Rangers vs Bruins: Blueshirts Win in Overtime, Prove They're Best Team in East

New York Rangers winger Marian Gaborik scored with four seconds remaining in overtime to help his team beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 in a statement game for the Blueshirts.

"They really work hard. They’re not the first place in the East for nothing, and I think they’ve done a great job in the past years developing their guys and building that game," said Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask. "They’re a tough team to play against, and they work really hard, and they don’t give up much. They don’t score much, but they really work hard."

While many teams don't play well against the Bruins' "big and bad" style of hockey, the Rangers are perfectly built to combat the physicality of Boston's lineup. New York has several strong forwards who don't mind going into the corners for pucks, and as a team New York is very willing to block shots.

Rangers head coach John Tortorella likes how his team matches up against the Bruins.

"This matchup here, for me anyway, for our club, I think it’s a better matchup," said Tortorella. "We struggle with the quickness of Pittsburgh, and the style they play, the long bombs, they just throw long bombs. Both the teams just grind it out, bang it out. If we’re not ready to play our game and do the things we need to do, they’ll run you over."

The Bruins could very well face the Rangers in the playoffs, possibly in an Eastern Conference Finals matchup, and Rask knows they would be a challenge in May.

"It’s built that way. As I said, they battle hard every time, and it’s a playoff team," said Rask. "They really have all the tools to make a run in the playoffs."

One of those tools the Rangers have that makes them a great team is their exceptional goaltending, which starts with star goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

If the Bruins want to beat the Rangers in the playoffs, they must find a way to have more success against Lundqvist, who with Saturday's win improved to 17-5-2 all-time against Boston.

Lundqvist is arguably the best goaltender in hockey, and is a legitimate candidate for the Hart and Vezina trophies this season.

Boston lost three of four games to the Rangers last season, and really struggle to score on Lundqvist. They scored eight goals in those four meetings this season, and managed only two on Saturday, one of which Lundqvist was screened on and didn't see much of.

The Rangers' style of play is quite similar to the Bruins' and that's why they have enjoyed so much success against Boston in recent seasons. Unless the Bruins find more ways to create offense against their New York rivals, they won't repeat as Stanley Cup champions unless they don't play the Rangers in the playoffs.

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Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston. All quotes obtained first hand.