Bruins steamroll Lundqvist, Rangers with 5-2 victory in Game 2
Patrice Bergeron streaked into the Rangers' zone, going wide on his man and down the wall. As he neared the goal line, he threw the puck towards the crease, where Dan Girardi was unable to get a stick on it and, much to his chagrin, Brad Marchand was. The smallish winger with the nose for the net redirected it past Henrik Lundqvist for the score.
That's not the Game 1 overtime winner I'm describing, though the similarities are striking. It was the fourth goal in Boston's decisive, 5-2, Game 2 victory over the New York Rangers.
The retread of the Marchand-Bergeron connection aside, these games weren't all that similar. Game 1 was close -- so close it needed extra time; Game 2 was over well before the end of regulation.
Johnny Boychuk scored the eventual game-winner at 12:08 of the second period after Brad Marchand handed him the puck at the top of the zone and the Rangers handed him all the time in the world. He beat Henrik Lundqvist with a laser.
The Rangers' comeback hopes took a major hit just 26 seconds into the final frame, as Marchand and Bergeron hooked up for the goal described above (and showcased below):
Tuukka Rask made 35 saves in the win, and Zdeno Chara once again led the way in icetime, skating 27:02 to help cover for some of Boston's absences on the blueline.
Torey Krug did his part as well. The rookie blueliner was a major factor, scoring the Bruins' opening goal -- his second tally in as many games -- and picking up the primary assist on Gregory Campbell's goal early in the second.
They say a series isn't over until you lose a game at home, so the Rangers can take solace in the fact that this Round 2 affair is not yet done, with the series shifting back to Madison Square Garden for Game 3.
But it's going to take more than home-ice advantage for New York to get back into this series.
They'll need a big, bounceback performance from Henrik Lundqvist, who surrendered five goals on Sunday for the first time since March 9, 2011. They'll also need a major turnaround from defensive stopper Dan Girardi. Normally, he's one of the league's best shutdown blueliners.
This afternoon, he was on the ice for all five goals.
