Rangers Vs. Capitals, Game 2: Alex Ovechkin Rips Game-Winner; Washington Ties Series

Rangers Vs. Capitals, Game 2: With Alex Ovechkin, Is Dale Hunter Playing With Fire?

On the surface, everything's coming up roses for Dale Hunter and the Capitals after a 3-2 victory in game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but how long will his stifling treatment of the team's highly paid stars continue to work?

Rangers Vs. Capitals, Game 2 Final Score: Washington Holds Off New York, Ties Series

We have a series between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers. The No. 7-seeded Caps tied their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinal at 1-1 with a 3-2 win at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, heading back to the red confines of Verizon Center with a chance to do some real damage against the top-seeded Rangers on home ice.

Alex Ovechkin scored the game-winning goal in the third period after seeing limited ice time throughout the game. He only played 13:36 in total throughout the hockey game -- less than Jay Beagle, among others -- but made that time count, scoring the winning goal and taking 10 shot attempts at the net in the time he did see on the ice.

Braden Holtby made 25 saves for the Capitals while Jason Chimera and Mike Knuble added the other two Washington goals. Brad Richards and Ryan Callahan brought New York back from a 2-0 deficit, and it seemed like the Rangers had the momentum after Richards' goal in the third period. But then Ovi scored, and the Caps defense was able to bend, but not break in the remaining 7:27 of the game.

Did they get some help? Yes, they got some help. Ping. Michael Del Zotto hit the crossbar in the final minute -- one of many on the night for the Rangers -- but that's playoff hockey. Sometimes you get the bounces, sometimes you don't. You need the bounces to win, and that's what the Caps saw firsthand in Game 2.

We have full coverage of Capitals vs. Rangers Game 2 in our StoryStream. For more on the Caps, check with Japers' Rink, and for more on the Rangers, check with Blueshirt Banter.

Rangers Vs. Capitals, Game 2 Score: Alex Ovechkin Might Not Suck

Alex Ovechkin had his ice time limited by coach Dale Hunter -- for reasons unknown -- for much of Game 2, but we remarked at the start of the third period that it seemed as though he was still active in the action he was seeing. He had plenty of scoring chances, took a massive number of shots and was a presence despite having fewer minutes than Jay freakin' Beagle, and this was all amidst chants of "Ovi sucks!" from the New York crowd.

In the third period, about six minutes after a Ryan Callahan goal pulled the Rangers back even with the Capitals at 2-2, Ovechkin gave his team the lead right back. Ovi sucks, indeed.

The goal was made possible by a subtle interference play by Nicklas Backstrom right off the faceoff. It went unnoticed by the officials and prevented Brian Boyle from getting out to Ovechkin near the blueline. By the time Boyle evaded Backstrom, he couldn't do much to prevent Ovechkin's shot from getting through on net, where it beat Henrik Lundqvist.

Insult to injury? Backstrom was credited with the assist.

We have full coverage of Capitals vs. Rangers Game 2 in our StoryStream. For more on the Caps, check with Japers' Rink, and for more on the Rangers, check with Blueshirt Banter.

Capitals Vs. Rangers, Game 2: Alex Ovechkin's Ice Time Limited Through Two Periods

We won't lie to you. The second period of Game 2 between the Capitals and Rangers was boring as hell. The teams went offsides a total of seven times in the second period. They iced the puck a total of five times. That doesn't produce entertaining hockey, but we think Washington will take it.

They lead early in the third period as a result of this rather boring contest -- one that was rather wide open in the first period but got pretty sloppy and pretty ugly in the second.

The major storyline for Washington through two periods is the lack of Alex Ovechkin on the ice. Dale Hunter hasn't played him or Alexander Semin much in Game 2, opting to play Jay Beagle more than his two offensive stars. Explanations? Keith Jones said on the NBCSN broadcast that Hunter was trying to confuse the Rangers a bit. If they're entering the game with the plan of shutting down Ovechkin on their minds, it might throw them off if the Caps simply hide Ovechkin.

But he's still the best player on the team, and keeping him off the ice doesn't seem smart in any capacity. Ovechkin has actually made some noise in his limited Game 2 ice time, and he could very well get more ice time in the third period, but seeing Jay Beagle on the ice more than Alex Ovechkin is stil enough to make you scratch your head long and hard.

We have full coverage of Capitals vs. Rangers Game 2 in our StoryStream. For more on the Caps, check with Japers' Rink, and for more on the Rangers, check with Blueshirt Banter.

GIF: Braden Holtby Makes A Save With His Face

VIDEO: Bizarre Capitals-Rangers Sequence Ends In Jason Chimera Goal

Capitals Vs. Rangers, Game 2 Score: Washington Grabs Quick Lead, But New York Battles Back

The Washington Capitals got the start they wanted. They played the New York Rangers to a possession draw in the first period of play in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and they entered the first intermission with a 2-1 lead.

Mike Knuble opened the scoring for Washington with a goal at the 12:20 mark of the first period, silencing a rabid "Ovi sucks!" chant from the Madison Square Garden crowd. A little under five minutes later, Jason Chimera scored his third goal of the playoffs on a bizarre sequence in which Henrik Lundqvist misplayed a puck outside of his crease and scrambled to get back into the net.

With help from Anton Stralman, he kept the puck out of the net, but it came to Chimera at the side, and when he put it back in the crease, it hit off the skate of Ryan McDonagh and just barely snuck over the goal line. Holtby had made a huge save at the other end of the ice on a Chris Kreider breakaway just moments earlier.

The Rangers got a goal back late in the period while the teams were playing four-a-side when Brad Richards beat Holtby, trimming the Caps lead to just a goal heading into the first intermission.

We have full coverage of Capitals vs. Rangers Game 1 in our StoryStream. For more on the Caps, check with Japers' Rink, and for more on the Rangers, check with Blueshirt Banter.

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