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Rangers complete season sweep of Bruins with shootout win

Mar 25, 2007 - 5:23 AM BOSTON (Ticker) -- Defenseman Thomas Pock gave the New York Rangers a valuable point in regulation. Henrik Lundqvist and Jaromir Jagr helped them earn another in a shootout.

Pock scored the game-tying goal with just 1:40 left in the third period and Lundqvist stopped 40 shots and added two more saves in the shootout as the Rangers completed a four-game sweep of the Boston Bruins for the second consecutive season with a 2-1 victory.

Michael Nylander and Jagr scored in the shootout for the Rangers. Patrice Bergeron tallied for the Bruins, but Lundqvist stopped a shot by rookie Phil Kessel with his left pad to give New York its fourth straight win and points in 12 of its last 13 games (9-1-3).

"We knew going into the shootout we were going to win because there's no better goalie," Pock said of Lundqvist. "It's an important two points for us, that's for sure."

The Rangers (38-28-9) remained in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Montreal Canadiens (39-31-6) and Carolina Hurricanes (38-29-8).

"Right now, every game feels like a playoff game," Jagr said. "We didn't seem to have our legs in this one, but we fought to the end."

The loss severely damaged Boston's playoff hopes. The Bruins (34-34-9) are 10 points behind the Canadiens and Hurricanes for the last postseason spot in the East with eight games remaining.

The Bruins last beat the Rangers on March 4, 2004. Since then, they have lost eight games against New York, including one in overtime and two in a shootout.

The Rangers won the three previous meetings this season by a combined score of 16-2, including a 7-0 victory last Saturday as Lundqvist posted his sixth career shutout.

This time, it appeared netminder Joey MacDonald was on the verge of recording his first career shutout as the Bruins held a 1-0 lead late in the third period.

But Jagr forced a turnover by defenseman Zdeno Chara and Pock took advantage, scoring his first goal in 33 games.

MacDonald stopped a shot by Michael Nylander from between the faceoff circles. Chara went to retrieve the puck near the right wing boards but turned it over after getting pressured by Jagr, who set up Pock for a wrist shot from the left circle that beat MacDonald on the stick side.

"It was a bouncing puck and I just tried to stop it and get a shot on net, and it went in," said Pock, who scored his last goal on October 10 against Philadelphia.

The Bruins got a power-play chance in overtime when Petr Prucha was whistled for tripping Marco Sturm with 91 seconds left. But Lundqvist preserved the tie with saves on Sturm from the right circle, Bergeron from the left circle and Chara from in front.

Boston failed on eight power-play chances, making it 0-for-19 with the man advantage over its last four games.

"Their goaltender won the game for them," Bruins coach Dave Lewis said. "Joey was excellent, too. But their guy gave them a chance to win by keeping them close. We just couldn't get the second one past him."

Former Ranger Marc Savard put one past Lundqvist, scoring off a rebound from the lower left circle 8:06 into the second period for a 1-0 lead.

But Lundqvist, a Vezina Trophy finalist as a rookie last season, got the last laugh in the the shootout with his pad save on Kessel.

"I just stayed down with my pad hugging the post," Lundqvist said. "He tried to sneak it in there and I was just able to seal it off."

Nylander opened the shootout with a goal, getting MacDonald to flop before flipping a backhander over the goaltender.

Sturm attempted a wrist shot on Boston's first attempt but fired it over Lundqvist's glove and the net.

MacDonald stopped a shot by Matt Cullen with his left arm to keep the Bruins one goal down, and Bergeron tied it when he faked a wrist shot and slid the puck between Lundqvist's pads.

Jagr scored the winner, firing a wrist shot that trickled between MacDonald's legs.

"(Jagr) has such quick hands, and he pulled it one way and I was right there," MacDonald said. "I thought I squeezed it. I don't know if it just trickled through or what, but it's disappointing."