BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored his team-leading 39th goal after missing the previous eight games with an undisclosed injury, helping the Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers 3-1 on Saturday. .
Taylor Hall and Trent Frederic also scored for Boston, which is vying for playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Linus Ullmark made 30 saves.
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The Bruins had lost four of their previous six games.
Mika Zibanejad scored his 29th goal for New York and Igor Shesterkin made 32 saves.
Having clinched home ice in the first round of the playoffs with a victory over the Islanders on Thursday, the Rangers had their four-game winning streak snapped.
New York finished the road portion of its regular season with 25 wins, tied for third in team history.
Boston went 0-for-3 on the power play and hasn’t scored in its last 29 opportunities.
Charlie McAvoy made a nice pass across the ice to Pastrnak, who fired the puck past Shesterkin from the left circle with 35 seconds remaining in the opening period.
Hall beat Shesterkin in a partial breakaway just over a minute into the second, slipping a wrist shot inside the far post. Pastrnak, 25, helped on the play for his 500th career point.
With Boston trailing after Ullmark dumped the puck onto the glass for a delay-of-game penalty early in the third, Zibanejad fired a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle.
But Frederic scored on a rebound with 10:23 left.
Ullmark, who missed three games with injury, stole former Bruin Frank Vatrano midway through the second, using his glove to catch the only time. He even saved a skid from his own teammate’s when the puck bounced off defenseman Hampus Lindholm’s skid.
AFTERNOON PLEASURE
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Boston improved to 11-2 in afternoon games.
GREAT ADDITION
Lindholm, a big addition at the trade deadline, also returned after sitting out with a lower-body injury for seven games.
HIGH NUMBERS
New York forward Chris Kreider needs a goal to tie Adam Graves (52 in 1993-94) for second on the team’s single-season list. It is also the last season the Rangers won the Stanley Cup.
Jaromir Jagr had the most in team history with 54 in 2005-06.
WORTH NOTICE
Center Andrew Copp, who recorded a Ranger’s first natural early-stage hat-trick in 72 years on Thursday, did not play due to a lower-body injury. New York center Filip Chytil (upper body) was also left out. Coach Gerard Gallant said Friday that no injury is serious.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Rangers: Host Carolina on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game homestand that closes out the regular season.
Bruins: In Montreal on Sunday. They have four games left in the regular season.
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Reference-boston.cbslocal.com