It took the New York Rangers almost 41 minutes before they were able to solve Martin Brodeur. However, when Dan Girardi’s slap shot from the blue line beat Brodeur 53 seconds into the third period, the Garden faithful rained down choruses of the sing-song chant of “Maaarty! Maaarty!”

After the first period, you just got the feeling that the two teams were already playing overtime hockey because it seemed the teams were playing a version of “next goal wins” – a feeling that Devils Coach Peter DeBoer shared.

“I think whoever was going to score first tonight was going to win and they threw a point shot at the net that found a way through,” DeBoer admitted to Tom Gulitti of The Record. “We threw a lot of those at the net, too, and didn’t find one through. So that was the story of the game. And we’ve been in this spot before. We were down 1-0 to Philly and we know how to handle this.”

That is the precise reason why the Rangers need to step up their play in Game 2. During a playoff run where the Blueshirts have done everything the hard way, they can do themselves – and their fans – a big favor by jumping out to a two games to none lead.

The Blueshirts need to stay focused and continue to play their game and find a way to increase the urgency they showed in Game 1 – minus the adrenalin rush – because the Devils sure will try to find a way to increase their urgency while holding on to their style of play.

“They get a goal and all of a sudden we change our game a little bit,” Patrik Elias responded to Gulitti. “We can’t do that. We have to learn from this game tonight. It doesn’t matter what happens out there. We have to stay with our game.”

The fact that Girardi was the one who put the Rangers ahead for good was a little poetic justice given how much he struggled during the first two periods. So much so that Coach John Tortorella benched him for about six minutes in the rocky second period.

“It wasn’t our best two periods,” Girardi told Dave Lozo of NHL.com. “We had to just go hard, play our style of game and work hard on the forecheck and it worked out for us. I saw (Kreider) coming up the wall there and I was delaying to see what he was going to do. I saw no one got to the point and I kind of stepped into it and got it through.”

Speaking of Kreider, how many people reflected back to his goal in Game 1 of the Washington series? Both shots featured a quick release, a laser shot with a goal scorer’s accuracy and touch.

Ryan McDonagh, who stepped up to save the Rangers’ bacon with a couple of great defensive recoveries, spoke about Kreider.

“It’s awesome. He’s got a lethal shot and if he gets a second to get it off, scary things can happen,” McDonagh told Rick Carpiniello of the Journal News. We just told him to keep moving his feet and keep moving his legs and get in on the forecheck. Him and Hags (Carl Hagelin) are key guys for us and it’s great for him to score that goal.”

For his part, Kreider has his priorities straight and realizes what he needs to do to stay in Coach John Tortorella’s good graces.

“I’m learning some things that are obviously important,” Kreider said to Mike Sielski of the Wall Street Journal. “I made several mistakes tonight, miscues in the defensive zone. I’ll have to look at the [video] tape.”

For all of Girardi’s and Kreider’s heroics, it might have been for naught if Henrik Lundqvist did not channel his inner Mike Richter about five minutes into the second period.

“Hank is huge for us back there,” Girardi told Ira Podell of the Associated Press. “We were struggling a little bit in our defensive zone and he was there to bail us out. That’s what happened. He made some big saves, and in the third period we came out hard and got a couple of goals for him.”

With the Rangers on the power play, Lundqvist made three rapid-fire saves on Zach Parise to maintain the scoreless tie – similar to Richter’s flurry of saves in the Stanley Cup Finals in Vancouver.

“I saw him coming across,” Parise told Rich Chere of the star-Ledger. “I tried to go five-hole the first time. It felt like the puck just kept coming back to me and he was able to make the saves. He covers the low part of the ice real well. When you get in tight he challenges and there’s not a lot of room. I was just trying to chip one over him. T here was still a lot of hockey after that.”

On a personal note, last night represented to my first appearance at the Garden for a playoff game since 1996. After witnessing the entire Stanley Cup run in 1994, and then facing such a long “playoff layoff”, you tend to forget just how loud and crazy MSG can be in the playoffs.

