Cinderella Rangers With Avery Rule the Boston Bruins

The New York Rangers became a Cinderella team by winning their third game in a row and beating the league-leading Boston Bruins 4 to 3 in Madison Square Garden. Sean Avery heard his name chanted when he hit the ice for his first home game with the Rangers since making his comeback in the NHL.

He responded by getting a good hit on P.J. Axelsson on his first shift, tangling with the Bruins’ head-hunter Milan Lukic and Marc Savard later in the period, and mixed it up with Mark Recchi.

He was credited with three hits in the first period alone.

Like old times, Avery ignites a spark with the Rangers and Garden Crowd.

Lynn Zinser wrote in the New York Times, "It only took Sean Avery hopping on the ice wearing a Rangers jersey for the Madison Square Garden fans to start pumping the old energy into Sunday afternoon’s game."

Zinser went on to say that he got a tumultuous welcome from Blueshirts fans, who chanted his name during his first shift in the game.

She added, "Suddenly, it felt like the playoff push of the last few years: the fans cheering everything Avery did, the Rangers battling the N.H.L. points leader through a thrilling game, the Garden erupting when they scored a late goal."

"The Rangers are back battling for another playoff spot and Avery is back leading the charge," she concluded.

Avery the Agitator, as expected, was greeted with fierce chants of "Avery, Avery" as he skated on the Garden ice as a Ranger for the first time since last season's playoffs. Beyond the excitement of his return, he also played a very solid game, according to Kevin McRae of the Bleacher Report.

The biggest cheer of the game came when his assist was announced to the adoring crowd in the second period after Ryan Callahan scored to make it 3-1 in favor of the Rangers. He played close to fifteen minutes.

Avery came close to scoring and setting up a goal in the first period, as well.

It looked like he was everywhere, skating fast, forechecking, and finishing every check with a hit. Avery drew a lot of attention from the Bruins, making more room for his teammates on the ice.

Lots of fans sported jerseys with the name Avery on the back with the No. 16 or wore "Avery Rules!" t-shirts.

In the final minutes of the game, with the Rangers leading 4-3, the referee gave Avery an interference penalty that had to be the most questionable call of the game.

The Bruins pulled their goalie to get a two-man advantage, trying to tie the game, and force overtime. The Rangers highly ranked penalty killing unit handled the short-handed situation with no problem.

Nik Antropov recorded his first goal in a Ranger uniform, and added an assist. Scott Gomez got his 16th goal of the year on the power play. Nikolai Zherdev got the game winner.

Rangers captain Chris Drury almost had a Gordie Howe hat trick, playing an emotional game, and logging lots of ice time. He had a fight and an assist and played like, well, Sean Avery. 

It was Avery’s night and NBC captured it.

They followed Avery’s every move during the game and featured a story on all his positive play with the Rangers since he returned. Avery reminded the Madison Square Garden crowd just what it was missing while he was away, according to the Associated Press.

Even the Boston Globe reported that the Garden crowd loved having their bad boy back.

The Bruins Blog said Avery's line, with Ryan Callahan and Lauri Korpikoski, skated with tremendous energy.

Avery has now had eight wins in a row. While he was playing his way into game shape in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, his team went on a six game winning streak with him in the lineup.

The Rangers win over Boston was their third in a row and their second with Avery in the line-up.

The Assciated Press called Avery “The NHL's premier pest” and said he provided plenty of energy in the Rangers victory. It was the Rangers first three-game winning streak since the start of the year, putting them two points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final spot in the NHL playoffs.

The Rangers-Bruins game was likely a preview of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The slumping Bruins are still in first place in the NHL, and they played with pride, even arrogance. But they had a big fall, losing to a team with a record that does not compare to their's.

The Bruins were outcoached, outhustled, and outscored. The Rangers won the fights, too, if not the face offs.

Chuck Kobasew, Zdeno Chara, and Michael Ryder scored for Boston. Henrik Lundqvist looked much better than the Bruins goalie, Manny Fernandez, who kept looking behind him after each Ranger shot.

Milan "The Loochomotive" Lucic landed a game-high nine hits.

Avery's previous Rangers home game was game three in the second round of last year's playoffs against Pittsburgh, until he suffered a lacerated spleen. After sweeping Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils, and invoking the infamous Avery Rule for screening the goaltender.

The Rangers ended a four-game losing streak last Saturday with a 6-1 home win over Colorado, and then won again when they played the rival New York Islanders. The Rangers had dropped seven of eight and 12 of their previous 14 games.

Colorado and the Islanders were not much of a test for the new and improved Rangers. They are cellar dwellers in the NHL, but beating the league leading Boston Bruins while ending their slump with a three game winning streak means the Rangers have to be regarded as a Cinderella story and the team to watch from now until the end of the regular season, another 16 games, and in the Stanley Cup play-offs.

No. 16 played like a sixteen year old, flying everywhere, the way he did when he played with the Owen Sound Platers in the OHL and the Kingston Frontenacs.

He showed no signs of anger mismanagement and kept his focus. Avery makes the NHL/NHLPA's behaviour modification program look very good.

At the end of the game, Avery and the Rangers skated to center ice, together, stood inside the face off circle, faced the cheering crowd, and raised their hockey sticks in a group salute. It was a moving moment, which may have marked the turning point in the Rangers season.

The Rangers turnaround started when they hired John Tortorella as coach, picked up steam with the addition of Sean Avery, and added momentum when they traded to get Nik Antropov and Derek Morris.

NBC described the old Rangers as "comatose".

They needed a scorer, a blueliner, and spirt. Rangers General Manager Glen Sather went out and got it. The dead Rangers have come to life, inspired by the energy that came with the changes.

Now New York is hoping for a good run for the rest of the season and dreaming of the Stanley Cup.

The Rangers have won two of three against the Bruins this season. The clubs meet one final time in Boston on April 4.