Rangers use big 2nd period to beat Bruins
Ryan Strome had a goal and two assists and Chris Kreider had a goal and an assist in New York’s threegoal second period, leading the Rangers to a 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Friday night.
Julian Gauthier, Colin Blackwell, Pavel Buchnevich and Jonny Brodzinski also scored to help the Rangers get their third win in four games. Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren each had two assists, and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 31 shots to improve to 2-0-2 in his last four star ts.
With fans back at Madison Square Garden for the first time this season, the Rangers beat Bruins for the first time in three meetings. Boston was 5-0-1 in the previous six games with the Rangers.
After the game, the Rangers gathered at center-ice to salute the 1,800 fans in attendance before skating off. Several players gave their sticks to some of the fans.
Brad Marchand had a goal and an assist, Patrice Bergeron also scored and David Pastrnak had two assists for Boston. Tuukka Rask finished with 28 saves in the Bruins’ fourth loss in five games.
The Bruins, who lost 7-2 at the New York Islanders on Thursday night, had not given up more than four goals in their first 16 games.
With Boston trailing 1-0, Jack Studnicka nearly tied the score early in the second period with a shot that hit off the crossbar.
The Rangers doubled the lead shortly after that. On a rush, Alexis Lafreniere sent a cross-ice pass to Strome, who tapped it in past Rask from the right side for his sixth at 2:32. Lafreniere, the top overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft, got his first career assist.
Bergeron pulled the Bruins to 2-1 just 90 seconds later, scoring from the right doorstep off Pastrnak’s pass from the left circle.
WILD 3, KINGS 1
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild blitzed the Los Angeles Kings with three goals in a span of just over three minutes in the first period and held on to win for their sixth straight victor y.
Kirill Kaprizov, Nick Bjugstad and Joel Eriksson Ek scored for the Wild, who ended the Kings’ six-game winning streak. Minnesota’s last loss was to the Kings in Los Angeles on Feb. 16.
That was Minnesota’s first game back after a two-week layof f due to COVID-19 protocols.
Cam Talbot stopped 27 shots for the Wild, holding the Kings scoreless until Jeff Carter’s goal late in the third period in his first action since Feb. 2. Jonathan Quick made 27 saves for the Kings, who were done in by the Wild’s three goals in a 3:03 span.
Minnesota struck first on Kaprizov’s fifth of the year, a sprawling wrap-around goal at 12:33.
Bjugstad doubled the Wild’s lead less than two minutes later after Quick misplayed a puck off the backboards. The carom rolled out to Bjugstad alone in the slot, and he buried a backhander for his 100th career goal.
Barely another minute had elapsed when Eriksson Ek slammed home his own rebound for his team-leading seventh of the season and a 3-0 Wild lead.