Bruins end 6-game losing streak, beat Rangers, 4-2

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BOSTON – Things didn’t look very optimistic with the Bruins going up against the best team in the Eastern Conference and in the middle of a rough six-game losing streak. But the bipolar Black and Gold experience continued Saturday afternoon as the B’s struck for three goals in the first period and took home a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers at TD Garden.

The “W” snapped a six-game losing streak for the B’s and gave a team that needed some positive vibes plenty of them.

The only bit of trouble arrived 10 seconds into the second period when Tuukka Rask took himself out of the game and never returned to the B’s bench. That forced Niklas Svedberg into emergency duty, but he proved that he was up to the task.

Claude Julien told NESN after the game on Rask, "We think it might have been dehydration. He's scheduled to travel with us" to Carolina for the game Sunday. 

The Bruins built their first 3-0 lead in the first period this season with a couple of their big guns getting involved. The first goal arrived 1:41 into the first period when Henrik Lundqvist kicked out a rebound of a Patrice Bergeron shot and Milan Lucic turned his skate blade to redirect the puck into the net. It was ruled no-goal n the ice, but there was no “distinct kicking motion” found after a video review by the NHL Situation Room.

Lucic doubled his goal output eight minutes later he finished off a B’s fast break from Ryan Spooner and Torey Krug and snapped home the puck from the left wing circle. Carl Soderberg finished off the scoring by stealing the puck from old friend Matt Hunwick at the offensive blue line, and then dangling through King Henrik before flipping the puck past him. It was his second goal in 29 games for the Big Swede.

Reilly Smith ended his own 14 game goal-less streak when he snapped home the rebound of a Loui Eriksson shot midway through the second period.

Rick Nash scored his 40th goal of the season in the closing minutes of the second period to make it a game in the final 20 minutes and Matt Hunwick scored for New York with 23 seconds left in the game.

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