Rangers 3, Bruins 2
All-Star Rick Nash scored his league-leading 32nd goal and added an assist as host New York withstood a late charge to post its 19th win in 24 games.
Derek Stepan netted the go-ahead tally late in the second period and Derick Brassard also scored for the Rangers, who completed a 3-1-0 homestand. Cam Talbot made 18 saves in place of Henrik Lundqvist, who was scratched due to a neck injury.
Milan Lucic and All-Star Patrice Bergeron tallied for the Bruins, who saw their four-game point streak come to an end. Tuukka Rask turned aside 22 shots while making his ninth consecutive start.
New York grabbed the lead less than six minutes into the contest as Nash drove to the net from the left wing unabated before slipping a backhander around Rask for his fourth goal in three games. Lucic, who is battling the flu, beat Talbot high to the stick side from the high slot with 6:23 left in the first period to tie it and Bergeron tapped in a perfect saucer pass from Loui Eriksson 1:52 later to put Boston ahead.
Brassard forged a 2-2 tie at 6:41 of the second, receiving a feed from low in the right faceoff circle by Chris Kreider and firing the puck past Rask from the high slot. Stepan snapped the deadlock with 3:04 remaining in the session as he beat the netminder to the glove side from the left circle.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Bruins lost to the Rangers in regulation for the first time in nine overall meetings (6-1-2) and five visits to Madison Square Garden (3-1-1). ... Bergeron won 17 of his 23 faceoffs. ... Backup Gs Malcolm Subban of Boston and Mackenzie Skapski of New York have yet to make their NHL debuts. ... Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks and NBC news anchor Brian Williams were in attendance.