The Boston Bruins had a strong showing on Saturday, beating the New York Rangers with a dominant performance, and followed it up with another solid home game. The Rangers, after a tough loss to Boston, managed a rare comeback in the third period in their last game.
Now, both teams are fighting for one of the wild-card spots in the crowded Eastern Conference and will face off for the third time this season on Wednesday night when the Bruins visit the Rangers.
The first two matchups were quite different. The Rangers won 2-1 at home on January 2, scoring twice early in the first period. However, in their most recent game on Saturday, the Bruins cruised to a 6-3 win with two power-play goals and a hat trick from David Pastrnak.
Pastrnak has been on fire, scoring 10 goals in his last 11 games and recording 24 points during an 11-game point streak.
Boston has gone 7-3-1 over their last 11 games, following a rough six-game losing streak from December 31 to January 9. They’ve scored at least three goals in seven of those 11 games and are looking to win three straight for the second time this season.
The Bruins are coming off a 3-0 win against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, where defenseman Charlie McAvoy and forward Trent Frederic scored in the second period, and Jeremy Swayman recorded a 35-save shutout. McAvoy has two goals in three games since returning from injury.
“Everyone’s fighting for points and it’s our job to rise to the occasion and make sure we’re getting important points down the stretch,” Swayman said.
The Rangers are also trying to get back on track. After a 10-game points streak (7-0-3), they’ve been outscored 15-7 in a three-game losing streak. They turned things around with a 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, scoring three goals in the third period.
The Rangers are also welcoming J.T. Miller, who practiced for the first time after being traded from the Vancouver Canucks. Miller assisted on power-play goals by Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin in the comeback win.
“He’s a great player,” said Panarin. “He actually goes pretty hard on the forecheck, battles hard in front of the net, so it’s really important for our team.”
Miller will join a Rangers lineup that will be missing Adam Edstrom for at least two and a half months due to a lower-body injury. Edstrom, who had been a regular in the lineup, was injured on Saturday. His physicality, speed, and size will be missed, but coach Peter Laviolette said it’s a good opportunity for others to step up.
“It’s his size, it’s his physicality, it’s his speed,” Laviolette said. “You take that out, you’re going to miss it, but it’s a great opportunity for anybody else who steps into the lineup.”
