Recap: Rangers Roll in Thanksgiving Showdown, Beat Bruins 6–2 Behind Panarin and Zibanejad

The New York Rangers faced off in the Thanksgiving Showdown against another Original Six squad, the Boston Bruins, who they have a history of participating against in these Black Friday games. Our own Chris Feldman outlines their history and how the league can improve on the tradition.

This is the first of three games between the two teams this season, and it might be the best matchup for the Rangers, since the Bruins are missing David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, and Charlie McAvoy from their lineup today. The Rangers are also missing one of their players, with Will Borgen still out of the lineup, and recently called-up Scott Morrow stepping in for his fourth NHL game of the season.

First Period

The Rangers struck first and quickly. Minutes into the game, after a prime opportunity in the slot for Zibanejad was broken up by Boston, Will Cuylle picked the Bruins defender's pocket at the blue line and raced back into the offensive zone with Artemi Panarin. Cuylle then passed the puck to Panarin, who snapped it past Joonas Korpisalo to give the Rangers an early lead.

A few minutes later, it appeared the Bruins would tie the game at one. Eyssimont was behind the Rangers' net with the puck and wrapped around trying to get it past Shesterkin. The other Bruins forwards crashed the net and pushed Igor into the net with their sticks. Boston skated away from the net to celebrate a goal, but the referees convened and quickly ruled it no goal due to goaltender interference.

The Rangers would score again to go up by two, and once again, Artemi Panarin was heavily involved. Skating towards the Bruins' zone with the puck, he picked his head up and scanned who was on the ice with him and dumped it around the Bruins' net. Will Cuylle's forechecking got in the way, and Trocheck was able to scoop the puck and make a pass through the slot that didn't connect. Carson Soucy, having just entered the zone, one-timed the puck as it bounced off the boards, sending a perfectly placed shot right off the corner of the post and crossbar and down into the net. The Rangers came together to celebrate with Trocheck jostling Soucy in disbelief at the flash of offense he just displayed.

With the Bruins missing three of their best players, it makes sense this would be the best showing, or at least the best first period, the Rangers have played in some time. While they were outshooting the Bruins, Boston was dominating at the face-off circle. Brett Berard was performing admirably, making a standout move below the circles, sharply cutting away from the Bruins defenseman and making a beeline toward the front of the net. He deked around Korpisalo and almost put the puck in the net before being knocked down. Berard is doing everything he can to stay in the NHL.

The physicality between the familiar foes was picking up, with several scrums happening post-whistle near the end of the period. The Bruins would eventually get the game's first power play when they were scrambling in front of Shesterkin, trying to put a rebound past the Rangers' netminder. The puck popped out to the point, and Cuylle chased it, hauling down Hampus Lindholm in the process. The play was blown down, and Cuylle went to the box. However, even with the first minute of the Bruins' power play elapsed, the Rangers went into the first intermission with a two-goal lead thanks to some puck luck and Shesterkin, who kept the Bruins off the board.

Second Period

The Rangers were able to kill off the rest of the penalty. Even getting the best chance while shorthanded, being stopped while on a 3-on-1. The Bruins got their own odd-man rush right after the power play, with Zadorov making a long pass to Geekie, but Shesterkin stood tall.

There was a scary moment where Shesterkin was knocked down on the ice after Fraser Minten was pushed into him. Without Quick as a safety net, and an untested Garand looking on from the bench, an injury to Shesterkin could be dire for the Rangers. Shortly after this, another frightening moment sent Noah Laba to the locker room. After taking a big hit from Lohrei with questionable head contact, Laba was clearly shaken up. Thankfully, he was back on the bench a few minutes later.

Close calls weren't the only thing that happened this period. The Bruins took two penalties close together, the second of which was reviewed and ruled a double minor after it was determined Lindholm's high stick drew blood from Brodzinski. The Rangers had a 5-on-3 for six seconds, and just as the first penalty expired, they scored to increase their lead to three. The Rangers won the offensive-zone face-off back to Fox, who slid the puck over to Panarin. Wasting no time, Panarin sent the puck over to Zibanejad on the side of the net, who wound up and put the puck careening past Korpisalo for a bad-angle power-play goal.

With their remaining power play, the Rangers continued to control the puck in the Bruins' zone. Zibanejad had a dangerous chance that glanced off Korpisalo's arm and just missed tumbling into the net. But that didn't matter much with his next shot, beating Korpisalo for his second power play goal of the game exactly 45 seconds later.

Third Period

With just 12 shots through the first two periods, it appeared Shesterkin had decent odds of posting a shutout. However, the Bruins and puck luck had other ideas. After a face-off in the Rangers' zone, Geekie got the puck in the slot, and his shot deflected past Shesterkin to the side of the net. It popped up into the air over Shesterkin and bounced in front of him. Mittelstadt then put it between Shesterkin's legs, finally getting the Bruins on the board.

Just over 5 minutes in, Sullivan took a timeout and berated the Rangers after it seemed the Bruins were starting to get back into the game. Though his words may have been ignored, the Bruins scored on the next face-off. The puck was slid back to Jokiharju, who shot it on net. Geekie reached in and got his stick on it, deflecting the puck just past Shesterkin. The Bruins were now within two and pushing hard.

The Rangers were able to hold them off despite Boston's eight shots on net in the period. As the period wound down, Korpisalo went to the bench for the extra attacker, but the Rangers were able to quickly capitalize as Lafrenière corralled the puck in the neutral zone and sent it all the way down into the empty net for an insurance goal.

With just over three minutes left in the game, the Bruins' energy deflated when the Rangers pulled further ahead. Twenty seconds after the empty net goal, the Blueshirts would add to their lead again. After cycling the puck around the Bruins' zone, Trocheck sent the puck on net from the point. Vladislav Gavrikov, of all people, was screening Korpisalo and angled his stick to deflect the puck past Korpisalo for the team's sixth and final goal of the game.

Although the first half of the third period was a rough one for the team, this was by far their best sixty-minute effort of the season. The Rangers' star players stepped up and led the way, and likely because the Bruins were banged up and fangless, the Rangers were able to cruise to victory, dominating almost every statistical category.