Saturday, Jan. 13 1:00pm ET
New York's road losing streak now at 11
RECAP
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BOX SCORE
BOSTON (AP) -- Mired in their worst road slump in 35 years, the
New York Rangers turned to a rookie goalie Saturday. It didn't
help.
Still, the Rangers were beaten 4-1 by the Boston Bruins,
extending their road winless streak to 11 games. It's their longest
since the 1965-66 season.
|  | | Rookie goalie Vitali Yeremeyev got a shot Saturday, but the Rangers still came up with a loss vs. the Bruins. |
"We're as bad as we can be," said Rangers coach Ron Low.
Mike Richter, the Rangers' top goalie, sat out his 10th game
despite having fluid drained from his surgically reconstructed left
knee earlier in the week. So Vitali Yeremeyev started in the net
for New York.
He lost his shutout and perhaps his confidence in the first
period, when the Bruins took a 2-0 lead.
"I can't see how you can blame this loss on one player," Low
said. "We gave up two goals on power plays, one while we were
short-handed, and that wasn't Vitali's fault."
Bill Guerin scored a pair of goals, including the 200th of his
NHL career, and Mikko Eloranta also added a pair as the Bruins won
their third consecutive game and reached the .500 mark for the
first time since Oct. 28.
"The hard lessons this team learned early in the season are
starting to pay off," said Bruins coach Mike Keenan. "They are
playing hard and they are playing for each other now. It's
something we've developed together."
The victory matched the longest streak of the season for Boston.
Three other times this season, all in October, the Bruins won three
consecutive games.
The defeat dropped the Rangers nine points behind Boston for the
eighth and final spot in the NHL's Eastern Conference playoff
chase.
"We're on our heels," said Rangers defenseman Richard Pilon.
"We're a desperate team and we have to play like every game is our
last one."
New York has one victory in its last 14 games and three in its last
19.
Yeremeyev's NHL debut was spoiled early, when Guerin gave the
Bruins a 1-0 lead 33 just seconds in. His 24th goal went in off the
skate of New York's Brian Leetch.
The Bruins made it 2-0 on Guerin's 200th career goal, at 13:49
on a wrist shot from the slot. The goal was his first in six games.
Radek Dvorak cut the lead to 2-1 17 seconds into the second
period with his 11th goal. He scored from the top of the right
faceoff circle.
But Eloranta made it 3-1 at 4:24 of the second period with his
sixth goal. It came as the Bruins were short-handed. He added his
seventh goal at 7:38 of the final period.
"The last time I scored a goal in a game I didn't play in the
next one," Eloranta said. "That was frustrating, so I hope this
time it's different."
Byron Dafoe earned his eighth victory, making 26 saves. Yeremeyev
stopped 20 shots.
Game notes
Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell said before the game that although
goalie John Graham is healthy and playing for the Providence Bruins
of the American Hockey League, there are no immediate plans to
bring him to Boston. "We are happy with the goalies we currently
have on our roster." Graham broke his ankle in an off-ice incident
prior to the season and as a result was suspended. ... O'Connell
also said wing Andrei Kovalenko, day to day with a strained back,
is "not as injured as we first thought and could be back our next
game." ... Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch appeared in his 900th
NHL game. ... Richard Pilon was back on the ice for New York after
missing two games with the flu.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
NY Rangers Clubhouse
Boston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 4
NY Rangers 1
Montreal 5
Phoenix 2
Toronto 4
New Jersey 4
NY Islanders 6
Pittsburgh 5
Washington 4
Atlanta 1
Philadelphia 4
Florida 1
St. Louis 4
Los Angeles 2
Ottawa 5
Calgary 2
Nashville 5
San Jose 3
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Bruins goalie Byron Dafoe makes a pair of spectacular saves against the Rangers.
avi: 672 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Bill Guerin's power-play goal is his second of the game, and 200th of his career.
avi: 537 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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