What is and what is not a distinct kicking motion? No one really seems to know these days.

Playing in his first game since February 2nd due to a neck injury, the Rangers welcomed Henrik Lundqvist back into the lineup. Just 1:41 into the first period thanks to a goal off the foot of Milan Lucic, the Bruins welcomed “The King” back in a different way.

Yes, the foot of Lucic.

Crashing the net after a Patrice Bergeron shot, the rebound found the skate of Lucic and then the back of the net. The original call was deemed no-goal, but after NHL officials in Toronto saw “no distinct kicking motion” by the B’s power forward, the call was reversed to give the Bruins an early 1-0 lead.

“It happened so fast and I just tried to stop the puck with my foot instead of trying to kick it. Thankfully, the call went our way,” said Lucic, who scored his 16th and 17th goals on Saturday.

“The play had to get reviewed in Toronto, and you know when they’re making a call like that, you know they’re making the right call. Just one of those plays that happened so quick, and I didn’t know if it was a goal or not, but thankfully it went in.”

The goal was a perfect way for the Bruins to start things off in a game they desperately needed to win.

Not too long after opening the scoring, Lucic was at it again, firing a wrister past Lundqvist giving the Bruins all the momentum they would need as the Bruins took down the Rangers 4-2 to leap frog the Ottawa Senators into the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Senators do travel to Toronto later Saturday night to take on the Maple Leafs.

“Everyone knows where we’re at. We’ve known it for a long time now, but it seems like the last couple of games we really put our minds into it and stuck with it,” defenseman Dennis Seidenberg told the media after the win. “We’ve shown it here and there over the course of the season, playing solid hockey. But I think the last couple games have been pretty good for 60 minutes.”

This season certainly hasn’t been the best for Lucic. A revolving door of linemates has slowed Lucic down this season, but things are starting to change for Lucic as he continues to build chemistry with Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak.

“Oh, it’s been good, just going out there and playing, and having fun,” said Lucic about Spooner and Pastrnak. “Enjoying the game has giving all three of us success so we’re trying to just do what we can to contribute night in and night out, and today was another day that our line was able to contribute.”

With just seven games left in the Bruins regular season and a playoff spot far from a guarantee, the Bruins need Lucic and his linemates to keep producing. After a game against the Ducks where head coach Claude Julien was not happy with the five-on-five play of the line, the trio surely made up for it in the first period Saturday afternoon.

Should the Bruins find themselves in the playoffs, it surely seems like it will be as the East’s eighth seed, earning them a date with the top seed in the conference. With the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning all in the mix for first place, things are still very much up in the air.

Take a look at which way teams are heading and the schedule that lies ahead and signs point to the Rangers being that team to earn the top seed in the East. Should the chips fall in place to set the stage for a Bruins-Rangers first round playoff matchup, we could be in store in for a very interesting series.

Of course, this hinges on what the Bruins decide to do with their next seven games.

The Bruins won the season series against the Rangers 2-1, outscoring New York 9-5 in the three games they skated against each other.

A lot will change between today and the end of the regular season, but it seems as if a first round date with the Rangers could be exactly what the doctor ordered.

Saturday’s win over the Rangers could be the kick in the backside that the Bruins so badly need.