Do the New York Rangers Need a Win Sunday to Stay in the Bruins' Heads?

In their first 184 minutes and 56 seconds of competition this season, the New York Rangers have yet to trail the Boston Bruins at any point. Even if you discard Boston’s less-than-commendable effort in a 3-0 decision February 14, you still have two other games in the season series, each with abundant evidence as to who has the upper hand and why.

Sunday night’s meeting in Manhattan, the fourth-to-last game on each team’s regular-season schedule, will be the Bruins’ last call to alter the complexion of the matchup.

But it could be equally critical for the Blueshirts’ sake to keep things status quo.

With Friday night’s 4-1 defeat of the Montreal Canadiens, the Rangers effectively pole-vaulted over Pittsburgh for the best home record in the Eastern Conference at 27-10-2. The team is also fostering a four-game winning streak and are 6-1-0 in their last seven outings—their best run in six weeks.

The last thing the Rangers want at this point is a Boston-induced blemish, especially in case of an eventual playoff encounter.

Desperation to dictate one’s own destiny, or to keep up a timely turnaround, need not be an issue for either club Sunday night. The Rangers and Bruins alike are trying to keep their distance from the Penguins and Senators, respectively, en route to securing first place in their respective divisions.

Accordingly, the X-factor among all intangibles should be the urgency to make a last-minute impression.

The Bruins will return to Madison Square Garden precisely four weeks removed from their previous visit, a 4-3 loss that saw them valiantly, but vainly, delete 2-0 and 3-2 deficits. With a chance for a do-over, the team will seek to capitalize on better health (Rich Peverley was still out last time) and play a more assertive and efficient first period.

The Rangers will simply need to be ready to counter that. The team will need to issue another explicit statement, much as they did at TD Garden on January 21, that they have the means to render a talented and poised visitor’s 60-minute effort futile.

The full scope of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist’s history, but especially his recent history, against the Bruins speaks for itself. In this season series, he has defaulted on four calls to protect a lead, but has the critical distinction of consistently preserving ties until they are broken at the other end.

But Lundqvist’s teammates need to once again play their part, which promises to be a more demanding task than on March 4 now that Boston backstop Tim Thomas has rediscovered his game.

Thomas and the Bruins are easily playing their best hockey since before New Year’s and before their season series with the Rangers even began.

A recent surge in production from Zdeno Chara and the third forward line, just to name a few, has combined with Thomas’ recovery to translate to a 5-1-1 run entering Saturday afternoon’s bout with the Islanders.

What better way to put a stamp on this homestretch resurgence than by breaking their goose egg in the win column against the top-seeded Rangers? What better place to do that than on the road? And what better time to do it than at the beginning of the final week of the regular season?

On New York’s part, to deny the Bruins that enticing scenario could go a long way towards setting a conference-wide, if not league-wide, tone on the cusp of the playoffs.

Conversely, to authorize a victory by the resurgent Bruins could amount to the double whammy of exposing their own vulnerability and feeding psychological energy to a fellow contender.

Now might be the right time to note that the Rangers next opponent is Philadelphia, which like Boston has one last chance to get a win out of their season series. Immediately following that, the Blueshirts will conclude their season-series with the Penguins.

As it happens, for reasons that go beyond its celestial depth and championship experience, Pittsburgh gives the Rangers plenty to think about all on its own. The paramount factor is the Penguins’ having issued two of New York’s 10 regulation losses on home ice, both by a three-goal margin, no less.

The last thing John Tortorella’s pupils need this late in what is all but becoming a coast to the top of the Eastern Conference is another postseason heavyweight cultivating confidence on their own pond.

Regardless of who they ultimately meet in what round, the Blueshirts want to polish off these sweeps on Sunday and Tuesday. (If they do that, by the way, they will have already secured the Atlantic Division title before they even venture into the Consol Energy Center.)