The New York Rangers needed two things to change their fate in their first round series against the Washington Capitals with scoring goals and winning on the road and in Game 7 they got both as they defeated the Caps 5-0 to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
The Rangers had issues scoring all series and winning away from Madison Square Garden, but the team took care of both of those issues on Monday night, scoring five goals on goalie Braden Holtby, who previously shut the team out in Game 2 and held them to just one goal over the first two games before the team won Games 3 and 4 by scores of 4-3 to bring the series to 2-2. The road team had lost every game previously before the Rangers took Game 7. Henrik Lundqvist shutout the Caps in Game 6 and he is doing it again in Game 7 and when a player like him gives a performance like that back to back, the team can do anything.
The Rangers were awful on the power play all series apart from Derek Brassard scoring a goal in Game 3 and another later on and the team did a fantastic job of holding back Alex Ovechkin, keeping without a point in five straight games and holding him back from scoring. The Rangers had goals from five different players on Monday night, with Asham, Ryan Callahan, Mats Zuccarello, Pyatt and Michael Del Zotto all putting goals past Holtby. The Rangers played multiple seven game series last year as the number one seed and the team understands how to do it even though they didn't have a day off between game six and the following game on Monday.
Rick Nash and Brad Richards did not do much during the series, but the play of Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh on Ovechkin was excellent and players like Brassard and Brian Boyle stepped up when needed. Lundqvist showed why he is the best goaltender in the league and his play in the series is one of the main reasons why the Rangers are even still alive. In the other Game 7 series with the Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins, Toronto lost 5-4 after allowing three goals in the third period and eventually the team got the winner in the extra period from Patrice Bergeron, who also had the goal in the third period that tied it with less than a minute left.
The Maple Leafs forced a Game 7 in the series after winning in Game 6, but the team couldn't hold on in front of James Reimer and allowed the Bruins to tie the game before winning in overtime. Phil Kessel didn't get his chance at revenge against his old team despite scoring his fourth goal and Tukkaa Rask had 24 saves in the win after allowing two goals in the third period. Cody Franson scored two goals in the game and Kessel added an assist, but a 4-1 lead was too much and now the Bruins will play against the Rangers in the second round. The two teams have not played in the playoffs for decades and now will face off in the second round of the playoffs after another fantastic game from Lundqvist in game seven and in game 6.