Bruins, 4-3 (SO)

For the second time this season, a Boston-New York game went to the shootout. And for the second time, the Bruins came away with two points.

"It's close in the standings and we have a little weekend series here, so it was a big game," said Chuck Kobasew, who busted an eight-game goal-less slump with a pair of strikes.

Phil Kessel scored the deciding shootout goal, the sixth of his career. Zdeno Chara, tabbed in the shootout for the first time this season, iced the decision as the No. 3 shooter.

* Chara is 2-for-2 in the shootout as a Bruin. Chara scored the deciding goal last season in a 4-3 win over the Islanders on Feb. 10, the same day Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau were traded to Calgary for Kobasew and Andrew Ference.

* Claude Julien opted for the first shot in the shootout because of the team's lack of scoring lately. Julien said that last season, he often chose to shoot second because he had Martin Brodeur in goal.

* Sean Avery scored a five-on-three goal in the third period. The Rangers had $34.1 million in total salary on the ice during the two-man advantage (Avery, Scott Gomez, Jaromir Jagr, Chris Drury, Brendan Shanahan, and Henrik Lundqvist).

* The Bruins have a rematch with the Rangers tomorrow at Madison Square Garden. The game starts at 12:30 p.m. and will air on NBC.