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.
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