Joel Ward's goal with just 1.2 ticks left in regulation lifted the Washington Capitals to a stunning 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Alex Ovechkin set up the game winner with a tremendous physical play behind the net, which allowed him to find Ward in front, but the goal incensed the Rangers' bench.
The Blueshirts were upset that no penalty was called on Capitals' forward Nicklas Backstrom for apparently hitting Rangers defenseman Dan Boyle head first into the boards from behind.
But that's all water under the bridge now.
Ovechkin opened the scoring with a laser on the power play that beat Henrik Lundqvist top-shelf at the 18:13 mark of the opening period.
The teams remained scoreless until the 15:21 mark of the third, when, with the Rangers pressing for the equalizer, Kevin Hayes' shot in front deflected off Jesper Fast's leg for the goal that seemed destined to send the game to overtime.
But then we had the heroics.
Ward's goal, which was reviewed but clearly passed the goal line with ...
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Article written by Kevin McRae
Capitals vs. Rangers: Game 1 Live Score, Highlights for 2015 NHL Playoffs
April 30th, 2015 by Kevin McRae Leave a reply »
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