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Recap: Bruins Beat Down Rangers 5-2

The Bruins are really good at hockey, huh?

The Rangers came into Thursday night riding a three game win streak in which they routinely dominated the ice, if not the scoreboard. The Boston Bruins turned the tables and continued their reign of terror to start the season, earning a 5-2 to extend their own winning streak to seven.

The Bruins put more shots on net the first period by a count of 11-5, though only one puck would get past Igor Shesterkin. David Pastrnak bodied a backchecking Jimmy Vesey before throwing a prayer of a backhand on net. Somehow it found its way over Shesterkin’s shoulder. Per HockeyViz, that shot had a 1.5% chance of going in. Something something about 100% of shots you don’t take or whatever.

The Rangers managed to tie the game midway through the second. Mika Zibanejad saucered a beautiful pass past countryman and former Ranger Anton Stralman right on the stick of Jimmy Vesey, who deposited the puck into a wide-open net. The goal was Vesey’s first since returning to the Rangers. Shortly after, Braden Schneider laid out Trent Frederic with an enormous shoulder-to-chest hit. The Bruins didn’t much care that the hit was clean, as Schneider was challenged by AJ Greer, and Barclay Goodrow dropped the gloves with Trent Frederic.

After the two teams combined for two goals through the first two periods, the dam broke in the third, with a total of five goals scored. Charlie Coyle scored the first right on the doorstep after Hampus Lindholm carried the puck low, skated behind the net, and floated a pass across the crease. Adam Fox answered less than a minute later. He began the breakout in his own end, and after Chris Kreider and Kappo Kakko hooked up to escort the puck through the neutral zone, Fox found the puck on his stick with some time. He fired a pinpoint wrister past Linus Ullmark to knot the game at two.

This lead wasn’t to last, however, Trent Frederic put the Bruins back in front with a seeing-eye shot from the left circle that narrowly missed being blocked by Trouba and saved by Shesterkin. Jake DeBrusk gave Boston some insurance when Taylor Hall carried the puck up ice, and hit Pavel Zacha with a pass to leave Zac Jones alone with Zacha and DeBrusk. Shesterkin nearly made the save despite his defense disappearing, but he didn’t quite get enough of his glove on the puck to keep it out of the net.

Any chance at a Rangers comeback was throttled by a couple penalties, first by Jones and later by Zibanejad. Lindholm sealed the win with an empty net goal.

The Bruins are firing on all cylinders right now, and simply outplayed the Rangers in just about every facet of the game.

The Rangers will look to get back on track against another original six team, the Detroit Red Wings, Sunday at 5:00.

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