BOSTON – Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves. His teammates did even better.

The Rangers goalie earned his league-leading 11th shutout on Saturday, beating the Bruins 1-0 thanks largely to the skaters who hit the ice to block 29 Boston shots before they could get to the crease.

“I’m going to have to keep buying wine, I guess,” said Lundqvist, who springs for a nice bottle for a lucky teammate after each shutout. “Our game plan really doesn’t change. It all starts with blocking shots.”

It was the Rangers’ eighth victory in their last 10 games, moving them four points ahead of eighth-place Buffalo in the Eastern Conference.

“He’s going to have to be like that for us if we’re going to continue,” Rangers Coach John Tortorella said. “He has stepped up his play when we needed him. I thought we were playing solid in front of him, but when we needed him he stepped up.”

Derek Stepan deflected Michael Sauer’s shot into the net for the game’s only goal after two questionable no-calls that irked Bruins Coach Claude Julien. One was a missed offside that allowed the Rangers to have a faceoff inside the Boston zone; Julien also felt that a New York player took off early on the faceoff that led to the score.

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“It’s unfortunate that the only goal that was scored was maybe a little bit controversial,” Julien said. “(The officials) make mistakes. They have one mulligan, but I didn’t feel that they needed two.”

After the faceoff, the puck went back to Sauer at the right point and he shot it toward the net. Stepan deflected the high shot back toward the ice, and it beat Tuukka Rask to make it 1-0 just 6:39 into the game. That ended Boston’s streak of 115 minutes, 34 seconds without allowing a goal. The Bruins had scored 11 straight — including a 7-0 shutout of the rival Canadiens on Thursday.

“No matter what, he made a good tip,” said Rask, who made 22 saves. “A 1-0 loss is always tough to take when you don’t score a goal after you score seven.”

The Bruins, who were shut out for the sixth time this season, have lost seven of their last 10 games.

Lundquist’s biggest scare came when Patrice Bergeron crashed into the net on a breakaway. The goalie hit his head on the back of the net and was slow to get up until a trainer came out to look at him. But he remained in the game, and he remained impervious.

The Bruins mounted a late charge, outshooting the Rangers 12-1 in the third period.

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SABRES 2, DEVILS 0: Ryan Miller stopped 30 shots for his fifth shutout of the season, leading the host Sabres to a victory over New Jersey that all but ended the Devils’ playoff hopes.

Nathan Gerbe and Thomas Vanek scored first-period goals to help the Sabres win their third straight and maintain their hold on eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Miller earned his 22nd career shutout and second in three games.

KINGS 4, AVALANCHE 1: Anze Kopitar scored his team-leading 26th goal before leaving in the second period with a key injury, Ryan Smyth had a goal and an assist in the third, and the Kings tightened their grip on a playoff spot with a home victory. Kopitar broke his right ankle and could miss six weeks.

CAPITALS 2, CANADIENS 0: Braden Holtby made 18 saves for his second shutout, Marco Sturm and Alexander Semin scored, and the Capitals sent the Canadiens to their third straight shutout loss.

FLYERS 4, ISLANDERS 1: James van Riemsdyk scored two goals in the first period and finished his first NHL hat trick in the third to help the visiting Flyers remain alone atop the Eastern Conference.

LIGHTNING 4, HURRICANES 2: Simon Gagne scored two goals, the second into an empty net in the final minute, to help the visiting Lightning pick up the victory.

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RED WINGS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 2: Jiri Hudler broke a third-period tie and added an assist, Henrik Zetterberg also had a goal and an assist, and the Red Wings picked up a home win.

PREDATORS 4, STARS 2: Mike Fisher and David Legwand each scored twice to help the host Predators win their sixth straight game.

BLUES 6, WILD 3: Chris Stewart and David Backes scored 23 seconds apart in the second period, and the Blues dominated in St. Paul, Minn.

DUCKS 2, BLACKHAWKS 1: Corey Perry scored twice in third period and Anaheim’s surging top line powered the Ducks in Chicago.

The Ducks moved a point ahead of Chicago for seventh place in the Western Conference.

 


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