Of course, the way NBC tends to pot down the crowd noise does not do the television viewer any favors when it comes to capturing the atmosphere when the Garden crowd is loud and proud – as they were during the “Maaarty! Maaarty” chants.

As great as it was to be at the Garden, it was even better to have the opportunity to take my wife Roe to her first playoff game. Talk about a kid in a candy store! As a veteran diehard Ranger fan for over 40 years, it really is cool to experience the game through her eyes. Between that experience and not having to endure Pierre McGuire, it was certainly money well spent.

It was kind of interesting checking out the Devils’ fans lamenting the delay of game penalty that was not called on Michael Del Zotto behind the Rangers net prior to the rush that set up Kreider’s goal.

Since we were sitting in the corner of that end of the ice, yeah, the Rangers probably did get away with a penalty. Then again, I didn’t hear or read those fans complaining about the couple of phantom hooking calls that went against the Rangers. Besides, Karl Alzner made a career out pulling the puck under him during the Capital series.

Or as Roe said, “Tell them to build a bridge and get over it.”

It is great to see how the Rangers are embracing Tortorella’s mantra that being tired is an option for the Blueshirts.

“There’s no excuse to be tired and that doesn’t matter to us,” Girardi related to Gross. “It might be better for us to come back and play another game instead of sitting around trying to think about it. They came out hard and were fresh and I thought we did a good job trying to match their intensity. I thought we had a good third period and got the job done.”

During my research for this recap, I came across the following anecdote on how the Rangers changed their scouting ways that was relayed by Mike Sielski of the Wall Street Journal.

“During a meeting of the Rangers’ scouting staff a few years ago, according to Gordie Clark, the team’s vice president of player personnel, general manager Glen Sather emphasized the need for NHL franchises to target players with exceptional speed. From scoring to checking to retrieving the puck, swiftness was becoming a treasured commodity in the game, and Sather’s recommendation, Clark said, in part led the Rangers to draft both Hagelin and Kreider.

‘I ask my scouts to do so much background checking now because the city can be a monster,’ he said, ‘and we have to make sure when we’re bringing somebody in here that they can handle it.’”

Only time will tell how the sixth Battle of the Hudson will end. The first two playoff meetings between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils were seven game battles while the last three series have not gone past five games.

The hockey stars have aligned as the Rangers and Devils meet in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since that legendary 1994 showdown that featured a trio of double overtime games – the last of which was won on Stephane Matteau’s signature goal.

Depending on how long this series goes, there will be a chance that karma or revenge rears its head. Game 6 will be played on the same date is Game 6 in 1994 (May 25) when Mark Messier willed the Rangers to victory. Game 7 is also set for the same date (May 27) as the Rangers thrilling series clinching win.

Ranger fans have become accustomed to the Rangers winning Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Prior to 1992, that was not the case. The Rangers first Game 7 victory came against the Devils in 1992 in the first of the five playoff meetings.

Interestingly, the epic 1994 series was the first Eastern Conference Finals that did not feature either the Boston Bruins or Montreal Canadiens since 1985 when the Philadelphia Flyers eliminated the Quebec Nordiques.

The 1997 series featured the end of an era as it would mark the final playoff appearance for the Rangers until the first post-lockout season of 2005-2006 when the Devils swept the Rangers as Martin Brodeur bested Henrik Lundqvist in three of the games.

The 2008 series was infamous for Sean Avery’s unique screening tactic where he turned his back on the play to “face guard” Brodeur – and thus initiating the “Avery Rule” that made that play a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That series also saw the Devils lose all three games at home.

The 2012 version of the Battle of Hudson features two of the best goaltenders to strap on the pads – both of whom are at different points of their careers.

The 40-year-old Brodeur is nearing the end to a Hall of Fame career while Henrik Lundqvist is playing as well as he ever has in his seven year career. Prior to Lundqvist’s NHL debut, Brodeur’s Devils dominated the series. While the Rangers eventually became a better team by the time Lundqvist joined the Blueshirts, it is no coincidence that The King and his play has tipped the rivalry the Rangers way.

