Game 2 may have seen a much improved Capitals team, but it was the same Rangers.
The same Rangers who led the NHL in comeback wins during the regular season rallied once again to take a two-game edge to Washington later this week after topping the Capitals, 4-3, Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in front of a rightfully encouraged crowd.
There has been no sign of deviation from the Blueshirts, who managed to still take care of business despite the Capitals posing a much bigger challenge this time around.
The Rangers, so long as their current level of play is maintained, have a chance to finish this series in Capital One Arena this weekend.
“It’s momentum and they’re obviously pushing to get back into the series,” said Jack Roslovic, who broke a 2-2 tie with a power-play goal in the second period. “That’s dangerous, their mindset, so got to stay humble and keep on building and getting better.”
Washington tapped into its opportunistic DNA early and often in this one, scoring the first goal of the game and even cutting the Rangers lead down to one with 8:15 left in regulation on a power-play goal from Tom Wilson.
It felt like a much more evenly played game in terms of special teams and possession time, but the Rangers got the better of it and held on to the lead in the final minutes.
Every Ranger spoke about the anticipation of a stronger performance from the Capitals, who will likely only push harder as the desperation continues to kick in.
The Rangers, however, were ready for it.
“It’s good to have the confidence to know you can be in a tight game and come out on top and keep a lead,” Vincent Trocheck said after posting a goal and an assist in 22:40 of ice time, the most among all Rangers forwards. “But, I think, however you have to win the game is how you have to win the game that specific night.”
The Capitals came out with a much quicker pace than Game 1 and managed to strike first as a result, when Ryan Lindgren’s poke check on T.J.
Oshie in front of the net sent a loose puck to the stick of Connor McMichael for the 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the first period.
Less than three minutes later, however, Trocheck responded for the Rangers with a redirection of an Erik Gustafsson pass to tie it up.
The Capitals only recorded two more shots after their goal in the opening frame, a testament to the pressure the Rangers kept up after briefly falling behind.
After Trocheck opted for the extra pass instead of the shot, Mika Zibanejad sniped a power-play goal, which deflected in off Capitals defenseman Alexander Alexeyev to give the Rangers their first lead of the night going into the first intermission.
Zibanejad left his fingerprints all over Game 2, both offensively and defensively.
In addition to the power-play goal, the Rangers’ No. 1 center also hit a trailing K’Andre Miller on a shorthanded rush later in the second period, which ultimately stood as the game-winner.
“I expected that tonight and the way it played out physically and some attitude and directness inside of the game,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “I thought our guys responded pretty well. It was a hard-fought game, I thought it was a hard-fought game. I think that’s good.
“Inside of a series and inside of what you hope is an opportunity to move on, you want to make sure that you’re building the right type of game and getting involved in that type of setting.”
