The New York Rangers were facing elimination and one thing they knew for sure was that if they could score at least one goal in the game they would have a chance to win and they did just that, as goalie Henrik Lundqvist played to perfection and pitched a shutout.
The Rangers needed a supreme game from their best player and he came through again and didn't allow a goal despite a furious attack from the Capitals and now the Rangers have Game 7 Monday night in Washington. Lundqvist had 27 saves and outplayed Braden Holtby, who allowed just one goal from Derek Brassard that was the only scoring of the game. The 1-0 victory was the only thing keeping the Rangers alive in the playoffs and now for the second year in a row the team is playing a seven game series in the first round.
The advantage will be with the Caps since all six games have been won by the home team, but in Game 7 in the NHL playoffs anything can happen and both sides will be prepared for it. The two sides fought a bit after the regulation bell rang, but the series has been physical from the start and Lundqvist was fantastic when the team needed him to be and they will need it again on Monday, as they do not have a day off and need to play on the road.
The special teams played a big part, as the Rangers finally were able to kill some penalties and the team had some advantages of its own. Brassard has proven to be an MVP for the Rangers, scoring his second goal while Rick Nash started the play with a great shot and Mike Green later made a bad play when he cross checked Derek Dorsett to take the Caps out of another rally chance.
The Rangers will be playing Games 6 and 7 on back to back nights, as will the Maple Leafs and the Bruins, which is something that hasn't happened since 2011 and has only happened five times previously. The Bruins lost 2-1 on Sunday to have Game 7 go down in the series, as Toronto was able to comeback from 3-1 down and a goal from former Bruin Phil Kessel helped out. There was a Game 7 on Sunday already as the Red Wings were able to defeat the Ducks 3-2.