In a rematch of a game played on Nov. 25, the New York Rangers made it two-for-two against the Boston Bruins. Unlike the game played two days after Thanksgiving, when the Rangers outscored the Bruins 7-4, this one was much lower-scoring and defensive minded.

The Rangers were able to come back for a well-earned 2-1 win in overtime over the Bruins in Beantown. They stole one thanks to a pair of goals from Vincent Trocheck, who continues to be the early frontrunner for the Steven McDonald Award. He got the game-tying goal with 9:10 left in regulation to force overtime.

On a reset during the three-on-three, Trocheck finished off an Artemi Panarin pass from the left circle to beat Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman for the overtime winner at 2:03. His two goals gave Igor Shesterkin his first win in five games since Dec. 2. Shesterkin was sharper than the last three starts by making 21 saves on 22 shots. It was a badly needed victory for him.

The win spoiled the Bruins’ centennial celebration. During select home games this season, they’re honoring past Boston Bruins legends as part of their 100th year anniversary. Before the game, former coach Don Cherry and former Bruins Mike Milbury and Terry O’Reilly were part of the pregame festivities that honored the 1970s Bruins.

It was the second win in a row for the Rangers. They followed up a 5-1 home win over the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 15 by taking the second game of a back-to-back against one of the league’s best teams in enemy territory. They’ll look to make it three straight when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, Dec. 18. It’ll be a chance at redemption after losing 7-3 on Dec. 12 at Madison Square Garden.

Related: Rangers Taken To School By Maple Leafs

Bonino and Miller Both Return

The Rangers got some good news before the game. Nick Bonino and K’Andre Miller both returned to face the Bruins on Saturday night.

Bonino missed Friday’s game against the Ducks. He took 21 shifts, logging 12:55 of ice time, and won 5 of 7 faceoffs. That included 3:47 while shorthanded.

Miller also came back after missing the last two games for personal reasons. Aside from taking a tripping minor late in the first period on Bruins captain Brad Marchand, he had a solid game finishing with two shots in four attempts, three hits, and two blocked shots in 21:40 (27 shifts).

In a tight checking affair, having both key defensive players back helped the Rangers out.

Frederic Puts The Bruins Up

Following a very quiet first period that saw the teams combine for 13 shots with the Rangers holding an 8-5 edge, the Bruins struck first. On a play in transition, Trent Frederic got to a rebound in the crease and steered in the loose puck past Shesterkin at 2:07 of the second period. That put the Bruins up.

The play wasn’t without controversy. Although Frederic dug out a James van Riemsdyk rebound with Shesterkin in the net, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette challenged for goaltender interference. While there was a little contact, it looked like a good goal. That’s exactly how they ruled it in conference with Toronto to uphold the call on the ice.

Since it was an unsuccessful coach’s challenge, the Rangers were assessed with a two-minute delay of game minor that put the Bruins on the power play. Fortunately, they killed off the penalty to stay within one.

Kreider’s Offensive Zone Penalty Wipes Out Power Play

Halfway through the contest, David Pastrnak took the first of two bad penalties when he high-sticked Alexis Lafreniere. However, only 17 seconds into the man-advantage, Chris Kreider took an undisciplined offensive zone penalty to wipe out the power play. He grabbed hold of Hampus Lindholm’s stick to negate the five-on-four.

During a four-on-four, Frederic decided to challenge Rangers captain Jacob Trouba. Due to recent history on Nov. 25, he wanted the fight and got it with the accountable Trouba, who obliged. Both went off for five minutes. That was a win for the Bruins, getting Trouba off the ice.

The Rangers would fail to capitalize on a Danton Heinen slashing minor on Adam Fox. Most frustrating was their over passing along with a reluctance to shoot the puck. Facing one of the league’s best penalty killing units, they weren’t aggressive enough on the power play. The Bruins did a good job of taking away the passing lanes while giving Swayman enough time to see the shots. Through two periods, he had 19 saves and looked on his way to a shutout.

Pastrnak Targets Lindgren to Get The Gate

Throughout the second period, Pastrnak targeted Ryan Lindgren with some heavy hits that knocked the gritty Rangers defenseman down. Late in the period, Pastrnak made a bad read by coming in and boarding Lindgren from behind into the glass.

While the bloody Lindgren was treated by the Rangers medical staff, a boarding major penalty was called by refs Pierre Lambert and Peter MacDougall. Following reviewing the play with Toronto, they confirmed that Pastrnak had a boarding major and game misconduct with 1:50 remaining in the second. It was the right call.

During a scrum following the illegal hit by Pastrnak that could’ve injured Lindgren, who always seems to be on the receiving end of such hits, Panarin mixed it up with Parker Wotherspoon. He received the only penalty for roughing, which led to some four-on-four play for the remainder of the period.

The Rangers still had a three-minute power play to start the third period. Unfortunately, they were unable to score on Swayman. He stopped a Panarin shot with Kreider screening in front. Despite Swayman making a few stops, the Rangers’ power play had failed to deliver up to that point.

Lafreniere Draws Penalty that Leads to Trocheck’s Tying Goal

For most of the game, Lafreniere was very noticeable on the forecheck. Unlike recent games, when the slumping forward wasn’t doing enough, he was around the puck a lot against the Bruins. Although he didn’t pick up a point on Saturday night, Lafreniere’s hustle led to Brandon Carlo taking an interference minor with 9:23 left in regulation.

Following a stoppage, the Rangers finally went to work on the man-advantage. As it turned out, the penalty Lafreniere drew led directly to Trocheck’s tying goal. After a faceoff win, Fox and Mika Zibanejad played catch. Then, Zibanejad worked a give and go with Trocheck that Zibanejad moved the puck back to Trocheck in the slot for a one-timer past Swayman. Trocheck’s power-play goal tied the score with 9:10 left in the third period.

The Bruins continued to take penalties. Lindholm went to the penalty box for high-sticking Fox in the offensive zone with over seven minutes remaining. However, the Rangers couldn’t take the lead. Zibanejad missed on a rebound due to the puck taking a funny hop. It was poetic justice that they didn’t score. The call on Lindholm was dubious at best.

Despite both teams looking to win it late in regulation, the game went to overtime.

Panarin sets up Trocheck for The Winner

As usual, the three-on-three overtime was tactical. Following a strong shift from Lafreniere, Panarin stepped on the ice to replace him during a reset. Trocheck had passed the puck back to Erik Gustafsson. He then passed it up for Panarin, who set up Trocheck for the winner.

While I’m not a fan of teams resetting because it’s not real hockey, there’s no way to prevent teams from doing it. Unless the league makes a change to the overtime format, there will continue to be these annoying resets. The delaying tactic is one many fans dislike because it slows the game down. That’s what happens when you have only six skaters playing for an extra point during the five-minute overtime.

Fortunately, it worked out for the Rangers. They got the Bruins turned around – allowing Panarin to find Trocheck wide open for the winner at 2:03 of overtime.

The Rangers improved to 21-7-1. Their 43 points are tied with the Bruins for the most in the Eastern Conference. Next up are the Leafs on Monday, Dec. 17. They dismantled the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-0 on Saturday night. We’ll see if the Rangers can avenge the blowout loss they suffered on Dec. 12.