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| The puck bounces off Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller of Switzerland as Ducks defensemen Francois Beauchemin (second from right) and Mat Clark defend against Edmonton Oilers centres Teemu Hartikainen of Finland and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins during the third period of their NHL hockey game in Anaheim, California on Sunday |
Goals from Dennis Seidenberg and Patrice Bergeron in the second period allowed the Bruins, who lost their three previous meetings to New York this season, erase a 1-0 deficit after Marian Gaborik opened the scoring in the first period.
“It was a good effort by the whole unit there and we found a way to get the bucket,” Bergeron told reporters. “We have to stay composed, and every time we do that we find a way.”
The loss prevented the Rangers (50-22-7) from securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers need one point in their final three games to lock up the top seed, which would assure them home-ice advantage when the playoffs begin.
For the Stanley Cup champion Bruins (47-28-4), the win secured their second consecutive division crown and held off a late-charge by the Ottawa Senators (41-28-10), who clinched a playoff berth with a 5-1 win over the New York Islanders earlier on Sunday.
Only two of the eight Eastern Conference playoff spots are remaining.
In a matchup featuring two teams likely headed for a heated first-round matchup, the Philadelphia Flyers scored four third period goals to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-4 in a game that included a brawl between the rivals.
The game was tied 2-2 heading into the third period when the visiting Flyers took control before moving within one point of Pittsburgh in the race for the No. 4 seed and home ice advantage in their potential matchup.