The Boston Bruins came from behind to beat the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday evening.
The win gives the Bruins a commanding 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal and also puts the Rangers on the brink of elimination.
The visitors fell behind 1-0 after Taylor Pyatt opened the scoring in the second period but Boston came roaring back in the final frame with goals from Johnny Boychuk and Daniel Paille.
The Bruins hold a commanding lead in the series and can wrap things up Thursday night in Game 4.
Boston coach Claude Julien was pleased with the result and praised Paille and the rest of the fourth line for their contributions in the victory.
“They have scored some big goals for us in the playoffs,” he said. “We have confidence in that line. We’ve said it a million times. Tonight was no exception.
“They were on for both goals. You look at Paille’s speed, he puts defenses on their heels. We use them because they are good not because we have to.”
Things started off well for the hosts when Pyatt gave them a 1-0 lead but the scoreline was a bit deceiving as goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist kept the Rangers in the game with some outstanding saves.
Gregory Campbell admitted the Bruins were frustrated by Lundqvist but knew that if they kept shooting they would score eventually.
“We wanted to stay the course, keep chipping away,” he said. “Lundqvist was on his game. We knew we were going to have to keep firing away and it wasn’t going to be easy.”
The Bruins finally beat Lundqvist early in the third period when Boychuk’s shot squeezed through traffic and flew past the New York goalie.
Boston then completed the comeback when Paille pounced on a loose puck in the crease to stun the home fans.
The Boston Bruins will have a chance to close out the series in four games when they meet the New York Rangers on Thursday evening at Madison Square Garden.
