Steady Rangers Ready for Up-and-Down Bruins Brandon Dubinsky's positive response to a benching - a tying goal late in regulation in the Rangers" 4-3 overtime loss Friday night at Tampa Bay - is the latest example of the contrast in late-season approaches by the Rangers and the Bruins. As the teams head into their game at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon, Boston Coach Claude Julien has been patient with his defending Stanley Cup champions, while Rangers Coach John Tortorella relentlessly pushes buttons. Tortorella has been getting results. On Jan. 21, the Rangers beat the Bruins, 4-3, on a goal by Marian Gaborik with four seconds left in overtime. Since then, the Rangers are 11-3-3. Entering a home game Saturday against the Islanders, the Bruins had gone 8-8-1 and trailed the Rangers by 10 points in the Eastern Conference. Before the Jan. 21 game, the Rangers led the East with 62 points in 45 games, and the Bruins were second with 61 points in 44 games. Tortorella deserves credit for refusing to let his team get sloppy. Most coaches do not use words like "stupid" and "dumb" in news conferences after victories, but those were the words Tortorella used to describe a penalty by Dubinsky in the Rangers" 3-2 win Thursday at Carolina. In the final minute of the first period, Dubinsky was entangled with Anthony Stewart of the Hurricanes in a goal-mouth scrum. As the pushing and shoving intensified, Dubinsky ripped the stick out of Stewart's hands. Instead of dropping it, Dubinsky tossed it a few feet for dramatic effect. The referees gave Dubinsky a two-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Carolina's Jeff Skinner scored on the power play early in the second period. Dubinsky skated to the Rangers" bench after Skinner's goal and did not play for the rest of the game. Tortorella told reporters that if another forward was available he would have benched Dubinsky for Friday's game against the Lightning. With the Rangers down, 3-2, Dubinsky scored with 3 minutes 27 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime and give the Rangers (41-15-7) their 89th point of the season. "I'm happy with the way he answered," Tortorella said of Dubinsky. I hope he grows off that. I hope he continues with his discipline, because he needs to be a big part of this. By addressing mistakes before they become bigger problems, the Rangers have managed to elude long losing streaks this season. Boston, which was tied for the second in the East with 79 points entering Saturday, has plenty of problems. Tim Thomas, the Bruins" No. 1 goaltender and last season's Vezina Trophy winner, had a .946 save percentage before the loss to the Rangers on Jan. 21. Since then, his save percentage in 12 games was .921, the envy of many keepers, but not up to Thomas's standards. He lost four games in February, after losing five in November, December and January combined. His backup, Tuukka Rask, has played poorly. His save percentage over his last five games was .870. Key members from last season's Cup team are out of the lineup. Forward Nathan Horton has been sidelined since sustaining a concussion in a game Jan. 22 in Philadelphia. Wing Rich Peverley has a sprained knee and is still a few weeks away from returning. The hard-hitting defenseman Johnny Boychuk had missed the last two games with a concussion, but hopes to return to the lineup next week. General Manager Peter Chiarelli acquired forward Brian Rolston, 39, an hour before the trade deadline Monday. In 49 games with the Islanders, Rolston had only four goals and five assists, despite averaging more than 14 minutes a game. Chiarelli also picked up the veteran defenseman Mike Mottau in the deal with the Islanders for two fringe prospects. Serious eye, hip and groin injuries limited Mottau to 49 of a possible 142 games with the Islanders. Greg Zanon, a steady, stay-at-home defenseman, was added in a trade with Minnesota. But scoring goals has been the biggest struggle for the Bruins, who were shut out five times in February. Tyler Seguin had one goal in his previous 14 games and David Krejci scored once in 13 games before Julien played them on a line with Milan Lucic in Boston's 4-3 overtime win over the Devils on Thursday. Krejci had a hat trick and Seguin had a goal and an assist. For the Bruins to contend, they need more consistent play. "It would be nice to win a few in a row," Krejci said. We've been kind of battling, one win and then one loss in the past month. We've got to get comfortable here in the room and try to get on a roll. This is a really important time of the season, and we've got to get in great shape before the playoff comes. With a more balanced offense than the Bruins and superior goaltending, the Rangers became the first team in the N.H.L. this season to reach 20 wins on the road and at home. The players also believe their strong work ethic and commitment to physical play - at the level the Bruins demonstrated on their way to the Stanley Cup - are why the Rangers are in first place. "If you want to be in this lineup, that's how you have to play," Rangers forward Brian Boyle said. Everyone holds each other accountable, and it's a pretty well-oiled machine. Jeff Z. Klein contributed reporting.