Thursday, 09 May 2013 06:25

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What had been a best-of-seven playoff series heading in the wrong direction for the Rangers after they dropped the first two games to the Washington Capitals is now all even two games apiece and heading back to Washington as a best-of-three after the Rangers followed up Monday's 4-3 win with a Game Four 4-3 victory over the Caps Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Though they never trailed in the game---and imposed their physical and offensive wills throughout much of the night---the Rangers found it extremely difficult to put away a gutsy Washington squad. However third period goals by Dan Girardi and Derek Stepan snapped a 2-2 tie and helped the Rangers even up the series two games apiece.

Carl Hagelin starred for New York with a goal and two assists, while Derick Brassard---who now has five points in the last two games of this series---added a pair of helpers. Henrik Lundqvist finished with 27 saves for the Rangers, while Capitals goalie Braden Holtby stopped 30 shots despite allowing four goals for the second straight game in this series.

Tied 2-2, the Rangers started the third period on the power play after Jason Chimera took an interference penalty at the 20-minute mark of the second period. Head coach John Tortorella elected to go with his second power play unit, and it proved to be a wise decision as Brassard made a gorgeous move and pass to Girardi on left wing. Girardi proceeded to rip a slap shot short side on Holtby for his first goal of the series just 59 seconds into the third period, putting the Blueshirts ahead 3-2.

A little more than five minutes later Stepan finished a nifty give and go with Hagelin in front of Washington's goal crease to restore the Rangers two-goal lead. Stepan's second in as many games was shot into a wide open cage after his touch pass to Hagelin was quickly returned to the unchecked Stepan in front.

The Capitals did not quit trailing by two for the second time in the game, though, as Karl Alzner's wrist shot glanced off Mathieu Perrault in front and snuck just inside the right post at 7:31. But Lundqvist shut the Caps down the rest of the way---making a huge save to deny Nicklas Backstrom from the slot with five minutes to play and Joel Ward from in close a minute later.

Despite dominating most of the first 40 minutes of play, and taking a 2-0 lead along the way, the Rangers somehow found themselves tied after two periods with the opportunistic Capitals scoring twice in the final seven minutes of the middle period to pull even despite a 26-15 Rangers advantage in shots.

Brad Richards opened the scoring at 16:25 of the first period and Hagelin netted his second playoff goal 10:13 into the second period as the Rangers controlled play seemingly at will with a particularly physical brand of hockey and dogged determination to possess the puck. But Perrault slammed one into the back of the net from the side of the Blueshirts cage at 13:08, and Troy Brouwer tied the game with 17.1 seconds to play in the middle stanza when his rising backhand shot eluded Lundqvist.

Adding to the Rangers frustration was that mere seconds before Brouwer's tying score, Ryan Callahan rang a shot off the crossbar at the other end of the ice. And Brian Boyle complained bitterly that the puck had crossed the blueline right before Brouwer's goal, which would have meant Washington was offsides. The linesmen disagreed with Boyle and Brouwer's goal counted.

The Rangers could have added to their 1-0 lead late in the first period when their penalty killing unit had two prime scoring chances by Stepan, but failed to convert. However on the second shorthanded rush by Stepan, Washington was assessed two penalties---one to Alex Ovechkin for hooking, the other to Martin Erat for charging---as Stepan crashed heavily into the back boards. Handed a 5-on-4 power play which then turned into 1:34 of a 5-on-3 when Michael Del Zotto emerged from the Rangers penalty box, the Blueshirts frittered away a golden opportunity to break the game open---something which came back to haunt them when Washington eventually pulled even late in the second period.

Richards' first goal of the post-season came off a bizarre play in which Holtby was caught way out of his net after playing the puck at the bottom of the left circle. Holtby looked to clear the puck to his right, but Taylor Pyatt did an excellent job of flagging the puck down. Pyatt fired a shot towards the net as Holtby scrambled back, but the shot was blocked, at which point Hagelin slid the disc to Richards who zipped it into the back of the net for a 1-0 Rangers lead late in the first period.

Hagelin made it 2-0 by blasting a left circle shot off the rush past Holtby's gloved hand midway through the second period. Ryane Clowe---back in the lineup after missing four games with an undisclosed injury---slid a pass just inside the Caps zone to Brassard, who in turn made a perfect cross-ice pass to a streaking Hagelin on left wing to set up the score.

While Clowe returned to the Rangers lineup for this crucial---and physically punishing---Game Four, winger Darroll Powe was scratched after being hurt in the first period of Monday night's Game Three. On the other side of the puck, Washington's Erat suffered an upper body injury on the play in which he was penalized for charging Stepan.

Both teams did a solid job shutting down each other's superstar in Game Four. The Rangers hounded Ovechkin all night---even as he was double-shifted by coach Adam Oates---and limited him to only one shot on goal in nearly 24 minutes of ice-time. The Capitals in turn blanketed Rick Nash again as the Rangers top goal scorer was held off the scoresheet and held to two shots on goal in16:49 worth of ice time.

