The New York Rangers beat Western Conference-leading Dallas on Tuesday, rallying from a two-goal deficit in the third period and took the lead against Eastern Conference-leading Washington before losing in overtime on Saturday.
And the latest step came Monday night, when Jesper Fast scored on a deflection in front with 1:42 to play for a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins.
It marked the first time this season the Rangers overcame a deficit at the start of the third period and won in regulation. They were 0-11-2 entering the game.
Jimmy Hayes scored for the Bruins, and Tuukka Rask had 28 saves. Boston is 2-6-1 in its last nine games.
Lundqvist kept the game tied with a magnificent save on Talbot shortly after Brassard evened the score early in the third.
With the goalie out of position after a shot in front, the puck came to Talbot to the left of a wide-open net. Lundqvist slid back with his pad on the ice and then lifted his leg to make a pad save as Talbot elevated the puck.
Fast got the game-winner by deflecting a point shot from defenseman Keith Yandle.
The Rangers needed only 35 seconds to wipe out a 1-0 deficit entering the third period. The big move was made by coach Alain Vigneault, who put Brassard, Mats Zuccarello and Rick Nash back on the same line.
New York defenseman Ryan McDonagh worked the puck along the left boards and shoveled it to Zuccarello. He worked his way toward the net and flipped the puck to the crease past Rask and defenseman Torey Krug to a wide-open Brassard for his 15th goal.
Hayes, who was playing against his brother, Kevin, for the fifth time, gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 9:04 of the second period with a 40-shot snap shot to the corner of the net that simply beat a stunned Lundqvist.
Rangers D Dan Girardi left with a lacerated hand in the second period and did not return. With Chris Kreider returning to the lineup after missing two games with a cut hand, rookie Oscar Lindberg was a healthy scratch for the second time this season.
The game was Boston's third on a five-game road trip, with the final two stops in Philadelphia and Buffalo.