In 34 regular season games against Brodeur and the Devils, Lundqvist is 23-6-5 with a 1.73 goals-against average and .935 save percentage, plus five shutouts. During 2011-2012, Lundqvist was 3-2 with a 1.41 GAA and a .937 SV% against the Devils.

Interestingly enough, Lundqvist’s regular season numbers are close to his numbers in the playoffs – a 1.68 GAA and a .937 SV%.

Mike Rupp offered his perspective on the Rangers-Devils rivalry.

“I think it is a rivalry of territory in this area. I remember being on the other side and, in the playoffs there would be more [Rangers] jerseys than [Devils jerseys]. It was the kind of things that made you hate them more.”

Rupp is not the only player who has witnessed the rivalry from both sides. Petr Sykora played 40 games for the Rangers and was a member of the 2006 team that was swept by the Devils.

Two other Devils were drafted by the Rangers, but never played in the NHL with them. Marek Zidlicky (#176 in 2001) came close, but wanted a one-way contract. He was eventually dealt away to Nashville along with Tomas Kloucek and Rem Murray in exchange for Mike Dunham in December 2002. Eric Boulton (#234 in 1994) played a couple of minor league years in the Rangers system before making the NHL with Buffalo in 2000-2001.

After a regular season series that featured 11 fights, it is no surprise that there is some bad blood between the two teams.

“I’m sure the hatred will be there right from the start, so I think just keep it focused on what you need to do on the ice and not get too wrapped up in losing your emotions and letting them get away from you,” Marc Staal said to Colin Stephenson of NJ.com.

For their part, the Devils realized that their path to the Stanley Cup Finals would run down Broadway.

“You kind of got the sense that we were going to run into them sooner or later if we kept winning,” Captain Zach Parise admitted to Rich Chere of NJ.com. “It will be exciting. It’s going to get a lot of local media attention. Having played in two series against them, it’s hyped-up pretty good. The atmosphere in both buildings is great, so we’re looking forward to it. We’ll be prepared.”

So, should fans be prepared for more gong show type antics during the series?

“I said earlier this is going to be decided by the guys with the skates on and on the ice,” Coach Peter DeBoer said to Tom Gulitti of The Record. “It’s not going to be decided, in my mind, behind the bench, or in a coach’s room. You get to this point of the year, the final four teams are all well-schooled in the X’s and O’s and the system and the strategy. It comes down to will and some bounces and some health and that’s all decided inside the boards, not behind the benches.”

As you might expect, Rangers Coach John Tortorella is trying to downplay the circus-like atmosphere that is sure to grip this series.

“We talk about being one of the four teams playing, (the players) need to embrace that because it’s hard to get there,” Tortorella explained during Sunday’s post-practice press conference. “So I want them to embrace that. But I just hope the team is not too interested in getting caught up in all the sideshows as far as Jersey-New York Rangers. I think it’s great for the area, don’t get me wrong, but we have to concentrate on who we are and what we have to do to win some hockey games.”

It is no surprise that Patrik Elias (2-3-5) Ilya Kovalchuk (2-2-4), Petr Sykora (1-3-4), and Z Parise (1-2-3) were among the leading scorer for the Devils during the regular season. The fact that former tough guy David Clarkson (3-1-4) was New Jersey’s leading goal scorer is a surprise.

Speaking of surprises, it is hard to believe that Carl Hagelin is the leading scorer in the series during the regular season with two goals and six assists. Derek Stepan (2-4-6), Marian Gaborik (2-3-5), and Ryan Callahan (1-3-4) were among the Rangers leading scorers. Noticeably absent is Brad Richards who only registered a pair of assists.

As far as the game itself, the Rangers must remember that worked so well against Braden Holtby and Craig Anderson are the things that need to do against Brodeur. They will need to work to get shots on a goal and make a concerted effort to get traffic on front of Brodeur.

The key to that will be finding a fine line between getting in Brodeur’s head and crossing the line and taking penalties because Marty does have the reputation for attempting to draw penalties at the first hint of contact.

Another thing the Rangers need to remember that Brodeur can be vulnerable at times on plays that develop from behind the net – whether they are passes to the slot or wraparound attempts like Matteau’s winner in 1994 and Adam Graves’ winner in 1997.

