NEW YORK -- After serving his five-game suspension, forward Brad Marchand returned to the lineup tonight as the Boston Bruins defeated the New York Rangers 6-1 at Madison Square Garden.
Pregame notes
Boston is looking for its fourth consecutive win. Anton Khudobin is starting for the Bruins since the team is on its second game of a back-to-back. He's 10-3-4 with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage in 18 games this season. He suffered a 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in his last start. Khudobin is 0-2-2 with a 1.69 GAA and a .949 SP in four career games against the Rangers.
Henrik Lundqvist is getting the nod for the Rangers. He has outstanding career numbers against the Bruins with a 27-12-2 record, a 1.93 GAA and a .936 SP in 41 games. Overall, he's 21-16-4 with a 2.70 GAA and a .919 SP in 45 games this season.
Forwards Noel Acciari and Frank Vatrano are both out tonight with lower-body injuries. Defenseman Kevan Miller remains sidelined with an upper-body injury.
Observations from the third period.
- NHL scouts are leaving the game with the notion that the Bruins are the real deal this season with a chance to do some damage in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
- Another terrible goal allowed by the Rangers as Sean Kuraly gives the Bruins a 6-1 advantage with 13:26 remaining in the third. It's Kuraly's second goal in as many games.
- Rangers are imploding only 26 second into the third period. Bruins going on the power play.
- Bruins quickly take advantage of the goalie change as Patrice Bergeron scores his second goal of the game, a shorthanded goal, with the assist going to Marchand, who forced the turnover and pulled New York's goalie out of position as Bergeron gets the easy tap-in tally.
- Tim Schaller with a sick goal to beat Lundqvist to the short side to give the Bruins a 4-1 lead. And that's it for Lundqvist as he's replaced by Ondrej Pavelec. Lundqvist allowed four goals on 16 shots. Khudobin registered an assist on the goal.
- Bergeron just knuckled a puck past Lundqvist to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead. It's Bergeron's 23rd goal of the season. It's definitely a shot the goalie could have handled better. David Pastrnak with the assist to extend his point streak to 10 games.
- Bergeron just robbed the Rangers of the game-tying goal with a great defensive play.
- Outstanding forecheck by Jake DeBrusk led to Zdeno Chara's goal to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead. DeBrusk has been solid on the forecheck all night so far.
- Now, Khudobin stifles a scoring chance by Mats Zuccarello, who took the initial shot from the slot then had two swipes at the rebound.
- Three huge saves by Khudobin. All reactionary but timely nonetheless.
- Lundqvist caught out of position after stopping initial shot by David Backes, but Riley Nash is there for the rebound to tie the game at 1-1.
- Trade me right F_ now. Rick Nash gives the Rangers a 1-0 lead. That goal was all Nash. He can still play when he wants to. The way he's playing early, I don't think he's done either.
- Adam McQuaid and Cody McLeod drop the gloves.