Rangers at Capitals
Satisfied with a strong bounce-back effort following a series-opening defeat, the New York Rangers look to ride that momentum when they visit the Washington Capitals on Monday for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup. The Rangers shrugged off a stunning last-second loss in Game 1 with a 3-2 victory Saturday to leave the best-of-seven series even at one win apiece.
"This team always answers when we lose a big game," said Rangers center Derick Brassard, who netted the decisive tally in the third period of Game 2. "When our backs are against the wall, we always answer.” It marked the ninth consecutive one-goal game in the playoffs for New York, setting an NHL record. Washington is 3-0 following a loss this postseason and is seeking its fourth consecutive playoff victory at Verizon Center. "It’s nice to get a split here and get home ice again, but we’ve got to take advantage of home ice again,” Capitals forward Jason Chimera said.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA
ABOUT THE RANGERS: New York put Washington on its heels from the outset Saturday as Chris Kreider - “He’s a huge difference-maker," captain Ryan McDonagh said - set the tone by scoring 38 seconds into the contest, giving him a team-high 13 playoff goals since he made his postseason debut in April 2012. “He’s been doing it all year," defenseman Dan Boyle said. "He’s the fastest player I’ve ever played with by far, and I’ve played with some pretty fast players. He also might be the strongest.” Boyle chipped in with a power-play tally as the Rangers ended Washington's streak of 17 consecutive penalty kills to open the postseason.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS: Alex Ovechkin notched another highlight-reel goal in Game 2 while rookie Evgeny Kuznetsov tallied for the fourth time in six games to tie Washington's superstar captain for the team lead, but three players who combined for 60 goals in the regular season are supplying little production. While an upper-body injury has sidelined Eric Fehr for the last six games, Troy Brouwer and Marcus Johansson have recorded a total of one tally and four assists in the playoffs after combining for 41 goals during the season. Braden Holtby, who made 32 saves in Game 2, allowed one goal in each of his last two home starts but faced a total of only 34 shots.
OVERTIME
1. The Capitals had the league's top power play during the regular season, but they have had only 16 opportunities in nine playoff games.
2. All but two of New York's last 16 postseason games have been decided by one goal.
3. Washington has not won four straight home games in the playoffs since 2008-09, a stretch that included two victories over the Rangers.