Rangers Try to Ride Momentum into Game 2

Saturday afternoon marked a typical Rangers win, but in April, the wins count for much more. The blueshirts 3-1 victory over the Washington Capitals gave them a 1-0 series lead in the the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and set the tone for Monday's game 2 tilt. Despite only getting 14 shots on net, the Rangers capitilized when it counted, largely in part to veteran leadership, as well as the newest star on Broadway. Through the first round of the playoffs, Capitals goalie Braden Holtby virtually shut down the defending champion Boston Bruins, and carried the Caps into round 2. Yet, the rookie/late season fill-in was anything but remarkable on saturday. It has been said that he possibly could not find a rhythm, since he only faced 14 shots, but Holtby seemed shaky during the Rangers hot start. The blueshirts came out of the gates with their best start of the playoffs, but Washington took a page out of the Rangers books, and blocked a ton of shots. It was an Artem Anisimov wraparound in the 2nd period that give the Rangers a lead. Only to be erased with four seconds left in the 2nd by a great saucer pass from Brooks Laich to Jason Chimera that notched the game at one. Though things could have gotten much worse for the Rangers if it was not for the great job on the penalty kill by veteran Ruslan Fedotokeno. Fedotenko, a two-time Stanley Cup Winner, made three game changing plays during a 5-3 penalty, that kept the Rangers in the lead, and the Garden Crowd to their feet. The tension in the garden finally erupted seven minutes into the third, when rookie Chris Kreider bursted through the neutral zone and fired a rocket slapshot past Holtby. Kreider, six games into his NHL career, and two weeks removed from an NCAA National Championship, scored his second goal of the playoffs, and took New York City by storm. Kreider could possibily go on to be the "x-factor" in this series, as coach John Tortorella said he is the fastest player on the ice. Ninety seconds after Kreider's goal, it was the young gun making a play again, only this time with a strong pass along the boards to Brad Richards, who patiently skated in and scored between Holtby's pads. "Broadway" Brad proved once again why he was worth all the money the Rangers spent on him during free agency, as the former Conn Symthe winner is a playoff tested winner. The Rangers will need to come out with the same intenity again on Monday night, especially if they want to take a 2-0 advantage into Washington, something they could not do againt Ottawa. They must improve on their offense though, as 14 shots will not cut it in the NHL playoffs.

Boyle and Dubinsky - slideshow with music

Here is a clip of the Chris Neil hit on Brian Boyle that gave him a concussion.