Vincent Trocheck scores in overtime as Rangers rally to beat Bruins 

BOSTON — Sometimes when a good team has seen some slippage in its game, what it needs the most is a challenge from another elite team. That’s what the Boston Bruins represented to the Rangers on Saturday night at TD Garden.

The Blueshirts met the challenge, rallying from a one-goal deficit midway through the third period to beat the Bruins in overtime, 2-1, on the strength of two goals by Vincent Trocheck.

“He’s been one of our best players a lot of the nights,’’ Jacob Trouba said after Trocheck’s power-play goal tied it at 1-1 with 9:10 left in regulation before he won it with a redirection of a pass from Artemi Panarin 2:03 into overtime.

Trocheck’s goals allowed the Rangers to pull into a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference with Boston. Both teams have 43 points from 29 games, but the Rangers (21-7-1) have two more wins than Boston (19-5-5) and beat them both times they faced each other this season.

“Games like these against teams like that really make you get up for it,’’ said Trocheck, who was proud of the Rangers’ defensive effort in limiting Boston to 22 shots on goal and few odd- man rushes. “I think that it says a little bit more about our team from a grit, a togetherness [standpoint], and just all around, just being able to stick with it, standing up for each other, staying with it down a goal late.

“I think that says a lot, against a team like that especially.’’

Anyone who might have gotten upset when the Rangers went through their mini-rough patch — they lost three of four games in a seven-day span within the last couple of weeks — officially can calm down now. A win over the Kings last Sunday, one over Anaheim on Friday and Saturday’s win over the Bruins suggest the Rangers are back on track.

“I thought we were really good [Friday] night . . . I thought we were great against L.A.,’’ coach Peter Laviolette said. “I look at it as a pretty good three out of four.’’

Igor Shesterkin, who had lost his previous three starts, was solid but didn’t have to be spectacular in making 21 saves to keep the Rangers in the game.

After a scoreless first period, the Bruins got on the board on a goal by a net-crashing Trent Frederic at 2:07 of the second. Laviolette challenged the goal, alleging that Frederic had interfered with Shesterkin. After review, the challenge was unsuccessful and the Bruins were awarded a power play, which the Rangers killed.

That unsuccessful challenge penalty was the first of a combined eight by the teams in the second period, including a fight between Frederic and Trouba.

The fight was the result of an incident in the last game the teams played against each other, when Trouba swung his stick and hit Frederic in the side of the helmet. That hit went unpenalized in the game and Trouba was fined but not suspended for the incident.

Trouba, who apologized to Frederic in the last game after realizing he’d hit him with his stick in the helmet, had no problem fighting the Boston forward Saturday. “It wasn’t like I was forced to,’’ said Trouba, who led both teams with six blocked shots. “If I had someone hit me in the head with a stick, I’d probably want to fight him too. So I’ve got no issue with it. It is what it is, and you answer the bell and move on.’’

With 1:50 left in the period, Boston sniper David Pastrnak blasted Ryan Lindgren face-first into the end boards. Lindgren stayed down for a few moments before leaving for the locker room holding a towel against the side of his head.

Pastrnak was given a five-minute major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct. Panarin, who jumped on Pastrnak, took a roughing penalty, meaning the teams had to skate four-on-four for two minutes, after which the Rangers had three minutes of power-play time.

They failed to score and were 0-for-4 on the man advantage before Trocheck scored on their fifth power play to tie it.

“It’s obviously frustrating whenever you don’t score on a three-minute power play,’’ Trocheck said. “But I thought we did a lot of really good things on those power plays earlier in the game and it was just . . . continuing to stay with it.’’

Notes & quotes: Panarin had 10 shots on goal . . . Trocheck won 13 of 18 faceoffs. His overtime winner was his first since the 2019-20 season . . . F Adam Edstrom and D Connor Mackey both were sent down to AHL Hartford after the game.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.