Capitals at Rangers
The New York Rangers have history in their corner as they attempt to complete an improbable comeback on Wednesday in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the visiting Washington Capitals. The Rangers have won two straight contests to erase a 3-1 deficit and enter the winner-take-all clash having won five consecutive seventh games - including two against Washington in 2012 and 2013.
New York also has won six straight Game 7s at Madison Square Garden and is 9-0 in elimination games on home ice since 2008, but that didn't stop Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin from taking a page out of former Rangers captain Mark Messier's playbook and guaranteeing a victory Wednesday. “We’re going to come back and win the series," Ovechkin said following Game 6. "We’re going to play our game, and we’re going to come back and we’re going to play Montreal or Tampa (in the conference final).” Washington has blown a two-game lead 10 times in its history and proceeded to lose the series on the past nine occasions. "We're still breathing," New York coach Alain Vigneault said. "We found a way to win Game 5. We found a way to win Game 6. We're going to try to find a way to win Game 7."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA
ABOUT THE CAPITALS: Washington is hanging its hat on the way it stormed back in Game 6, getting third-period goals from rookie Evgeny Kuznetsov and Joel Ward, posting a 28-8 advantage in shots over the final 40 minutes and not allowing New York a single shot attempt over the final 14:56. Ovechkin is not the only player struggling to get in the scoring column for the Capitals - linemate Nicklas Backstrom, who amassed 60 assists during the regular season, also has gone five straight games without registering a point. One key for Washington is its vaunted power play, which ranked No. 1 in the league during the regular season but failed on four attempts in Game 6 to fall to 1-for-12 in the series.
ABOUT THE RANGERS: Chris Kreider saved New York's season with a tying goal inside two minutes to play in Game 5 and ignited his team's best offensive output of the playoffs in Game 6, scoring 40 seconds into the contest before doubling the lead in the final second of the opening period. Rick Nash, who scored a team- and career-high 42 goals during the regular season, notched his second tally of the playoffs in Game 6 as the Rangers built a three-goal lead before holding off a furious rally in their NHL-record 11th one-goal game of the postseason. Henrik Lundqvist closed out the Capitals in 2013 with consecutive shutouts in Games 6 and 7 and is coming off a 42-save performance - a career best for a non-overtime playoff game.
OVERTIME
1. New York is attempting to become the first team in league history to win a series after trailing 3-1 in consecutive seasons.
2. Washington is 0-4 all-time in Game 7 after blowing a 3-1 series lead
3. Lundqvist can join Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy as the only netminders with six Game 7 victories.