NY Rangers 3, Washington 2
When: 12:30 PM ET, Saturday, May 2, 2015
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Referees:
Dan O'Halloran, Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen:
Michel Cormier, Greg Devorski
Attendance:
18006
By The Sports Xchange
NEW YORK -- Less than 48 hours after losing Game 1 in heartbreaking fashion, the New York Rangers responded with a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals to square their second-round series at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
The best-of-seven series shifts to Washington for Game 3 on Monday night.
Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin's highlight-reel goal midway through the final period cut the Rangers' lead to 3-2, but center Derick Brassard's goal a few minutes earlier proved to be the winner.
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped 29 shots after yielding the winning goal with 1.3 seconds left in Game 1 on Thursday night. Left winger Chris Kreider and defenseman Dan Boyle added goals for the Rangers, who reached the three-goal mark for the second time in the playoffs.
Center Evgeny Kutzetzov also scored for the Capitals, who got 32 saves from goaltender Braden Holtby.
The Rangers recovered from Game 1's crushing ending by scoring in the first minute of Game 2.
Center Derek Stepan moved the puck from the left-wing circle across the ice to cutting right winger Jesper Fast, who had his quick shot stopped by Holtby.
Kreider was alone to put the rebound home and give the Rangers at 1-0 lead at the 38-second mark.
Boyle increased the lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal that was the result of great work by left winger Rick Nash.
The play began at the top of the crease, where Nash was denied by Holtby. A weak clearing attempt led to Boyle holding the puck along the boards near the blue line.
Boyle snapped a shot that beat Holtby through Nash's screen to give the Rangers a two-goal lead at 15:40.
Kuznetsov pulled the Capitals to within 2-1 with 6:01 remaining in the second period.
Left winger Jason Chimera wristed a shot along the ice from the left face-off circle that created a rebound opportunity. Kuznetsov fired a shot through the legs of Rangers defenseman Dan Boyle for his fourth goal of the playoffs.
Capitals right winger Troy Brouwer had a chance under two minutes later to tie the game, but he couldn't find an opening through Lundqvist while all alone in front of the net.
NOTES: Capitals RW Eric Fehr (upper body) missed his sixth consecutive game. There was hope he could play in the first two games of this series. ... The Capitals iced the same lineup they used in Game 1. ... Rangers RW Mats Zuccarello (concussion) missed his second straight game and could miss the entire series. ... Rangers D Dan Boyle was rocked by a hit in the final seconds of Game 1 on Thursday, practiced Friday and was good to go in Game 2 ... Rangers D Matt Hunwick was a healthy scratch.
Top Game Performances
| Washington |
|
NY Rangers |
|
Evgeny Kuznetsov 1 |
Points |
Dan Boyle 1 |
|
Evgeny Kuznetsov 1 |
Goals |
Dan Boyle 1 |
|
Jason Chimera 1 |
Assists |
Jesper Fast 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Dan Boyle 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Braden Holtby .914 |
Save Percentage |
Henrik Lundqvist .938 |
|
Braden Holtby 32 |
Saves |
Henrik Lundqvist 30 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Washington
|
32 |
2 |
0-1 |
3-4 |
8 |
31 |
| NY Rangers
|
35 |
3 |
1-4 |
1-1 |
2 |
27 |
Upcoming Games
-
NY Rangers will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Rangers have a W/L % of .654 after a win and .633 after a loss.
-
Washington will play their next game at home against NY Rangers. The Capitals have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .611 after a loss.
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