The Rangers will need to correct some other offensive tendencies in order produce more offense in this series. While the Devils penalty killing was superb during the regular season, they struggled during the playoffs allowing 12 goals in 12 games (although most of those were against Florida). As a result, the Rangers sputtering power play might be able to make a difference.

On the attack, the Rangers have to use more of the middle of the ice. Far too many times during the first series, Ranger forwards veered towards the boars rather than attack down the middle. By drifting to the boards, the Blueshirts limit their offensive options.
The Devils defense does not feature top offensive threats like Erik Karlsson, Sergei Gonchar, Mike Green and Roman Hamrlik. With that said, the Rangers need to be very active on their forecheck and put pressure on the Devils workman-like blueliners.

Conversely, the Devils are going to try and do the same thing to the Rangers in terms of getting in on the forecheck. It will remain to be seen if they will take a page out Washington’s playbook and attempt to beat the Rangers with long breakout passes.

You can bet that the Devils are going to be prepared for the Rangers shot blocking, something they worked on during the regular season according to Gulitti who wrote on his Fire & Ice Blog, “One of the points the Devils discussed after that 2-0 Feb. 27 loss was getting the puck back to the point men and making sure they stay out near the blue line and aren’t sucked in closer to the net – creating less space to move the puck and making it easier for the Rangers’ forwards sit back to block shots and help out defensively.”

The Capitals’ sustained surges in the Rangers zone were keyed by the Capitals ability to take advantage of their open defensemen at the point.

Much has been made about the Rangers having to face a quick series turnaround for the second time in the playoffs. Unlike Washington who also faced a seven-game first round battle, the devils are a rested team.

The question for Game is will the Devils be able to shake off the rust or will the Rangers be a tired team?

Lundqvist sees the merit on both theories.

“You can look at it in so many different ways,” Lundqvist said to Andrew Gross of The Record. “Of course we’re going to say it’s good for us, they’re going to say it’s great for them because they got some rest in the long run. But I think for us it is good. We’re in it right now. We don’t overthink anything, we’re just going to go out and keep playing the way we’ve been playing lately and I think the more time you spend just waiting to play, I think maybe you tend to overthink things.

If Tortorella has anything to say about the subject, it will be the Devils rust that plays a part because he will not accept any excused from his team.

“I don’t want to hear players saying they’re tired right now. If we are tired right now, then we don’t have the right mindset as far as what you have to do. This is why we give our team rest during the year,” Tortorella stated.

For what it is worth, Barry Melrose of the NHL Network appears ready to jump on the Blueshirts’ bandwagon.

“For the Devils to win, Marty has to be great. When I watched the Rangers tonight, if they can put four or five of these games together, I don’t know if anyone can beat them.”

Reflecting back on 1994 Adam Graves told the AP, “It was a different game back then. I just remember how much of a war it was and how you had to fight for every inch, and the battles in front of the net. I can remember, physically, how taxing it was going against guys like [Ken] Daneyko and [Scott] Stevens and just the battles in the corner.”

It might be a different game now, but this series should mirror 1994 in intensity, passion and overall physical play.

The Rangers fought long and hard during the regular season to secure home ice in any seventh and deciding games. It paid off during the first two rounds against the Senators and the Capitals, and it will pay off again against the Devils. The pick is the Rangers in seven.

With all apologies to Brad Richards and the rest of the team, when the New York Rangers needed Henrik Lundqvist to be the best player on the ice he was in Game 7. As a result the Rangers return to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 1997 with yet another Battle of the Hudson looming against the New Jersey Devils.

There will be time enough to dissect the Rangers-Devils series. For now the focus is on The King.

“We had chances, but their goalie played outstanding tonight and he made some unbelievable saves tonight,” Hamrlik admitted to Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times. “That was the big difference in the game.”

While Braden Holtby, who did not play second fiddle to anyone in this series, made more saves, it was Lundqvist who, as he has done far too many times in his seven year career, had to bail out his teammates.

