Charlie McAvoy scored on the power play, Brad Marchand and David Krejci each had a pair of assists and the host Boston Bruins blanked the emotionally drained New York Rangers 4-0 Thursday night.
Patrice Bergeron, Jake DeBrusk and Brandon Carlo also had goals for the playoff-bound Bruins, who extended their points streak to six games (5-0-1). Rookie Jeremy Swayman needed to make only 15 saves for his second shutout.
Igor Shesterkin stopped 30 shots for the Rangers, who dropped their fifth straight.
The Rangers (26-23-6, 58 points) play their season finale Saturday at Boston, and it can't come soon enough for a club that saw its trying week continue Thursday with two separate forms of discipline.
The team was fined $250,000 for its strongly worded statement opposing the league's light-handed discipline of Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson for his antics at New York's expense earlier in the week. In addition, Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich was suspended one game for cross-checking Washington's Anthony Mantha on Wednesday night. New York lost the rematch with Washington 4-2.
Already without Artemi Panarin, who was injured by Wilson, as well as Chris Kreider and several others, the Rangers put forward their worst offensive showing of the season a day after team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton were both dismissed.
The Bruins (32-14-7, 71 points) took advantage, scoring twice in the first period. Bergeron collected his 22nd goal on a feed from Marchand behind the net at 7:11, and McAvoy put home a one-timer from the slot on the man advantage for his fifth at 18:35.
McAvoy would later deny New York a goal after Swayman left the net in an attempt to handle a puck off the glass that bounced back forward.
DeBrusk scored off a breakaway to make it 3-0 Bruins at 14:01 of the second period. The marker was his fifth, ending a 12-game drought. Carlo, playing his second contest after a month missed due to an oblique injury, tallied his third goal at 1:07 of the third period to complete the scoring.
Boston played without forward Charlie Coyle (upper body).
--Field Level Media
NY Rangers | Boston | |
N/A | Points | David Krejci 2 |
N/A | Goals | Patrice Bergeron 1 |
N/A | Assists | David Krejci 2 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | Charlie McAvoy 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Igor Shesterkin .882 | Save Percentage | Jeremy Swayman 1.000 |
Igor Shesterkin 30 | Saves | Jeremy Swayman 15 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
NY Rangers | 15 | 0 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 4 | 20 |
Boston | 34 | 4 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 2 | 27 |