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RANGERS 5, BRUINS 2 [ Game stats
Other than a brief 1-0 lead supplied by Ray Bourque's first-period goal (and 1,500th NHL point), the Bruins were decidedly outplayed by a deeper, richer, more eager Ranger team that is finally beginning to play up to its guhjillionaire billing.
The loss prevented the Bruins, who have a meager 18 wins, from possibly pulling into an eighth-place tie with the Rangers in the Eastern Conference. Now with 26 games to play, including tonight's Vault visit by Pavel Bure and the Panthers, the bedraggled Bruins are in need of some kind of roster booster shot if they're going to avoid being erased from postseason contention for the second time in four seasons.
''Their skill overwhelmed us a little bit in the third period,'' said Boston coach Pat Burns. ''They've got three pretty good lines. It seemed like every mistake we made in the third period ended up in the net. There are going to be mistakes, we know that, but every one went in the net.''
The Rangers have a $60 million payroll, about twice what it costs the Bruins (read: budget operation) to dress 20 per night, and it was one of the lower-paid Blueshirts, Jan Hlavac, who led the destruction here in front of a sellout crowd of 18,200 at Madison Square Garden. Hlavac collected his first career hat trick, striking twice in a 40-second span in the third period when the Rangers obliterated any chance the Bruins had of erasing a 3-2 deficit.
New York's Czechmate line of Hlavac, Petr Nedved, and Radek Dvorak accounted for three goals and four assists. Fast on foot and creative with the puck, the wild 'n' crazy Czechs couldn't be matched by the lesser-talented and slower Bruins. The Rangers may not be great, but they show flashes of brilliance, and they look capable of pulling an upset come the April playoffs. They have to get their first, of course, but that looked like a fait accompli last night if their greatest resistance comes from clubs such as the Bruins.
''Obviously, they were too quick for us in the third period,'' said Boston netminder Byron Dafoe, repeatedly left with defense support best described as thin, thinner, and thinnest. ''That wasn't any fun. That's a talented club. It took a while for them to get it going, but ...''
When Bourque knocked in his goal with 2:01 gone in the first, the Bruins looked capable of pulling an upset. Cutting deep into the zone and fading the right circle, the Boston captain beat Mike Richter with a sharp, nifty backhand lift to the top right corner. He had his milestone point (with help from Steve Heinze) and he had the Rangers in a momentary stutter step.
''Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd get 1,500 points,'' said Bourque. ''But it would have been nicer if we won.''
The Rangers had it effectively wrapped up before the first period ended. Valeri Kamensky opened up a three-goal barrage at 14:12, followed by Hlavac's first (on a power play) at 17:17, followed by a Kim Johnsson rebound left at 18:37. In all, three strikes in a span of 4:25. Tic-tac-toe and the Bruins had defeat No. 23 crossed off on the 82-game calendar.
After chipping a goal off the lead in the second with a nice Andre Savage one-timer from a Don Sweeney feed, the Bruins collapsed under the weight of the two Hlavac goals. The MSG ice was littered with gray baseball caps, a club giveaway at the turnstiles that proved to be prophetic.
''They gave them out tonight?'' asked Hlavac, not aware of the promotion. ''OK. Good timing. I don't know what my father, my family will do with 100 hats.''
This story ran on page G01 of the Boston Globe on 2/12/2000.
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EW YORK - Less than two months now remain in the NHL season, and the end was brought into slightly sharper - and more alarming - focus for the Bruins here last night in their 5-2 loss to the Rangers.