Stepan and Callahan each recorded six shots on goal for the Rangers, while Callahan was also credited with a team-high five hits.

Game Five of this series will take place at the Verizon Center on Friday night.

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Tuesday, 07 May 2013 08:25

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Derek Stepan's goal with 6:25 to play in the third period lifted the Rangers to a crucial and thrilling 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Monday night at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers now trail the best-of-seven series two games to one, with the home team having won all three games in this series so far. Game Four is to be played Wednesday night at The Garden.

Near the left wing wall in the offensive zone Rick Nash wristed the puck towards Washington's crease and Stepan deflected it past Caps goalie Braden Holtby to snap a nail-biting 3-3 tie. Ryan McDonagh, who did not receive an assist on the play, set the winning score in motion by keeping an attempted clear in at the blueline, toeing the line like a nimble dancer before passing to Mats Zuccarello, who in turn found Nash in the left wing corner.

Both Stepan and Nash recorded their first points of the series on the game-winning goal. Derick Brassard starred in Game Three with a goal and two assists, while Brian Boyle had a goal and an assist, and Zuccarello had a pair of helpers. Henrik Lundqvist finished with 28 saves.

Marc Staal returned to the Rangers lineup for the first time since suffering a frightening eye injury on March 5th against Philadelphia. Wearing a new shield to cover his eyes, Staal received a standing ovation when introduced as part of the starting lineup. He played a strong game paired on defense with Anton Stralman, logging 17:17 worth of ice time.

Before the 4-3 score could be stamped as final and the Rangers could exhale for even a moment, the Blueshirts were forced to kill off a Caps power play in the final two minutes when Brad Richards was called for slashing Alex Ovechkin at 18:06. Washington pulled Holtby---who allowed foru goals on Monday after surrendering only one in the first two games combined---for a 6-on-4 advantage, but could not even manage a shot on goal as the Rangers---led by McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Ryan Callahan, and Stepan shut down all of the shooting lanes in textbook fashion.

At the final buzzer The Garden erupted in a deafening roar, and the Rangers poured off the bench to celebrate the fact that they were now officially right back in the series.

Tied 2-2 entering the third period, the two teams exchanged scores from unlikely sources over the first 7:19 of the final stanza. The Rangers grabbed a 3-2 lead when Arron Asham skated into the low slot to one-time a Brassard pass past Holtby at 2:53. But after Washington won an offensive zone faceoff, Jay Beagle managed to deflect a Jack Hillen slap shot past Lundqvist to tie the game at 7:19.

After trading goals in each of the first two periods, the Rangers and Capitals reached the second intermission tied 2-2, setting the stage for the most important period the Rangers have played to this point all season. Lundqvist had a slew of sensational saves, mostly in the second period, while Holtby helped his teammates kill five of six Ranger power plays through 40 minutes of play.

Despite playing on home ice in front of their own raucous supportive crowd and having a power play just 63 seconds into the game, the Rangers surrendered the first goal. Nicklas Backstrom deflected John Carlson's shot from right wing past Lundqvist at 4:06 of the first period to give Washington a 1-0 lead. But the Rangers continued to play a rugged brand of hockey---exemplified by Stralman obliterating Ovechkin along the left wing wall with a textbook hipcheck at the 7:20 mark of the first---and stayed in the game despite the early deficit.

One second after a failed power play, Boyle forced his way to the net on right wing and beat Holtby to the short side, tying the game 1-1 at 12:50 of the opening period. So good and effective was Boyle that he was promoted off the fourth line after his goal and also given extensive power play time the rest of the night. Boyle logged nearly 21 minutes of ice-time in his second game back following a seven-game injury absence, and also won 67 percent of his faceoffs on Monday.

The Rangers were handed another power play chance early in the second period when Holtby was called for a tripping penalty by his net. Brassard cashed in for the Blueshirts at 1:23 after Zuccarello found him alone in the slot. The goal was Brassard's first career playoff goal---while his assist earlier on Boyle's goal was his first career playoff point. Zuccarello's assist was the first post-season point of his NHL career.

Despite two more power plays over the next five minutes the Rangers could not break through against Holtby, and it was Washington which began to find its game. Lundqvist kept the Rangers in the lead with a point-blank pad save on Backstrom midway through the second and followed by flagging down Mike Green's hard wrist shot from right wing seconds later. Then with seven minutes to play in the period Lundqvist lunged to his left to rob a wide-open Mike Ribeiro; and two minutes after that he stoned Troy Brouwer from the low slot during a Capitals' power play.

But after a prolonged shift in the Rangers end of the ice, Washington finally did score the equalizer when Green beat Lundqvist high to the glove side at 17:19, setting the stage for a make-or-break third period for the home team.

The Rangers lost the services of rugged winger Darroll Powe 8:30 into the opening period due to an undisclosed injury. Powe delivered a check on Washington's Joel Ward, but may have taken an elbow to the head. He was clearly shaken up---even falling to the ice in wobbly fashion after he got back up. Powe headed to the dressing room shortly thereafter and did not play again the rest of the game.

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