season at 4:38 to end any rally from the Bruins, the goal came off a cross ice pass from Braden Schneider .
Linus Ullmark made 33 saves in the loss.
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