New York Rangers top Boston Bruins in battle of East elite - ESPN

NEW YORK — The New York Rangers outhustled the Boston Bruins, put seven goals behind last season's top goaltender and leapfrogged them to earn the NHL's best record with a 7-4 win on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

Their reaction? Not a big deal.

«You've got 82 tests throughout the year. Obviously, with how great of a team they've been over the last few years, it's a game you want to give your best effort. And we got the two points, right?» said goaltender Jonathan Quick, who made 27 saves in the win.

«Two points. Against a very good team,» said forward Chris Kreider, who scored twice in the victory. «I don't give big-picture views. We're happy with the game today. We came away with two points. Enjoy the day tomorrow and get back at it.»

This was the highly anticipated first meeting between these two Original Six franchises this season. Boston entered Madison Square Garden with the best record in the NHL at 14-2-3. The Rangers had emerged as an early season powerhouse in the East. With the win over the Bruins, New York improved to a 15-3-1 record and an .816 points percentage, best in the league prior to the Vegas Golden Knights playing later Saturday.

«We knew where they were (in the standings). It was kind of in the back of our heads coming into this game,» said defenseman K'Andre Miller, coming as close as any Ranger would to calling it a statement win. «We've had a lot of gutsy wins. A lot of 60-minute hard-fought battles. Doing that against a top 3 team in the league is always nice, and it shows that we're a pretty good team that's done some things to get to this point.»

The Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Nick Bonino and Kreider, who scored on the power play. Boston called a time out, regrouped, and