BOSTON - Twice already in this young and lockout-shortened season the New York Rangers have blown multigoal leads to Boston.
Twice they have been lucky to come away with a win.
Ryan Callahan scored on the fourth shootout attempt and the Rangers recovered after blowing a three-goal, third-period lead to beat the Bruins 4-3.
"We have to learn from it," Callahan said. "But at the same time we showed some character in not giving up and not folding the tent in overtime."
Henrik Lundqvist stopped 37 shots, plus three of the four attempts in the shootout to give the Rangers their fourth win in five games. Carl Hagelin scored for the second straight game, and Derek Stepan and Anton Stralman each added an unassisted goal for the Rangers.
"I think we played a great game," said Rick Nash, who had an assist to set up Hagelin's goal and scored in the shootout. "There was a little 12-minute stretch there where we kind of sat back, but you've got to give credit to them: They played desperate. They came out hard, and their chances paid off, but we got the two points and that's what we're happy with."
Tuukka Rask made 26 saves for the Bruins, who have three losses this season and two of them are to the Rangers. On Jan. 23, New York beat Boston 4-3 in overtime after blowing a 2-0 lead.
David Krejci made it 3-1 with 11 minutes left. With Rask off for an extra skated, Nathan Horton and Brad Marchand scored in the final 91 seconds to send the game into overtime.
"We kind of dug ourselves a hole of our own doing, but at the same time you have to appreciate that we never gave up," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "I don't think we're going to get carried away thinking this was a great situation."
The Rangers broke a scoreless tie midway through the first period when Rick Nash stickhandled through two defencemen and slid the puck over to Hagelin, who had an empty half of a net to shoot at. Stepan stole the puck at centre ice and snapped a shot past Rask to make it 2-0 in the second.
The Rangers started the third period with a two-goal lead and a two-man advantage. Boston killed off the penalties, but a minute later Stralman floated a seemingly harmless shot toward Rask that got through the goalie's pads and trickled into the net.
Krejci put back a rebound to make it 3-1. Horton scored with 1:31 left in regulation to make it a one-goal game and awaken the sold-out building. Just 48 seconds later, with 43 seconds left in regulation and Rask off for an extra skater, Marchand found the top of the net to tie it.
Lundqvist stopped Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron in the shootout, and Rask stopped Marian Gaborik before Nash went right and then left to slide the puck into the net. Marchand scored for Boston to tie it, and Brad Richards missed for New York before Krejci went wide.
Callahan put in a long wrist shot to end it.
Notes: Hagelin had two goals and an assist in the Rangers' previous game. ... The Bruins were 0-4 on the power play, making them 4 for 43 on the season. ... The Bruins signed F Jay Pandolfo, a former Boston University star, to a two-way contract. ... The Rangers were called for their sixth too-many-men penalty of the season, in the second period. ... Milan Lucic and Dennis Seidenberg each had a pair of assists for Boston.
