3 takeaways from the New York Rangers' 3-2 series finale over the Boston Bruins

The New York Rangers practically fell out of playoff contention earlier this season. This is not the case anymore.

With just over eight minutes left on the clock in the third period, the Rangers secured a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden. The Wednesday, Feb. 5th victory now puts the Blueshirts with a 26-23-4 overall record for 56 points.

Let's breakdown exactly how the Rangers got their latest win with three key takeaways from the matchup.

1. Comeback Win

The Comeback Kids from 2023-24 appear to be making a comeback for themselves this season. For the second straight game, the Rangers erased a 2-1 third-period deficit and rallied for a victory Wednesday, to pick up another crucial two points in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

After scoring three times in the third period Sunday en-route to a 4-2 win at MSG against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Rangers got goals from Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider over the final 20 minutes

Given the former poor stretch of losses the Blueshirts underwent earlier this season, it appears the entire year of 2025 so far has been a comeback for New York. As of presstime, in the current NHL standings the Rangers (56 points) are at No. 6 in the Wild Card rankings. They are only four points behind getting in the top two.

2. The Mika, Kreider Duo

As center Trocheck said, the Rangers' bromance of Kreider and Mika Zibanejad have an one-ice relationship that has been built on a solid foundation of playing together for over 45 years. Kreider's third period goal — assisted by Zibanejad — marked his league-leading 12th shorthanded goal since the 2021-22 season.

This also marked Kreider's third shorthanded goal of the 2024-25 season.

The goal was the final one scored on the Wednesday night matchup, securing the 3-2 victory for the Blueshirts. As a result of their efforts both Zibanejad and Kreider were awarded a star of the game.

When asked about the goal postgame, Zibanejad said there was no doubt in his mind Kreider was there for the goal.

“You can hear him. Not screaming, the way he skates," Zibanejad said. "In a situation like that, I think I was trying to get a breakaway maybe 2 or 3 times before that and then the play happens. Just knowing when we play together – we’ve played long enough together – to know that my first look is to see if he’s coming with me. And he is. If he’s going, no one’s going to catch him.”

3. Miller's Leadership

While recently aquired J.T. Miller did not register a points against the Boston Bruins, he really set the tone of the matchup. His effect on the Rangers has been immediate; the team is playing with more of a physical mindset from the start of the game to the finish.

The Blueshirts' first goal of the game was set up by the former Vancouver Canuck. Not to mention, it was Miller's pass to Trocheck that allowed the Rangers to tie things up in the second.

"He brings a unique combination of skill, size and physicality to our team. He helps us here in the short-term but he will be a key part of our core moving forward," New York Rangers President and GM Chris Drury previously said on Miller. "He's a terrific 200-foot player. He plays both sides of the puck, both special teams, he has a physical element and a high level of compete that we're excited to bring to our group."