News: Brian Boyle scored a power-play goal during Thursday's 4-3 overtime victory over Boston.
Analysis: A sonseason-long member of head coach John Tortorella's dog house, Brian Boyle's goal helped snap an abysmal 0-for-23 streak for the Blueshirts. It also snapped a five game point scoring drought for the veteran center.
News: Andrew Ference (lower body) missed practice Friday.
Analysis: Andrew Ference is currently dealing with a lower-body injury and has yet to play in the second-round series against the Rangers. His status for Saturday's Game 5 is unknown.
News: Derick Brassard had two helpers in a 4-3 overtime win over Boston on Thursday.
Analysis: Derick Brassard also won 11 of 17 faceoffs in the win. Received in the Marian Gaborik deadline deal with Columbus, Brassard leads the Rangers' with 12 points and is ranked sixth in NHL playoff scoring heading into Friday's action.
News: Derek Stepan contributed a goal and an assist in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over Boston.
Analysis: Derek Stepan snuck in behind the Boston net, swiped the puck from Zedeno Chara for a wrap around by Tuukka Rask, notching the game-tying goal early in the third period. It's the third year center's first point since game 1 and fifth point overall in 11 playoff games this season.
News: Ryan McDonagh had an assist and blocked three shots on goal during Thursday's 4-3 overtime defeat of Boston.
Analysis: Ryan McDonagh also logged a team-high, 29-plus minutes of ice time. More intriguing moving forward, head coach John Tortorella said he regrets not having used the defenseman on his team's slumping power play earlier, reports Jim Cerny of the Rangers website. Through four games against second round opponent, McDonagh has a goal and two assists.
News: Ryane Clowe (undisclosed) did not practice Friday, the Bergen Record's Andrew Gross reports.
Analysis: Ryane Clowe has yet to play in the second-round series against the Bruins. His status for Saturday's Game 5 is unknown.
News: Darroll Powe (undisclosed) did not practice Friday, the Bergen Record's Andrew Gross reports.
Analysis: Darroll Powe has not played since Game 3 of the first round against the Capitals. However, his status for Saturday's Game 5 against the Bruins is unknown.
News: Brenden Morrow (arm) will be a game-time decision for Friday's Game 5 against the Senators, Sportsnet East's Ian Mendes reports.
Analysis: Brenden Morrow missed Wednesday's Game 4 against the Senators, but he was able to take part in Friday's gameday skate and said he felt good afterwards. His chances of playing Friday look good, but check back closer to faceoff to confirm his status.
News: Tyler Seguin notched his first goal of the playoffs and picked up an assist in Thursday's overtime loss to the Rangers.
Analysis: It took 11 games for Tyler Seguin to hit the back of the net, but it's not like he wasn't getting his chances. His 45 shots on goal are second among postseason skaters to date. With Jaromir Jagr now skating with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, Seguin has being working with Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly on the Bruins' speedy third line.
News: Dougie Hamilton picked up an assist in 14:23 worth of ice time in Thursday's overtime loss to the Rangers.
Analysis: Dougie Hamilton now has three assists in the first four games of the team's series against the Rangers, but with Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden nearing a return, the Bruins will have a tough call to make with regards to their blue line composition, with Hamilton, Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski having filled in well thus far. Hamilton wasn't pleased with the way he played Chris Kreider on Thursday's game-winning goal, but overall the youngster's postseason play has been solid. The same can be said of Bartkowski's play, while Krug has emerged as a sparkplug on the team's back line.
