Schedule and 2012-13 Results
Regular Season Records: Boston 28-14-6=62pts, New York Rangers 26-18-4=56pts
Game 1 on Thursday, 16 May: New York Rangers lose at Boston, 3-goals-2 (OT)
Game 2 on Sunday, 19 May: New York Rangers lose at Boston, 5-goals-2
Game 3 on Tuesday, 21 May: Boston wins at New York Rangers, 2-goals-1
Game 4 on Thursday, 23 May: Boston loses at New York Rangers, 4-goals-3 (OT)
Game 5 on Saturday, 25 May: New York Rangers lose at Boston, 3-goals-1

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Boston Bruins hosted and defeated the New York Rangers 3-goals-1 for a 4-games-1 win of MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1197. With the series 1197 win, the Boston Bruins improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 46-46 overall and 15-10 in the Quarterfinals. With the series 1197 loss, the best-of-7 NHL playoff series record of the New York Rangers falls to 27-37 overall and 10-13 in the Quarterfinals. The win order for the victorious Boston Bruins was WWWLW: Series 1197 thus becomes the 16th NHL Quarterfinals series, the 47th NHL series (all rounds), and the 81st MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow this win order to completion. The first best-of-7 NHL playoff series to follow the WWWLW win order to completion was series 45, in which the Boston Bruins defeated the Montreal Canadiens in the 1943 NHL Semifinals, seventy years ago.

After Game 4: The New York Rangers hosted and defeated the Boston Bruins 4-goals-3 in the first overtime period to stave off elimination, reducing the Boston lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1197 to 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Boston Bruins have a 16-2 series record and a 9-9 Game 5 record (with an active five-Game 5 losing streak). When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the New York Rangers have a 0-15 series record and a 4-11 Game 5 record (with an active six-Game 5 losing streak). New York trailed series 1197 Game 5 by two goals as late as 8:38 into the second period: In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff games from 1939 through 2012, inclusive, home teams down two goals 8:38 into the second period had a 37-273 (.119) game record.

After Game 3: The Boston Bruins visited and defeated the New York Rangers 2-goals-1 to take a 3-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1197. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Boston Bruins have a 17-1 series record and a 13-5 Game 4 record; when trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the New York Rangers have a 0-10 series record and a 4-6 Game 4 record. The New York Rangers thus become the 314th MLB/NBA/NHL team to fall behind 3-games-nil in a best-of-7 playoff series, and will attempt to become the fifth MLB/NBA/NHL team to rally for a 4-games-3 series victory. The last MLB/NBA/NHL team to lead a best-of-7 playoff series 3-games-nil but lose the series: The Boston Bruins, in series 1098 to the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2010 NHL Quarterfinals.

After Game 2: The Boston Bruins hosted and defeated the New York Rangers 5-goals-2 to take a 2-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1197. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Boston Bruins have a 21-7 series record and an 18-10 Game 3 record (with an active three-Game 3 winning streak); when trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the New York Rangers have a 2-19 series record and an 11-10 Game 3 record. Of the two New York Rangers series wins when down 2-games-nil, the last occurred in the previous round over the Washington Capitals in series 1190.

After Game 1: With a goal in the first overtime period, the Boston Bruins hosted and defeated the New York Rangers 3-goals-2 to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1197. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Bruins have a 32-14 series record and a 28-18 Game 2 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the New York Rangers have a 9-25 series record and a 13-21 Game 2 record (with an active five-Game 2 losing streak). For the first time since 2009 and only the second time since 1995, the home team wins all four first games in the NHL Quarterfinals round (a six-time occurrence in the 1970s which has since happened only thrice). In series 1197 Game 1, the New York Rangers scored its two goals with two seconds left in the second period and at 14 seconds into the third period. Series 1197 Game 1 marks only the eleventh best-of-7 NHL playoff game in which a team scored in the last minute of the second period and in the first minute of the third period; the last occurrence of such was in series 1158 Game 3, in which the Flyers in Philadelphia achieved the feat against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their 2012 Preliminary-round series.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2012-13 NHL regular season, Boston finished six points ahead of the New York Rangers. From 1939 through the 2013 NHL Preliminary round, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by six regular-season points, they have posted a 19-8 (.704) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents (with an active seven-series winning streak). MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1197 is the 64th best-of-7 playoff series for the New York Rangers, and the 92nd for the Boston Bruins. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the New York Rangers have a 27-36 series record, a 10-12 Quarterfinals-round series record, and a 29-34 Game 1 record, while Boston has a 45-46 series record, a 14-10 Quarterfinals-round series record, and a 46-45 Game 1 record. Series 1197 is the seventh best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins; Boston won four of the six previous meetings.