These were the types of wins that’d evaded the Rangers for most of the season. The type where, quite simply, they scored at the Garden. But also the type where they responded, where they blew a lead — or two — and found a way to claw back.
Hours after the first tangible sign of a trade deadline sale started coming together, the Rangers found a way to win for just the third time in 14 games, with defenseman Will Borgen delivering the equalizer with just over six minutes left and defenseman Matthew Robertson winning it in overtime for the 4-3 victory. Will Cuylle and J.T. Miller provided the other two tallies.
Jonathan Quick picked up his first win since taking over for an injured Igor Shesterkin. And it all materialized with defenseman Carson Soucy scratched due to roster management as a trade with the Islanders comes together.
The hours leading up to the Rangers’ latest loss served as a cautionary tale for what could follow in the days and weeks ahead, as the March 6 deadline nears. They were getting close to sending Soucy — acquired in the middle of season for a third-round pick — to the Islanders. Defenseman Connor Mackey was called up from AHL Hartford to serve as the seventh defenseman. Urho Vaakanainen took Soucy’s place in the lineup. During the game, ESPN reported that the return for Soucy would match what the Blueshirts gave up for him in the first place.
Vaakanainen capitalized on his chance to skate for just the fourth time since Dec. 21, as Cuylle deflected his shot from the point off a faceoff win just 9:45 into the opening period to give the Blueshirts an early lead. Elias Lindholm responded for the Bruins minutes later, but it took J.T. Miller just 26 seconds to hand the lead back to the Rangers — depositing a cross-ice pass from Gabe Perreault for his third goal in three games.
For once, the Rangers generated a response. For once, they managed to keep producing chances and goals at the Garden, too, amid a campaign where they’d collected just a 5-13-4 record entering the night. But then more of the same started materializing.
Lindholm collected a loose rebound, spun around and whipped a puck past. Morgan Geekie snapped a tight-angle shot nearly nine minutes into the second period to give Boston a 3-2 lead, too.
The Rangers had plenty of chances to equalize, to manage a third goal, to snatch the advantage back even before Geekie’s decisive tally. They had 37 seconds of a five-on-three that led to nothing.
Then, they finally generated the tying goal when Borgen’s third goal of the season went through a cluster of skaters in front of the net and ended up past goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.
And with the first shuffling of their roster seemingly set to begin once the Soucy deal becomes official, with the organization celebrating its latest centennial theme night to honor Blueshirts legends who ushered the franchise through their 1994 Stanley Cup win and a golden era of the franchise, the Rangers provided, for most of the final two periods of regulation, yet another glimpse of how far away they are from returning to that point.
Then, their final two goals turned Monday into a rare bright spot.