from Molli Walker of the New York Post,

The Rangers did not view this battle with the Bruins as a statement victory.

That is because the Rangers’ entire body of work thus far has been an assertion in itself, one that was only reaffirmed by this 7-4 win over a heavyweight Boston team Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, which lifted the club into first place in the NHL by points percentage.

Forget the Big Bad Bruins.

These are the Big Bad Blueshirts.

Perched on an 11-point lead in the Metropolitan Division, which is a larger differential than between the second-place Capitals and the last-place Blue Jackets, the Rangers have put the NHL on notice.

“I think our guys are going into games expecting to win,” head coach Peter Laviolette said after his team improved to a stunning 15-3-1 record on the season. “Expecting to play a certain way. If we do that, we can see the results.”

For all the arguments that can and have been made about the difficulty — or lack thereof — of the Rangers’ schedule 18 games into the season, there is no disputing what unfolded in Game No. 19 against a defensively sound Boston team.

continued

Game highlights are below.