The Bruins faced one of their toughest tests of the young season on Thursday and passed with flying colors on Thursday.
Facing a surging, physical New York Rangers team that believes it’s a true contender in the Eastern Conference, the Bruins coughed up two one-goal leads but finally squeezed the life out of the Blueshirts in the third period a 5-2 win at Madison Square Garden. In the third period, the Bruins out shot the Rangers 17-4.
The Bruins improved to 10-1 and Linus Ullmark stretched his record to 8-0.
In a wild third period, Charlie Coyle broke a 1-1 tie at 2:56 of the third period, only to have the Bruins give up the equalizer just 48 seconds later.
On the go-ahead goal, Hampus Lindholm went behind the net and made a pretty pass to Coyle, who beat Jacob Trouba for position at the side of the crease and jammed it home past Igor Shesterkin.
The Rangers tied it less than a minute later. Brandon Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk gave Adam Fox a little too much space and the terrific Ranger defenseman sniped a wrist shot over Ullmark’s shoulder.
But Trent Frederic gave the Bruins the lead again at 6:04, one-timing a Nick Foligno pass past Igor Shesterkin from the left circle. It held up as the game-winner, but the Bruins kept coming.
At 10:19, the Bruins finally stretched their lead to two goals off a nice rush play. Pavel Zacha relayed a Taylor Hall feed to Jake DeBrusk, who buried a one-timer.
The Rangers pulled Shesterkin, but Lindholm ended it with an empty-netter.
The Bruins took a 1-0 at 12:53 of the first on David Pastrnak’s eighth goal of the season on one that reigning Vezina Trophy-winner Shesterkin would want back.
Lindgren would later leave the game with an upper body injury and did not return. It’s not clear if the hit had anything to do with the former Bruin farmhand’s injury.
Pastrnak had taken a big hit from Ryan Lindgren earlier in the period and did not like it, earning two minutes in the box for a late hit that was called for interference. Lindgren would later leave the game with an upper body injury and did not return. It’s not clear if the hit had anything to do with the former Bruin farmhand’s injury.
When he came out of the box, Pastrnak looked determined to do some damage in his more customary manner.
On the scoring play, Pastrnak carried the puck down the left wing with Jimmy Vesey on his hip. He leaned into Vesey to give himself some space but it looked like he was running out of runway when he flipped a high backhander from the bottom outside of the circle. Shesterkin raised up to get it with his near shoulder and lifted the net but not off its pegs. The puck somehow made it through
“Surprising goal for me. I don’t score too many on the backhand. I felt like Patrick Kane for a minute,” Pastrnak told ESPN after the first period.
That was the only goal in what was a good period for the Bruins and, as bad a the goal he allowed was, Shesterkin was very good otherwise. The Bruins held a 11-4 shot advantage.
But the Rangers slowly started to get back in the game in the second period and eventually tied it up at 10:21, with Vesey redeeming himself.
Ullmark had to make several Grade A stops early on, but he had little chance to stop Vesey, who tapped home Mika Zibanejad’s beautiful cross pass that got through Anton Stralman.
Then things got really nasty. Frederic carried the puck into the New York zone and got blown up on a hit by Ranger defenseman Braden Schneider. It was a clean hit, but it didn’t sit well with A.J. Greer or Frederic. Greer beat Frederic to Schneider, then Frederic went after Barclay Goodrow and a pair of bouts took place about three feet away from each other. Greer wound up getting the instigator and the accompanying 17 minutes in penalties.
Derek Forbort will be out 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing open reduction and internal fixation surgery on his right middle finger. Forbort, who had been one of the Bruins best defensemen in the first 10 games, was hurt when he took a puck off the hand in the Bruins' 6-5 win in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
Coach Jim Montgomery, meanwhile, said Jeremy Swayman, who suffered an apparent knee injury on Tuesday, would be out “week to week,” though no specifics were given on the goalie’s injury.
