National Hockey League
NY Rangers 5, Boston 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 21, 2024
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees: Steve Kozari, Graham Skilliter
Linesmen: Steve Barton, James Tobias
Attendance: 17850

Artemi Panarin recorded his third hat trick of the season to lead the visiting New York Rangers to a 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

Panarin scored New York's first two goals and capped the scoring with an empty-netter, becoming the fourth Ranger in the past 10 years to record a 40-goal season.

Adam Fox's eventual game-winning goal came at 3:57 of the third period, just 40 seconds after Justin Brazeau had tied the score for Boston.

Fox and Mika Zibanejad each had a goal and an assist, and Jonathan Quick made 24 saves as New York (46-20-4, 96 points) won for the third time in its past four games.

Justin Brazeau had a goal and an assist while Jake DeBrusk also scored for Boston (41-15-15, 97 points), which had won its previous three.

Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman stopped 26 shots.

Brazeau brought the Bruins even at 2-2 with his third goal in two games at 3:17 of the third, parking at the crease to bang in the rebound of a Brad Marchand shot.

The tie lasted all of 40 seconds before Erik Gustafsson sent a slap pass to Fox, who scored top shelf from the right circle.

Zibanejad's empty-net goal from neutral ice clinched the New York win with 2:03 left.

Panarin added another in the final minute.

Quick made several high-quality stops to hold Boston's lead to 1-0 after one period in which it had a 14-9 shot advantage, but a tenacious effort led to the go-ahead goal at the 8:04 marker.

After Trent Frederic had multiple point-blank chances denied, DeBrusk slotted home a loose puck for the Bruins' opening tally while Quick was sprawled out from making his previous stops.

The visitors first knotted the score at 7:58 of the middle frame. Boston forward Danton Heinen's no-look pass turned the puck over to Panarin in the slot, where he fired a shot through Swayman's legs.

Shortly after Swayman knocked away a Chris Kreider short-handed break, the Rangers took their first lead at 2-1 on a fortunate bounce with 34.7 seconds left in the second. Panarin's attempt to feed Alex Wennberg deflected in off a diving DeBrusk's arm.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
NY Rangers   Boston
Artemi Panarin 3 Points Justin Brazeau 2
Artemi Panarin 3 Goals Justin Brazeau 1
Adam Fox 1 Assists Justin Brazeau 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jonathan Quick .923 Save Percentage Jeremy Swayman .897
Jonathan Quick 24 Saves Jeremy Swayman 26
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
NY Rangers 31 5 0-1 3-3 6 26
Boston 26 2 0-3 1-1 2 24
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Bruins have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .586 after a loss.
  • NY Rangers will play their next game at home against Florida. The Rangers have a W/L % of .622 after a win and .720 after a loss.