Washington 3, NY Rangers 2
When: 12:30 PM ET, Saturday, May 5, 2012
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District Of Columbia
Referees:
Marc Joannette, Brad Watson
Linesmen:
Steve Barton, Jean Morin
Attendance:
18506
By SportsDirect Inc.
CAPITALS 3, RANGERS 2: Defenseman Mike Green scored to snap a tie with 5:48 remaining in the third period as host Washington leveled its Eastern Conference semifinal series with a Game 4 victory over top-seeded New York.
Captain Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom also tallied and rookie Braden Holtby turned aside 18 shots for the seventh-seeded Capitals, who will return to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 on Monday.
With rookie Carl Hagelin serving a slashing penalty late in the third period, Washington made New York pay for failing to clear the puck. Defenseman Dennis Wideman alertly shuffled the puck over to Green, who rifled a shot past Vezina Trophy finalist Henrik Lundqvist to send the Verizon Center faithful into a frenzy.
Artem Anisimov collected a goal and an assist and Marian Gaborik scored in the second straight contest for the Rangers.
With the game tied 1-1, Backstrom leveled Anisimov with a well-placed elbow in the corner. Jason Chimera then found Backstrom in front, with the latter wristing a shot over the Lundqvist's shoulder.
Gaborik tied the contest after Anisimov beat a pair of Capitals to nullify an icing call. Anisimov then centered the puck to Gaborik, who tucked the puck past Holtby.
Ovechkin opened the scoring midway through the first period after taking advantage of a giveaway from Rangers rookie Chris Kreider.
Anisimov tied the game 1:10 into the second period after cleaning up a rebound on the doorstep.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Ten of Washington's 11 postseason games have been decided by one goal. ... Lundqvist finished with 23 saves. ... With his 29th career postseason goal, Ovechkin trails Peter Bondra by one for first all-time in franchise history. ... Ovechkin was also whistled for a two-minute charging penalty on defenseman Dan Girardi after the Russian left his feet to deliver the blow. Should the NHL take a closer look at the hit, Ovechkin is a previous offender and may suffer a stiffer penalty.
Top Game Performances
NY Rangers |
|
Washington |
Artem Anisimov 2 |
Points |
Nicklas Backstrom 1 |
Artem Anisimov 1 |
Goals |
Nicklas Backstrom 1 |
Artem Anisimov 1 |
Assists |
Jason Chimera 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Mike Green 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Henrik Lundqvist .885 |
Save Percentage |
Braden Holtby .900 |
Henrik Lundqvist 23 |
Saves |
Braden Holtby 18 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
NY Rangers
|
20 |
2 |
0-2 |
1-2 |
4 |
25 |
Washington
|
26 |
3 |
1-2 |
2-2 |
4 |
30 |
Upcoming Games
-
Washington will play their next game on the road against NY Rangers. The Capitals have a W/L % of .524 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
NY Rangers will play their next game at home against Washington. The Rangers have a W/L % of .627 after a win and .613 after a loss.