By showing determination and guts, the Rangers get another elimination game against the Bruins. It won’t be any easier in a hostile environment. They’ve only won once on the road this postseason, entering 1-5. The one was facing elimination at Washington and making franchise history by winning the first ever Game 7 away from MSG. Recent history shows that under John Tortorella, the Blueshirts don’t give up easily. Dating back to last year’s run to the Conference Finals, they’re 6-1 when facing elimination.

That’s precisely why Tortorella refers to this team as a good group and further explains why you never hear anything negative from our players. By getting to Tuukka Rask, it should give them confidence. They’ll need to get off quickly. Scoring early would go a long way to getting this series back to the Garden. It might create some doubt for an opponent familiar with blowing a 3-0 lead. The Bruins were victimized by the Flyers in this very round three years ago. Since, they’ve won a Cup and stunned Toronto to get here. They understand the situation. Look for them to be even more desperate. No way do they want Game 6.

If the Rangers are to make it to Monday, they must stay disciplined. A couple of the penalties they took the other day were unacceptable. The B’s essentially scored all three on Henrik Lundqvist due to their power play. Definitely not a strong suit but they took advantage and almost sent our team home. Special teams have had an impact. For once, the Ranger power play came through when Brian Boyle beat Rask to force extras with 10 minutes left in regulation. Derek Stepan responded with a strong third stripping Zdeno Chara and tying the game 2-2 and then threading the needle to Boyle. He also won a huge defensive draw that led to Kreider’s heroics. Step is proof that players do develop under the guidance of Tortorella. He’s made tremendous strides.

With Anton Stralman likely out, Roman Hamrlik will probably play again. Though shaky in his return, he provided decent short shifts. Obviously, it’s a tough situation for the vet. Tortorella will lean heavily on Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. Mike Del Zotto’s received a ton of minutes playing even more than Girardi in Game 3. While true enough he’s struggled, the coaching staff trusts him enough under pressure. Both MDZ and John Moore have panicked with the puck, coughing it up. They must limit those mistakes. Steve Eminger has given the Rangers valuable time, playing physical. They’ll need it again.

If they are to win today, Nash must continue to be aggressive. He’s skated better as the series has gone on and looked dangerous in Game 4. It’ll be interesting to see if Tortorella puts him and Kreider back with Derick Brassard or keeps them with Stepan. Brassard continues to impress tallying a pair of assists in our win. He has been unafraid to make plays and hasn’t backed down. It would be nice if Ryan Callahan scores a goal. He does everything else. They could use one of his gritty specials. Carl Hagelin and Mats Zuccarello are other candidates. Our team will need to be hard on the puck, finishing checks. Exactly why Tortorella inserted grinders Kris Newbury and Micheal Haley. Newbury better stay out of the box. I wouldn’t mind seeing Arron Asham in for Derek Dorsett, who hasn’t been effective. Asham is a better skater and has a cannon of a shot that’s produced two goals.

Obviously, to win Hank must be Hank. He’s certainly capable of stealing a game. Lundqvist has made a lot of difficult saves against a feisty Boston team that’s made life difficult. Our guys need to push them out. If he can see the shot, he’ll stop it. Another positive is that three of the four games have been decided by a goal. Even with the Bruins controlling much of the play, our goalie’s been the equalizer. Had they prevailed in Game 1, it’d be tied. If they pull it out, it’ll be close.