Bruins crush hapless Rangers night after Capitals mayhem
In retrospect, it’s pretty wild that the Rangers had to do this in the first place.
Just 24 hours after failing to get proper revenge in a Royal Rumble against the Washington Capitals, the punch-drunk Rangers staggered into TD Garden and took an absolute beating at the hands of the Bruins Thursday night, by a 4-0 final score. Boston out-shot New York 34-15 on the night, including a ridiculous 19-3 in the second period.
But on the scoreboard, the Bruins spread their damage out. Patrice Bergeron opened the scoring 7:11 into regulation, his 22nd goal of the season, then Charlie McAvoy made it 2-0 on a power play with only 1:25 left in the opening frame. Brad Marchand assisted on both first-period goals, giving him 29 points in 21 games since the start of April. Thursday was also Marchand’s 18th multi-point game of the season.
Jake DeBrusk extended the Bruins’ lead to 3-0 with his fifth goal of the season in the second period. DeBrusk had gone 12 games without a goal dating back to April 11, with only three assists in that span. The 24-year-old admitted to reporters earlier on Thursday that his struggles had been weighing on him and leaving him searching for answers.
“It’s one of those things that you try to find little positives and things like that and just move on from there,” DeBrusk said. “It’s not the end of the world. Obviously, I’d like to do a lot more with what I can do. But at the same time, it obviously hasn’t been meant for me, so I understand that my time will come.”
Brandon Carlo finished off the scoring just over a minute into the third period, goal No. 3 of the season for the Bruins’ No. 2 right-shot defenseman. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman, meanwhile, grabbed his second career shutout, and maybe the easiest one he’ll ever get.
Up Next: The Bruins get another chance to kick the Rangers while they’re way, way down in another tilt on Saturday.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @mattydsays. You can also email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
