Sykora nets pair in Rangers win over Bruins

BOSTON (AP) -- As the shootout rounds were piling up, New York

Rangers coach Tom Renney realized he was missing someone. A few

seconds later, Petr Sykora made the difference.

Sykora scored in the sixth round of the shootout to lift the

Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.

Sykora also had a goal in regulation to stake New York to a 2-0

lead.

"I kind of forgot about him," Renney said with a smile. "He

was at the other end of the bench. That's the real honest answer."

In the shootout, Jaromir Jagr scored on the Rangers' first

chance. After a pair of saves each by New York's Henrik Lundqvist

and Boston's Tim Thomas, Patrice Bergeron scored to get the Bruins

even and send the tiebreaker into extra frames.

"I was upset about giving up the goal," Lundqvist said. "It

was pretty tough to face the next two. I had to stop them or the

game was over."

In the third bonus round, Sykora slipped a backhander inside the

right post. Lundqvist then made a left pad stop on Brad Isbister to

end it.

"I didn't really set my mind as to what I was going to do,"

Sykora said. "I just kind of let it happen when I was going to the

net."

Thomas was fooled.

"He just flipped it backhand," he said. "That was a tough one

to save because he doesn't give much motion."

The Rangers improved to 5-1 in shootouts -- including 3-0 on the

road -- while Boston dropped to 0-4.

Boston coach Mike Sullivan didn't have any answers for why his

team has struggled so badly in shootouts. The Bruins have just two

such goals.

"It really boils down to individual achievement, I guess," he

said. "Some players have skills in shootout-type situations. It's

something we do on a weekly basis for the goaltenders and players.

I don't know what else we can do to simulate this in practice."

Jason Ward also scored for the Rangers in regulation. Marco

Sturm and Brad Stuart scored in the second period to tie it for the

Bruins, who have gone to overtime in three of four games.

Michael Nylander stole a pair of bad clearing passes by the

Bruins to set up both New York goals, helping the Rangers grab a

2-0 lead early in the second period.

Ward gave New York a 1-0 edge 7:27 in after Nylander picked off

Brad Boyes' pass at the blue line and fed Ward alone behind the

defense. Ward shifted Thomas out of position and tucked the puck

into the net.

Sykora scored off the rebound of Ville Nieminen's shot to make

it 2-0 at 2:39 of the second. Sturm backhanded a pass into the

middle of his own end and Nylander stole it, setting up Nieminen in

front.

Sturm made up for his mistake by scoring from in close 5:24

later, cutting it to 2-1.

The Bruins tied it while skating with a two-man advantage 12:14

into the period. Stuart fired a slap shot past Lundqvist's stick

side from the left point. The Rangers were whistled for too many

men on the ice 15 seconds before Marek Malik was called for

tripping.Game notes
Rangers LW Marcel Hossa was hit in the face by a puck from

Stuart's pass and went to the locker room late in the first period.

He came back for just 8 seconds in the second. ... Boston LW Sergei

Samsonov sustained a leg injury and didn't play in the third

period. ... New York closed a four-game road trip 2-2, and will

play its next five at home. ... Thomas started his fourth

consecutive game. ... New York entered ranked fourth overall in

penalty killing during home games, but 20th on the road.