Jack Roslovic and K’Andre Miller scored on special teams 4:26 apart in the second period and the host New York Rangers hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday in Game 2 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
The Rangers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 heading to Game 3 on Friday in Washington. As in New York’s 4-1 win on Sunday, the Rangers took control in the second period, but this time they had to survive a shaky final 10 minutes.
With eight seconds left on a cross-checking penalty to Washington defenseman John Carlson, Roslovic snapped a 2-2 tie with 7:34 remaining in the middle frame.
Roslovic cut to the left faceoff circle and got a pass from defenseman Erik Gustafsson. Roslovic finished off the play by lifting a hard wrist shot over Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren as the puck clanged off the crossbar and in.
While the Rangers were killing off a delay-of-game penalty on Gustafsson, New York’s Chris Kreider stole the puck from Alex Ovechkin near the neutral zone and passed to Mika Zibanejad. Miller jumped into the rush in between the circles and one-timed Zibanejad’s pass over Lindgren.
With 8:15 remaining in the third period, Tom Wilson deflected a shot by Hendrix Lapierre to get Washington within 4-3.
New York’s Vincent Trocheck and Zibanejad netted goals in the first period. Alexis Lafreniere and Gustafsson collected two assists apiece.
Wilson finished with a goal and an assist while Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome also tallied for the Capitals.
New York goalie Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves, including a stop on Martin Fehervary shortly after Washington tied the game in the second and a glove save on Ovechkin with about 90 seconds left.
Lindgren allowed four goals on 27 shots.
Washington opened the scoring 5:09 into the game after New York defenseman Ryan Lindgren fumbled the puck in the slot trying to pry it from T.J. Oshie. McMichael gained possession and lifted the pick over Shesterkin for his first career postseason goal.
Nearly three minutes later, the Rangers converted a faceoff win by Trocheck into the tying goal. After winning the offensive zone faceoff from Lapierre, Trocheck cut to the crease and easily redirected Gustafsson’s pass from near the blue line over Lindgren.
The Rangers took the lead with 5:23 left in the first after Lafreniere dug the puck out from along the left boards. Trocheck gained possession, spotted a wide-open Zibanejad in the right circle, and New York scored when Zibanejad’s shot banked off the leg of Washington defenseman Alexander Alexeyev.
Strome tied the game on a power play 4:14 into the second. He tapped the puck in the crease past a sprawled-out Shesterkin after getting a feed from Wilson.
