The New York Rangers are in a quick 2-0 hole in their first round Stanley Cup playoffs series after falling in Game 1 and losing on Saturday in overtime 1-0 in Game 2 and as the series shifts to Madison Square Garden the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin are in the drivers seat.
The two teams have played against each other in four of the past five seasons and last year they played a seven game series and the Rangers need to rebound to make things competitive to avoid going down 0-3 in the series, something that has only been come back from a handful of times. Carl Hagelin scored an early goal in Game 1, but the Rangers have been unable to score since then, losing 3-1 in the first game before allowing a Mike Green goal to break the 0-0 tie in overtime on Saturday afternoon.
HEnrik Lundqvist had 37 saves in the game and Green's goal was the only score of the entire matchup and came in overtime for his eighth career extra time goal, while goalie Braden Holtby had 24 saves for the win and his first career shutout and he now has allowed just one goal in the series. Green's goal came after a penalty when Ryan McDonagh accidentally hit the puck up and out over the glass, giving the Caps a power play opportunity, which was only the second of the game for the team. The Rangers have been awful on the power play and are now 0-7 in the series after going 0-3 in Game 2.
Last year's series was close the whole way, with six of the seven games being one goal affairs between the two and there was also a game that lasted three overtimes and five of 14 games have been decided by extra time between the two teams over the past three years, according to ESPN.com. The Rangers held back Ovechkin for the Game, but Green was all the Caps needed. The Rangers were again without Ryane Clowe and Marc Staal and it is unclear if either of the two will return for the next game.
The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins to even their series at 1-1 after a 4-2 victory in Boston and Toronto scored two goals in the third period to take the lead, including one during the game from Phil Kessel and Jeoffery Lupul while Nathan Horton added one for the Bruins. The series now heads to Canada and gives the Maple Leafs a chance to take the advantage. The Kings defeated the Blues 1-0 in Game 3 to cut the series lead to 2-1 after a shutout win from Jonathan Quick and last years Stanley Cup champs now have a chance to even up the series.
The Ducks were dominant in Hockeytown against the Red Wings and won 4-0 in a shutout by Jonas Hiller to take a 2-1 series lead as things head into Game 4. The Ducks scored one goal in the second and three in the third, while Jimmy Howard had 25 saves for the Red Wings in the loss.
