The New York Rangers held off a furious late rally by the Washington Capitals to take Game 2 of their 2024 NHL Playoff series by the score of 4-3.
The Capitals started the scoring in the first period on a Connor McMichael goal before the Rangers responded with goals from Vincent Trochek and Mika Zibanejad. The power play tally for Zibanejad continues his strong special teams performance from the regular season when he had 12 goals and 19 assists on the man advantage.
In the second period, the Capitals tied the game on a Dylan Strome goal, but once again, the Rangers bounced right back with two goals of their own. Jack Roslovic scored his first career NHL postseason goal, and K’Andre Miller scored shorthanded to give the Blueshirts a two-goal heading into the third period.
Roslovic was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets at the trade deadline in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Capitals pulled within one on a Tom Wilson goal just over the midway point of the third period. They pulled goaltender Charlie Lindgren with just under three minutes left but could not get the game-tying goal.
The Rangers continue to hold Alex Ovechkin in check. In Game 1, he did not have a shot on goal. The Capitals captain had five shot attempts blocked and missed the net on two. Washington had four power-play opportunities, but Ovechkin managed four shot attempts, all from the outside, none on net, and none even close to dangerous. It was much the same story in Game 2.
Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves on 26 shots in the victory, while Lindgren stopped 23 on 27 shots for the Capitals.
Rangers Strong on Special Teams
The Rangers staunch penalty kill got a special bonus tonight with Miller’s goal with a man down. In this game, the Rangers went 2-for-5 on the penalty kill, building off a strong regular season when their penalty kill was ranked third in the NHL at 84.5 percent.
Related: 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Hub
The power play continues to shine, as the Rangers tallied three on the man advantage tonight. They recorded a 26.4 power play percentage in the regular season, the second-best mark in franchise history (1977-78) and third-best in the NHL. Zibanejad had double-digit power-play goals (12) for a seventh straight season. Steven Stamkos is the only other player who has reached 10-plus power-play goals in the last seven seasons.
The two teams will travel to Washington for Game 3 on Friday, April 26.