After a strong burst of energy to begin the third and final frame, the Rangers would regain the lead at the 3:14 mark when Marian Gaborik stuffed it into a yawning goal after Thomas had made a stop on the other side of the net mouth. It would be the 32nd tally of the campaign for the Slovakian born winger who continues to light up the score sheet for the first place Rangers.
The Bruins would come right back midway through the third when some slick puck movement from the top line would result in David Krejci’s 17th goal of the season. Unfortunately, only 0:39 seconds later, the Blueshirts would answer when Derek Stepan snapped one over the glove of Thomas to give New York a 4-3 lead with less than eight minutes left to play. Whilst Thomas held his own for the better part of Sunday’s contest, Stepan’s go-ahead tally is simply one that the former Vezina winner cannot let get past him less than a minute after his team tied the score.
Boston would pull Thomas and apply a fair amount of pressure on Lundqvist as the time ticked off the clock, but they would just run out of time as the Rangers held on for their third win in as many tries against the B’s this season.
The injury-riddled Bruins fought hard this afternoon against one of the best teams in the entire NHL, but in the end, the Rangers simply proved themselves the better team.
These two squads will meet up once more this season, on April 1, right back at Madison Square Garden.