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BRUINS 2, RANGERS 2 [ Game stats ]
Yesterday's 2-2 tie with the New York Rangers assures that the Bruins' and Rangers' seasons will end next weekend.
By coughing up a 2-1 lead with 1:20 left in regulation and settling for a tie, the Bruins cannot catch Buffalo for the eighth playoff spot.
It marks the first time in Pat Burns's 11-year NHL coaching career that he will not reach the postseason.
Yesterday's contest featured two teams near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. The black clouds covering these clubs are so huge, it's surprising anyone could see the ice.
When the regular season ends, the Rangers will be retooled and the Bruins reevaluated.
The Rangers already have fired their coach, John Muckler, and general manager Neil Smith. They paid for their players' underachievement and a bloated payroll that brought no bang for their 61 million bucks.
If the Rangers were auditioning for jobs in other places, the young Bruins were auditioning for future jobs here.
For example, defenseman Nick Boynton, last year's first-round pick, made his NHL debut after being recalled from Providence. Another milestone came in the form of forward Jay Henderson's first NHL goal.
Boston took a 1-0 lead at 16:06 of the first period. Mikko Eloranta gunned the puck into the New York zone and it caromed off the end boards and in front of the net to Kirk McLean's right. Henderson gathered the puck and banked a shot off the netminder and in.
The Rangers pulled even on the power play at 9:06 of the second. With Kyle McLaren in the penalty box for cross-checking, New York defenseman Brian Leetch dished a pass across from the right point to Theo Fleury. Fleury's one-timer hit John Grahame in the glove and the puck dropped to the ice. Adam Graves, who was battling Don Sweeney in front, backhanded the rebound home.
Antti Laaksonen, who was recalled with Boynton yesterday morning for his fourth stint of the season with the big club, gave the Bruins the lead again at 12:55. Andre Savage centered a pass to Laaksonen, who was skating down the slot, and Laaksonen rapped it past McLean for his third goal of the season.
The Bruins' fortunes took a nosedive in the third period, an occurrence that has been as regular this season as the sun rising in the morning. Through the first 13 minutes 15 seconds of the nailbiting third, the Rangers were desperately trying to climb back in and had outshot Boston, 10-1. Grahame weathered the storm but the Rangers kept coming and tied it with 1:20 remaining in regulation.
Mike York, who 14 seconds earlier was stopped by Grahame on a point-blank chance, did the damage with his 26th goal of the year, sending it to overtime.
''It was a good effort,'' said Burns.
This story ran on page F7 of the Boston Globe on 4/2/2000.
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t's officially and mercifully over.