“The weakest part of our game was that five or six minute stretch where Hank made a couple of great saves and gave us an opportunity to stay in it,” Coach John Tortorella said after the game.

While Lundqvist was at his Vezina and Hart trophies best, the Rangers Game 7 win was a total team effort as the Blueshirts played with a controlled urgency, passion and desperation that was missing in Game 6.

They also learned the lesson and necessity of playing to win, as opposed to playing not to lose. Rather than sit back and hunker down into a defensive shell, the Rangers continued to push forward – a fact not lost on their coach.

“I thought that was the most aggressive we’ve been in the third period in quite a while,” Tortorella said. “I thought we took time and space away.”

Game 7 was a mirror of Game 6 with one minor exception; it was the Rangers who jumped out to the early lead with Brad Richards scoring just 92 seconds into the game. It was a lead the Rangers would not relinquish as the team that scored the first goal won every game in the series.

“They got a lead in the beginning and then they just controlled the game,” Nicklas Backstrom said to Katie Carrera of the Washington Post. “We were trying to score and we had a lot of possession, especially in the second period, but we couldn’t get any real opportunities.”

Despite the lead, you knew the Washington Capitals were not going go gently into that good night. They eventually recovered and responded with a stretch of play in the second period when it seemed like the Rangers were shorthanded given the Capitals’ surges.

“They were coming hard” Lundqvist said to Tarik el-Bashir of the Washington Post. “We talked about it going into this game, that there will be moments when we have success and we need to capitalize when we have that stretch. The same with them; they are going to have minutes where they are just going to come hard and we need to make sure we don’t get hurt.”

As they have so often during the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Rangers weathered their opponents’ offensive storm. However, unlike most of their games, the Rangers would eventually break through and extend their lead to two goals when Michael Del Zotto ripped a shot past Holtby.

“[Del Zotto] has been probably our most consistent [defenseman] throughout the playoffs as far as joining the rush. He’s gone through quite a process in the last year,” Tortorella. However, the coach did throw a zinger Del Zotto’s way when he joked how the blueliner has had problems getting his shots on goal.

Needless to say, the Rangers were not going to deny their fans a chance to sweat out the closing minutes as Hamrlik’s screened shot found its way past Lundqvist with 9:17 left in the third period.

“They are going to have minutes where they are just going to come hard and we need to make sure we don’t get hurt,” Lundqvist said to Whyno. “For me, there, I just try to stay focused and I know we are going to take it over sooner or later.”

With Ruslan Fedotenko in the penalty box for a delay of game penalty, Brian Boyle’s shorthanded goal extended the Rangers lead back to two goals. Well, Boyle’s shorthanded goal SHOULD have extended the lead back to two goals, but referee Dan O’Rourke inexplicably whistled the play dead.

You have to wonder if Brendan Shanahan has one of those Buffalo Wild Wing buzzers in his office, or does he just telepathically “speak” to the referees?

The Rangers ended up playing the perfect Game 7 home game. Tortorella used the last line change to control the matchups and the players executed a smart game play of limiting Alexander Ovechkin’ space. The big guy shook loose for just two shots as the Capitals Big Four was limited to zero points and nine shots – including a spectacular save Lundqvist made on Alexander Semin about five minutes into the second period.

Barry Melrose of the NHL Network, and not a big fan of the Rangers, was effusive in his praise of the Rangers following Game 7 – despite picking Washington win.

“I thought the Rangers dominated. I thought the score flattered Washington. The Rangers won every battle – they looked like they wanted to win more,” Melrose said following the game.

On a couple of occasions, Dan Daly of the Washington Times has written that the Capitals were just 7.6 seconds away from winning the series. The problem with that belief is that you are assuming that a Capitals win in Game 5 would have led to the same outcome in Game 6 – and that is something you just can’t do.

The roles heading into Game 6 would have been reversed and we have no idea how the Rangers would have played in a “must-win” Game 6 or how the Capitals would have played with the pressure of trying to close out the series at home.

As a Rangers fan, I have played the “What if” game many times in my head and all that does is lead to even more frustration at what might have been.

