With little margin for error, Henrik Lundqvist offered none. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner - and finalist for this season's award - registered back-to-back shutouts to propel the New York Rangers into the Eastern Conference's second round. Lundqvist and the sixth-seeded Rangers will look to get the upper hand on Thursday, when they visit the fourth-seeded Boston Bruins in Game 1. New York recorded a 2-1-0 mark in the season series between the Original Six rivals, who are meeting in the postseason for the first time since 1973.
After stopping all 27 shots he faced in New York's 1-0 victory in Game 6 on Sunday, Lundqvist made 35 saves as the Rangers breezed to a 5-0 triumph to close out third-seeded Washington one day later. While New York hardly was challenged in its Game 7 tilt, Boston overcame a three-goal deficit in the third period to force overtime in its final contest versus fifth-seeded Toronto. Selke Trophy finalist Patrice Bergeron netted the game-tying goal with 51 seconds remaining before scoring 6:05 into the extra session as the Bruins posted a 5-4 victory over the Maple Leafs.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN, RDS
ABOUT THE RANGERS: While Lundqvist was keeping goals at a minimum, stud first-liner Rick Nash failed to find the net in the first round. Former Columbus teammate Derick Brassard registered a team-leading nine points (two goals, seven assists) in his first playoff series. "This is the best I've felt in a long time," he told NHL.com. "... Why I play in the NHL is because I make plays, and now not only is my confidence high, it's the best I've felt in a long time."
ABOUT THE BRUINS: Boston may be without defensemen Andrew Ference, Wade Redden and Dennis Seidenberg, as the trio did not practice on Wednesday following absences in the latter end of the first-round series. Ference missed the final two contests, Redden sat out Game 7 and Seidenberg made an early exit in the pivotal tilt - all with undisclosed injuries. Coach Claude Julien did not provide an update following Wednesday's practice. Torey Krug, who was recalled from Providence of the American Hockey League, has played in three NHL games and could make his postseason debut.
OVERTIME
1. Lundqvist boasts a 21-7-2 mark with six shutouts and a slim 1.67 goals-against average versus Boston.
2. Boston went 1-for-16 on the power play versus New York, while the Rangers failed to score on all 14 opportunities with the man advantage against the Bruins.
3. The Rangers will play their own version of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium in 2014. They will face New Jersey on Jan. 26 and the New York Islanders three days later as part of the league's outdoor stadium series.