Plus/Minus: Nash Scores League Leading 32nd Goal, Rangers Sink Bruins 3-2
Boston (CBS) - Rick Nash of the New York Rangers scored his league leading 32nd goal of the season to beat the Bruins at Madison Square Garden 3-2. The loss snaps Boston's two-game win streak, but Boston has still won eight out of their last 11 games. They fall to 27-17-7 with the loss though, and have some catching up to do within the Eastern Conference.
98.5 The Sports Hub's Adam Jones broke down the loss in plus/minus:
Plus
Milan Lucic: He missed the morning skate Tuesday while battling the flu, but Lucic was in the lineup Wednesday and put up a solid effort in New York. He scored his 11th goal of the season, with new top-liner Reilly Smith notching the assist.
Patrice Bergeron: Two minutes after Lucic scored his goal, Bergeron scored his 13th goal of the season. That tally gave the B's a 2-1 lead, and in addition to lighting the lamp, Bergeron was excellent in the faceoff circle, going 17 out of 23.
Loui Ericksson: Erickson had an assist on Bergeron's goal, and is up to 19 helpers so far in the regular season.
Minus
Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid: The defensive pair struggled Wednesday night and had a difficult time keeping up with the Rangers' speed. Seidenberg was victimized on a few goals, and his turnover set up Nash's goal. Seids also had difficulty covering the slot, which gave Derek Brassard his 13th goal of the season.
Tuukka Rask: Rask was sensational in the month of January, but struggled Wednesday night with the poor defense in front of him. He let the go-ahead goal from Derek Stepan break through his glove, giving the Rangers a 3-2 lead late in the second period. However, Rask stopped 22 out of the 25 shots that went his way.
"He is the singular biggest reason for the Bruins turnaround over the last month or so," said Jones.
Dougie Hamilton: Along with Seidenberg and McQuaid, Jones also threw Hamilton in the minus column. Dougie let Nash get by him in the offensive zone in which set up the Stepan goal, and also allowed Nash to score his 32nd goal of the season.
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