Stralman gave them a 1-0 lead when he kept the puck in at the left point, curled to the top of the circle and ripped a shot that found its way inside the left post at 5:05.
Just 1:10 later, the Rangers took advantage of the shaky Thomas again. Girardi fired the puck from his own end, and a deflection by Brad Richards negated a potential icing call.
It didn't matter, as the speedy Hagelin beat the Bruins up ice, and carried the puck behind the net. He flung the puck in front, and as teammate Brandon Dubinsky crashed the crease, the puck hit Boston defenseman Greg Zanon and bounced past Thomas. The goal was originally credited to Dubinsky.
Bruins coach Claude Julien then used his timeout, and his team responded. Pouliot cut the deficit in half just 1:39 later, and Boston gradually took over.
"Other than the result, we have a lot to be happy about," Bruins forward Milan Lucic said. "We played a real good game after we called that timeout. We had everyone going. It was the best effort that we've had in a long time. We need to keep our heads high and remember the things here that gave the scoring chances and the momentum."
The Bruins held New York to eight shots in the first period and 11 through 40 minutes. Boston fired 24 pucks at Lundqvist in the first two periods and held a big edge in possession time.
"They had the puck for most of the second period," Stepan said. "In the third we did a great job of defending, and we held onto pucks a little more."
Game notes
The final 2:53 of the first period was tacked onto the start of the second after a shot by Boston's Brian Rolston broke a pane of glass behind the New York net. ... Rangers captain Ryan Callahan missed his third straight game because of a bruised foot. ... The Rangers have won nine of 11 against Boston. ... Bruins LW Lane MacDermid, in his NHL debut, fought Mike Rupp 2:30 into the game. There were three fights in the first period.
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