Can the New York Rangers keep the momentum going in the Bruins rematch?

There is little doubt that having fans in the stands had a huge impact on Friday night. Players and coaches commented how much of a factor this was in the New York Rangers 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins.

During his post-game Zoom conference, head coach David Quinn talked about the impact of the fans: “You knew there were going to be fans in the building – but I don’t think any of us expected the impact that they would make. They were incredibly loud and passionate – they had an impact tonight. We can’t thank our fans enough.”

Adam Fox echoed those sentiments in his post-game conference. “Going out there for warmups and seeing them, and then during the anthem, it sounded like 20,000, not 2,000,” Fox said. “It was awesome to have them there. They gave us a spark and some energy and it was good to get the win with them here.”

With the two teams slated to play again at noon, the question remains as to if the Rangers can keep the momentum going.

Can the New York Rangers keep the momentum going from Friday night’s big win?

In addition to having the spark from the fans, the Rangers are facing a Bruins team that has lost four of its last five games. Their only win during that stretch was the outdoor game last Sunday in Lake Tahoe.

Things have been tough during the Bruin’s last two games. Over an 80 minute span going back to the second period of Thursday’s loss at the Islanders, the Bruins have scored one goal, while relinquishing a whopping 11 goals against.

One of the more noticeable traits that the Rangers displayed Friday night was an uptick in physical play.

“No one was backing down tonight,” said Ryan Lindgren in his post-game Zoom conference. “They’re a physical team. They like to jaw after the whistle and do things like that. We weren’t backing down. We were giving it right back. You know, we were smart with our physicality, too. We weren’t taking dumb penalties. It was a great team effort. We came to play tonight.”

Hopefully, they will also bring that same energy to Sunday afternoon’s game, something that Quinn also hoped for. “It was a good night,” Quinn said. “That being said, we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. We know what we’re in store for on Sunday afternoon. We’re going to enjoy this for tonight, but we’ve got to get back at it and be ready to go on Sunday.”

Sunday’s puck-drop is scheduled for noon and will be broadcasted nationally on NBC Sports.