Boston Bruins: 3 Studs Against the Rangers

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 28: David Pastrnak #88, Charlie Coyle #13, and Urho Vaakanainen #58 of the Boston Bruins celebrate Coyle's goal during the first period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on February 28, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 28: David Pastrnak #88, Charlie Coyle #13, and Urho Vaakanainen #58 of the Boston Bruins celebrate Coyle's goal during the first period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on February 28, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 10: Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins makes the stop on Ryan Strome #16 of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on February 10, 2021 in New York City. The Bruins defeated the Rangers 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 10: Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins makes the stop on Ryan Strome #16 of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on February 10, 2021 in New York City. The Bruins defeated the Rangers 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

2. Tuukka Rask

After giving up six goals Friday night, you knew that the Bruins No. 1 netminder would have a bounce-back day.

Rask stopped 20 of the 21 shots the Rangers had. His hardest working period was the first when he stopped all nine shots, but he needed to just make six second-period saves and five in the third. Rask also played a key part in the Bruins going a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill against the Rangers. It was the first time in five games that the Blue Shirts failed to register a power play goal.

In 12 games this season, Rask is 8-3-1 with a 2.71 goals-against average (GAA) and he has a .896 save percentage (SV%).

1. Charlie Coyle

Early in the season, Coyle was nonexistent in Bruins games, but Sunday, filling in on the second-line for the injured David Krejci, Coyle had his best game of the season.

Coyle opened the scoring with a nice individual effort in the first period when he made a nice move around Rangers’ defensemen to roof his shot under the crossbar for a 1-0 lead. Coyle then sealed the game with a shorthanded goal from just inside the Bruins blue line into an open with the Black and Gold shorthanded with just over a minute left in the game.

Coyle was active right from the get-go. He led the Bruins with five shots on the net and was one of six Bruins who collected three hits. He also went 6-for-9 on faceoffs.

It was a victory that the Bruins needed and they got several good individual efforts to help them end a two-game losing streak before heading home to host Zdeno Chara and the Washington Capitals for two games beginning Wednesday night.