Fernandez Struggles In Loss to Rangers

In what was the New York Rangers' weekly appearance on the NBC game of the week, Nikolai Zherdev scored the game-winning goal late in the third period when he pounced on a fortunate bounce off the end boards and fired it into a wide open net, giving the Rangers a 4-3 win over Boston.

With the game tied, 3-3, late in the third, Rangers defenseman Marc Staal carried the puck into the Boston zone and fired an innocent shot off the boards. Boston goalie Manny Fernandez, who struggled all day, found himself out of position well out of his crease, giving Zherdev the entire net to shoot at.

It was the only mistake Boston made in a dominating third period performance, as it erased a 3-1 New York lead and carried the play until Zherdev's go-ahead goal.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, Fernandez made plenty of costly mistakes throughout the day. With the Rangers on the power play late in the second period, Fernandez gave up a terrible goal on the short side to Scott Gomez, and then four minutes later inadvertently kicked a puck into his own net after losing it in his pads.

Sean Avery, playing in his first game at Madison Square Garden since being claimed on re-entry waivers, picked up an assist and made what could have been a costly mistake in the final minute of regulation, getting called for interference in the offensive zone. Thanks to the play of Henrik Lundqvist in net, it didn't matter.

The Rangers have now won three in a row, while Boston has lost 10 of its past 14.