During an action-packed Game 2 at Madison Square Garden, the New York Rangers extended their Eastern Conference First Round series lead to 2-0 as they snagged a 4-3 victory against the Washington Capitals. We saw what style of play these teams decided to equip in the playoffs during Game 1, but Tuesday’s Game 2 delivered key moments that could determine the outcome of the series as a whole.
Washington Strikes First, New York Responds
https://gty.im/2149996620
Unlike Game 1, Game 2 started with goals in the first period. Washington’s shot attempts increased greatly throughout this game as a whole, and so did their overall efforts to get pucks to the net. And they did indeed. Connor McMichael gave the Caps the first lead just a little over five minutes into the first period. You could tell their head was in the game, and there was not much backing down even after the Rangers took it back.
Vincent Trocheck, who took three penalties in Game 1, scored first for the Rangers just three minutes after McMichael’s goal. He later passed the puck to Mika Zibanejad on the power play, which led to a goal that gave New York the lead for the first time in the game with six minutes left in the first period.
The second period saw another rally from both teams. The Caps went on the power play early in the second period. Star center Dylan Strome took advantage by scoring a goal at 4:14. However, the tie game did not last for long, when Jack Roslovic of the Rangers scored his first career NHL playoff goal on the Rangers’ power play. Defenseman K’Andre Miller followed up with a shorthanded goal near the end of the second. The Capitals doubled their goals, but the Rangers doubled the lead.
The third period saw more physicality than goals, with Tom Wilson scoring for the Capitals on the power play and showcasing Washington’s consistent momentum to get back in this series.
Responding to Referee Calls Throughout Game 2
https://gty.im/2149420780
A lot of the game was played in special teams. There were 11 total penalties called in Game 2, in comparison to the eight penalties called in Game 1. Six of those belonged to the Capitals. Nevertheless, both teams managed to capitalize on their respective power plays pretty well, with the Rangers gaining the edge on special team play with the shorthanded goal scored by K’Andre Miller in the second period.
It was very clear that Washington was the better team at 5-on-5. Unfortunately, there was barely any even-strength play, which may have hindered the Caps’ chances of scoring more goals and possibly winning the game, especially when facing off against a team that’s stacked on the power play (and shorthanded, surprisingly).
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery was aware that the 5-on-5 was one of the strongest offensive assets to the team. “One of the top priorities is to keep the series at five-on-five as much as we can,” he said before the start of the series.
While some of the calls during Game 2 were controversial and evoked reactions from fans, both teams managed to adapt to whatever the outcome of the calls was, despite New York having the edge.
Depth in The Blueshirts
https://gty.im/2149420986
Game 2 was consistent with Game 1 for the New York Rangers in that there were different goal scorers from different offensive lines each time. Game 2 saw two top-liners (Mika Zibanejad and Jack Roslovic), a second-liner (Vincent Trocheck), and a defenseman (K’Andre Miller) light the lamp for New York. In Game 1, the scoring kicked off with a fourth-liner (Matt Rempe). This goes to show how much offensive depth this team has.
Eight different Rangers have scored the team’s collective eight goals in this series so far.
This New York Rangers team has looked complete and consistent throughout the two games played in this series. It is that completion and consistency that leads to them scoring goals no matter who is on the ice, and subsequently, those goals add up to them winning games.
Washington is still working on that. There has been a lot of improvement from Game 1 to Game 2, but there is still work to be done if they want to match this Rangers team that shows no signs of slowing down.
Looking Forward
The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals will meet again for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Round 1 playoff series on Friday, April 26 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST and will be streaming nationally on ESPN. There will also be local streams on MSG Network for Rangers fans and Monumental Sports Network for Capitals fans.
For More Great Content
Be sure to check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Follow us on Twitter/X @TotalApexSports as well as keep up with our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
About the Author
River Caraballo (she/they) is a hockey writer for Total Apex Sports. She is a big fan of the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild, despite being based in Connecticut. They are the host of a weekly podcast and radio show, Round the Rink, where they talk hockey from the NHL to the PWHL and college hockey. You can follow River on Twitter/X to keep up with her sports content.
