- Rangers 1, Bruins 0 (SO): One strike in a shootout ended this
pitchers'goalies' duel. The striker was Nigel Dawes, who followed up 65 minutes of scoreless hockey with the lone shootout goal in the second round. Henrik Lundqvist got the better end of Boston netminder Alex Auld, and that got the Rangers two points. They combined to stop 64 shots, so this wasn't some snoozer.How hot are the Rangers? They have 21 points in their last 12 games, and 31 in their last 20. They are now in sixth place in the Eastern Conference but just five points out of the division lead and No. 1 seed held by the Devils. Anything's possible. What's most important is that the Rangers are playing their best hockey -- and finally washing the taste of underachievement -- at the right time. Lundqvist is tied for the most shutouts in the NHL (nine). His team picks up points in almost every game. When it was built last summer, this is what people expected. Better late than never.
