Rangers Beat Bruins For Third Straight Victory

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The Rangers headed into tonight’s contest hoping to end the “unofficial” first-half of the season with their third consecutive win. And with the Blueshirts heading into a long break before their next game, head coach David Quinn was expecting a full effort from his group. Quinn got that from his boys and the Rangers head into their break with their first three-game winning streak since the middle of November.

Filip Chytil – He scored a beauty on Thursday night against the Blackhawks, and scored tonight against the Bruins in almost the same exact fashion. Chytil carries the puck through all three zones before cutting inside and beating Tuukka Rask to the short side. The only difference tonight was that Chytil was knocked into Rask after scoring the goal, sending both players flying. Rask was forced to leave the game with a concussion, while Chytil remained in the contest for the Blueshirts.

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Chytil has shown the kind of dynamic player he can be at just 19-years-old. If he continues to develop, the Rangers could have found themselves their next homegrown star.

Mika Zibanejad – The DJ was spitting fire in this one, scoring the second and third goals for the Rangers. After being kicked out of the faceoff circle, Mats Zuccarello won the faceoff from Patrice Bergeron to Brady Skjei. The defenseman threw a hard pass that Zibanejad redirected behind Bruins netminder Jaroslav Halak.

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For the game-winner, Zibanejad sent a missile from the top of the circle past a screened Halak with the Rangers on the man-advantage.

The line of Kreider-Zibanejad-Zuccarello has been on fire since being put together by David Quinn, with the “Killer-Z’s” both having five-game point scoring streaks.

Special Teams – One reason the Rangers were able to pull this one out was the play of their special teams units. The Blueshirts’ penalty-kill was a perfect 5/5 while the power play went 1/3 to help the Rangers to victory. The special teams have struggled this season, so seeing them come through when the team needed it is nice to see.

Adam McQuaid – It was the first game back in Boston since being acquired by the Rangers last season, and the grizzled veteran did not disappoint. The defenseman received a standing ovation from the TD Garden crowd as a video tribute was shown, thanking McQuaid for his nine years in Boston.

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After the pleasantries were exchanged, and McQuaid saluted the crowd, the blue-liner turned in a strong effort for the Blueshirts. McQuaid had a shot on goal, four hits, two takeaways and three blocked shots. But perhaps most importantly, he stood up for Jesper Fast, who got caught with a dangerous hit from Bruins forward Chris Wagner.

McQuaid has been a steadying presence on the Rangers blue line, as his defense-first approach has allowed his partner, Brady Skjei, to be more proactive in jumping up offensively.

Henrik Lundqvist – Another win, another milestone for the Swedish goaltender, who moved into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time win’s list. Lundqvist made a couple of great stops in his 27-save performance, including this one in the first period.

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The 446th win in Lundqvist’s illustrious career puts him ahead of Terry Sawchuk and just nine victories behind Curtis Joseph.

Next Game: The Rangers won’t see the ice again until Tuesday, January 29, when they face the Flyers at The Garden. Puck drops at 730!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

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