The Boston Bruins have not been to the NHL playoffs since 2004, so forgive them if they are already getting into postseason mode a week before the All-Star game.

Chuck Kobasew capped off a big weekend with a short-handed goal and assist, Tim Thomas made 30 saves yesterday and the Bruins completed a home-and-home sweep of the Rangers with a 3–1 victory.

Kobasew scored in the first period, after netting two power-play goals in a 4–3 shootout victory Saturday in Boston, and set up Glen Metropolit in the third for the Bruins, who moved three points ahead of the Rangers in the Eastern Conference playoff race. “That was our whole focus going into this. We’ve got to start separating from the pack,” said Marc Savard, who had two assists. “We’ve got to beat the guys we’re chasing a playoff spot with.

“That’s what we talked about, the playoffs. It’s the closest thing we’re going to see until the end of the year.”

The Bruins managed only 20 shots on Henrik Lundqvist, concentrating on a simple, defensive-minded approach after grabbing the early lead. Phil Kessel made it 3–0 with his 12th goal with 2:59 remaining, and Brandon Dubinsky spoiled Thomas’ shutout bid with 43.6 seconds left.

“Maybe it wasn’t pretty, but we did a good job keeping it tight defensively, and Timmy was unbelievable again,” Savard said.

Boston is 3–0–1 in its last four, avoiding overtime Sunday for the first time in that stretch. New York is in a 2–6–2 rut and is one point below the playoff cutoff with 33 games left. A third straight trip to the postseason is becoming a daunting task.

“It’s starting to seem like it’s going to be a tough challenge,” Lundqvist said. “We played pretty good. There are small things we can do a little bit better because obviously it’s not enough. We’re not winning. We can’t be satisfied.”

The Rangers recorded several big hits on the opening shift, perhaps motivated by teammate Sean Avery’s assessment after Saturday’s loss that they lacked urgency and intensity.

It didn’t translate into success. “They played smarter than we did,” Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr said. “We had some scoring chances, but we should have got more. They didn’t make any mistakes.”

Rangers defenseman Fedor Tyutin failed to keep the puck in the Boston zone, and Kobasew raced the other way. He let fly a shot from above the left circle that beat Lundqvist with 2:07 left in the first. It was the fifth short-handed goal scored by the Bruins this season, three by Kobasew. New York has allowed five. Despite a 12–4 shots advantage and a pair of power plays, the Rangers sulked to the dressing room down by a goal after 20 minutes.

* * *

DEVILS 3, MAPLE LEAFS 2

John Madden scored two goals and goalie Martin Brodeur did just enough, helping the New Jersey Devils beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3–2 yesterday.

Brodeur made 34 saves, including a couple from close in late in the game, and Travis Zajac also scored for the Devils, who ended a two-game losing streak — both of them on home ice.