The Boston Bruins struggled to solve the New York Rangers' lockdown defense in the first period last Saturday. After countless missed scoring opportunities and three failed power plays, New York seemed to have complete control of the game. The Rangers sealed this momentum with a demoralizing goal from right wing Ryan Callahan to take an early 1-0 lead in the second period.

However, Bruins right wing Shawn Thornton would not back down. Thornton dropped gloves with Rangers center Mike Rupp. Despite receiving the five-minute fighting major, the battle provided the spark Boston needed. At three minutes and 18 seconds, left wing Milan Lucic fired a shot to defenseman Andrew Ference. Ference then hooked the puck past Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist to tie the game at one, sending the TD Garden crowd into a frenzy.

This goal would set the tone for the Bruins' afternoon, trading goals with the persistent Rangers squad. This was a game that even (albeit briefly) overshadowed the New England Patriots' AFC Championship match on Sunday, evidenced by Patriots owner Robert Kraft's appearance. Boston, however, could not get the job done last Saturday, losing 3-2 in overtime after a game-winning goal by Rangers right wing Marian Gaborik and a chance at the Eastern Conference crown.

Bruins center Rich Peverley expressed that the team played well, but that they lost to a strong squad.

"The Rangers are a good team; they're playing very well right now," he said. "We had our chances, but simply couldn't capitalize."

The first period represented a defensive battle of wills, with neither team willing to concede the first goal of the game. The Bruins, though, had the upper hand, earning three power plays in the period. However, Boston, 11th in the league in converting power-play chances, failed to take advantage.

The Rangers would not be denied, however, at the beginning of the second period. A mere one minute, 29 seconds into the period, right wing Ryan Callahan skated down the left wing of the ice after receiving a feed from left wing Brandon Prust. He then slapped it directly across the ice and behind the outstretched glove of Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask for his 16th goal of the season. Thornton then initiated the fight that would lead to the game-tying goal.

Gaborik would not let the Bruins' lead last for long. At 14 :30, after receiving a lightning pass from left wing Carl Hagelin, he initiated a strike over Rusk's glove for a 2-1 New York lead. With the clock ticking down in the second period, Boston struck again. At 19 minutes, Peverley fed the pass to defenseman Adam McQuaid, who slotted the puck in the top left corner of the net to knot the game at 2-2.

After the offensive explosion of the second period, tight defense dominated again in the third period. The Rangers had two power play opportunities in the third period, due to tripping penalties from Bruins center David Krejci and center Chris Kelly. Boston, though, could not secure the crucial goal in the third period, sending the game into overtime.

This proved to be much of the same story in extra time, that is, until the last five seconds of the game. As the Bruins prepared to head into a shootout, the Rangers had quite a surprise in store. With 3.6 seconds left, Rangers center Brad Richards lasered a pass to Gaborik, who valiantly tapped the puck past Rusk after two prior misses. Gaborik single-handedly preserved the Rangers' spot at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Forward Patrice Bergeron emphasized that the team played a strong game but simply didn't get the win.

"The game didn't have a lot of surprises," he said. "It was a well-structured match, what we expected; just not the result we wanted."

Boston rebounded from the loss with a thrilling 6-5 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers last Sunday and will next travel to face the Washington Capitals tonight at 7 p.m.