BSJ Game Report: Bruins 3, Rangers 1 - Swayman stands tall as Bruins down Rangers

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 3-1 win over the New York Rangers, with BSJ insight and analysis…

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Swayman stands tall as Bruins sweep New York trip: Jeremy Swayman was sharp all night for the Bruins with 31 saves in their 3-1 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Pavel Zacha stayed hot, while Patrice Bergeron, none the worse for wear after a puck to the face last night, scored as well for Boston (36-5-4). Igor Shesterkin made 24 saves as the Rangers (25-14-7) had little answer for Swayman. 

Zacha opened the scoring with a bar-down redirection of David Krejci's slap shot from the point. Swayman closed out the first period with a number of big stops, denying Artemi Panarin on an odd-man rush before closing the door on Chris Kreider right before the horn. 

Bergeron made it 2-0 off the rush in the second period, putting one under the bar from the top of the right circle off a pass from Brad Marchand. Swayman was key to preserving the lead late in the second, denying Panarin twice, first stopping him with his mask in front before stoning him on a breakaway. 

Connor Clifton extended it to 3-0 just 28 seconds into the third, roofing a shot to the top-right corner off the rush with Brad Marchand. Ben Harpur cut it to 3-1 for New York with under five minutes to go when his wrist shot from distance found a way through plenty of traffic in front of Swayman.

Brandon Carlo left the game in the second period after blocking a shot on the penalty kill. He did not return. 

FOUR UP

Jeremy Swayman: Swayman was sensational from the start tonight. He stopped every high-danger chance he faced, including a number of opportunities against some of the Rangers’ most dangerous options in Panarin and Kreider. Before Harpur’s goal, Swayman had a shutout streak of 158:42. 

Patrice Bergeron: It would have been easy for him to sit this game out after taking a blast from Pastrnak off the face last night, but that’s not Bergeron’s style. He was right back at it, and came up with a critical insurance goal in the second period.  

Pavel Zacha: The Czech line’s left winger has been scorching since inking his contract extension on Saturday. Zacha picked up his third goal (and fifth point) in the three games since becoming a $19-million man. 

Defensemen activating offensively: It’s the fourth game in a row that Boston has gotten a goal out of a defenseman, the first time it’s happened since Dec. 2015, according to 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Ty Anderson. Jim Montgomery’s system, which encourages the blue-liners to jump into the play more offensively, has paid dividends this season, especially in this latest winning streak.

TWO DOWN

David Pastrnak: One person the Rangers did have an answer for was Pastrnak. It’s the second night in a row that Pastrnak finds himself as a Down. No. 88 did not record a shot on goal, and other than Zacha’s goal, the second line, as a whole, was fairly quiet in this one. 

The power play: Boston’s power play wasn’t overly strong during the New York trip, following up a 1-for-4 evening at the Islanders last night with an 0-for-4 outing tonight. The Bruins were pretty stationary in some instances on the man-advantage, making it easy for the Rangers to clamp down on passing lanes. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

Take your pick of any of Swayman’s key saves tonight, but this breakaway stop on Panarin, one of the league’s best, stands out. 

LOOSE PUCKS

Panarin is going to have nightmares about Swayman after coming up empty on several Grade-A opportunities around the net. 

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will return to TD Garden on Sunday night when they face the San Jose Sharks. Puck-drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.