Rangers Vs. Bruins: From Kreider With Love

- About time the New York Rangers won an overtime game in the playoffs, no? That pass from Rick Nash couldn't have been any better if he placed it by hand, and that finish, well, that's what we have to look forward to in Chris Kreider for the rest of his career.

- THAT is the type of fight the Rangers need to turn things around. They've needed to play like that from the start, and they haven't. Thursday night they did and they won the game. It's not a coincidence.

- This game showed how much fight this team really has (it also makes you wonder where that fight was the past three games). They're down 2-0 in an elimination game against a team that's simply out worked them all series. And then the Rangers get a really, really lucky goal, Derek Stepan ties the game early in the third and the Garden is rocking. Then the Bruins go up 3-2 (again, another opportunity for the Rangers to lay down and die) and Brian Boyle scores a power play goal (not a typo) and the Rangers claw their way into an overtime win. You have to lay your guts on the line in those situations. The Rangers did just that.

- Quite a game from Derick Brassard (again) two assists. He also just missed the net on a Rangers power play late which would have avoided overtime. He seems to play better when the lights are brighter and the pressure is mounting. That's really good to see since he was one of the main reasons the Rangers got out of their first round series against Washington. The Rangers will need him to be big here, too.

- Henrik Lundqvist was outstanding. Simply outstanding. He deserved that.

- Boyle had a hell of a game, too. Scored the tying goal in the third and almost scored the go-ahead goal a few minutes later. He's another guy that seems to play better in the playoffs.

- Ryan McDonagh. Wow. That's a special player. Really special. And when his offense comes around (and it will) he's going to be that number one defenseman everyone keeps begging for.

- Kreider looked good with the big boys, no? He was solid in the corners, his speed made him one of the Rangers most effective forecheckers and he brought offense. Even without the goal he was really good in my opinion. The Rangers need more of that from him, but John Tortorella should have been playing him more from the start. Let him play.

- Derek Stepan had a big game. A hustle goal (where he stole the puck from Zdeno Chara and swiped it into the net) and a pretty assist. I think Stepan's been much better offensively in the playoffs than his numbers show. Thursday was a really good showing, though.

- John Moore, too. He played over 20 minutes in the win on Thursday and didn't look out of place at all. This series against the Bruins, I think, has really shown his true colors. Against the Capitals Tortorella was able to hide him in the Capitals weaker third and fourth lines. Against the Bruins Tortorella doesn't have that luxury, and Moore has still looked good.

- That revamped fourth line everyone was complaining about didn't look that bad, right? And they can keep up with the physicality of the Bruins' fourth line and neutralize them a little bit.

- Give Steve Eminger and Roman Hamrlik credit ,and not just for their long, long, long shift on the overtime goal.

- Anyone think Brad Richards will dress Saturday? It's an interesting question for sure. My guess is no, let what worked go again, but it's just a guess.

- The goal now for the Rangers (of course) is to get this series back to Madison Square Garden. It requires a win on the road in the playoffs which the Rangers have only done once this year, but maybe there's some life in this team after a win like that. It's also a little deflating for the Bruins, but again, they're the team up three games to one. Regardless, I loved the fight in this team showed.

Thoughts?