POST-SEASON BOUND! Bruins Clinch 2nd Place in the East on Win Against Rangers

The Boston Bruins are getting hot at the right time.

After soundly defeating the Eastern Conference 14th place New York Islanders, they now faced a more daunting team in the first place New York Rangers.  A team they have yet to defeat this season.

To make matters worst for the Black and Gold, they had to play the games in a back-to-back and traveling situation to a one day rested NYR team that was already at home.  The only plus side of it was that they only had to travel from Long Island to the Big Apple.

Opening Frame

Marian Gaborik opened up the scoring for the game and for the Rangers.  Bruins' Captain Zdeno Chara ripped the hardest shot in the league and Jordan Caron paid for it.  The Bruins also paid for it as it made a ridiculous rebound right up the middle to the center ice and Gaborik was virtually all alone to beat Tim Thomas.

Middle Frame

The Bruins evened it up with Dennis Seidenburg.  Brad Marchand kept the play alive with some great forechecking.  He got the pass to Zdeno Chara, who sent to to the high slot to Seidenburg.  Seidenburg ripped it to beat Lundqvist glove side and the game was knotted at one.

Later in the frame, the B's were on the power play on Michael Del Zotto's interference call and they made the Rangers pay.  Patrice Bergeron got the pass from Tyler Seguin in the corner and he quickly skated up to Henry Lundqvist to beat him low and the B's got the lead for the first time in the game.

Final Frame

With the lead on hand, the Bruins had the statistical advantage having been 30-0-0 before coming into the night when leading after 40 minutes of play.  the Rangers was neither concerned or cared at this point.

With the Rangers on the power play at the beginning of the period, Daniel Paille flipped the puck up and over the glass to give the Rangers a short 5 on 3 power play, but nothing happened on the two-man advantage.

The Rangers brought on the pressure to the Bruins.  While there were a lot of back and forth play, the Rangers had the better of the chances  the saving grace in the first half of the Bruins was that they took away the Rangers time and space.

With two minutes left, Tim Thomas made it interesting as he was way out of his net and nearly got caught with a gang of blue shirts near the net.

With just over a minute left to play, Lundqvist vacated the net to get the extra attacker on for the Rangers in a bid to get the game knotted up, but the Bruins clogged up the neutral zone and didn't allow a shot at Thomas after they took a time out.

The Bruins' win clinched the Northeast Division and second place in the Eastern Conference as there is no way the Ottawa Senators can catch the Bruins in the Division and the Panthers are too far back and yet to clinch the Southeast Division in a close race.

This is Cory Ducey saying "Hit Hard, But Keep It Clean".