While everyone is looking forward to another edition of the Battle of the Hudson, Coach Tortorella is not going to be dragged into the eventual tabloid battle that is forthcoming.

“You guys can make your stories about the Devils and Rangers, and I know you’re going to do it for the next couple of weeks,” Tortorella roared. “Don’t include mw in it. We are going to worry about the New York Rangers.”

While he did he offer that preemptive strike at the media circus that is to come, Tortorella did let his guard down to offer some insight into the continuing transformation his team is undergoing during the regular season and the playoffs.

“You learn about a lot of the players [in the playoffs]. To me, we are still in the middle of the process of the New York Rangers trying to become one of the elite teams,” Tortorella explained.

“This is a tremendous experience for us, to be able to play two game sevens in the first two rounds. For a young group of guys, it’s a tremendous experience. This is where your legacy is made.”

For the Rangers and their fans, the hope is that legacy has two more (successful) playoff rounds to go.

By any means necessary. That represents the mindset the New York Rangers must take in their seventh and deciding game against the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.

We already know that the Rangers are able to risk life and limb to block shots, but they have to be willing to adopt a similar attitude when it comes to the offensive end of the ice. The bottom line is the Rangers must create more traffic and havoc in front of Braden Holtby and they need to find a way to keep him as busy as possible.

“We have to definitely get more shots [on goal] with bodies in front of [Holtby],” Captain Ryan Callahan said following practice on Friday. “They’re blocking a lot of shots so we have to make sure we get shots through.”

The last two goals of Wednesday night’s game exemplifies the type of play Callahan is speaking about. The key for the Rangers forwards is going to the top of the crease and staying there rather than drifting past it to the side of the net.

Because the NHL playoffs can be such a marathon, teams have to find a way to remain on an even-keel for as long as possible. Teams can’t get too high after wins or too low after losses, no matter how emotional or devastating they might be. Championship teams develop a killer instinct as the playoffs evolve.

Rangers Coach John Tortorella knows that Saturday’s game is special, but his team is not going to change its mentality.

“I know Game 7 isn’t just [another] game, but we don’t change the way we do things. As we’ve done before, we go about our business,” Tortorella related. “We’ll be ready to play.”

Prior to NBC Sports Network’s Game 5 broadcast, Ed Olczyk said the Capitals needed to have “a short-term memory” in reference to their Game 4 overtime loss.

Entering Game 7, the Rangers need to remember how they never seemed to be able to recover from their slow start.

Being ready to play means coming out with a strong start to the first period, unlike their Game 6 effort. The first goal of the game has been the key for both teams in this series and in the playoffs. The Rangers are 6-2 when they score first and 1-4 when they don’t. The Capitals are 7-1 when they score first and 0-5 when they don’t. The team scoring the first goal in this series has won every game.

The Blueshirts easiest path to advancing rests on Henrik Lundqvist being the best player on the ice – especially given the Rangers troubles scoring goals. Unfortunately, history has not been kind to The King in these situations.

Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post reported that in four post-season elimination games against Washington, Lundqvist is 0-4 with a 3.95 goals against average and an .840 save percentage.

Of course, as great as Lundqvist can be, he is still going to need some help on the offensive end. In Game 5 we witnessed the way Alexander Ovechkin can impact the game when he is on.

While the Rangers do not have anyone with the combination of size and scoring, they do need Callahan, Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards to come to the front. They cannot continue to count on secondary scorers like they did in Game 7 against Ottawa.

Torts, and the Rangers as a whole, have to utilize their home ice advantage. Tortorella has the last change so he can keep Gaborik, Richards and Carl Hagelin away from the Capitals checking line while making sure Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi shadow Overchkin.

With their offense sputtering, the Rangers have to find ways to win the battle of the special teams. The Capitals are 5-2 in the playoffs when they score a power play goal.

The Rangers need to heed the strategy that the Capitals are using to beat them on the power play.

“The [Rangers] force hard, so you got to move the puck quick,” forward Keith Aucoin told Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post. “If you move the puck quick, you’ll get lanes to the net.”

With the Capitals forwards being so aggressive on the Rangers point men, the Blueshirts needs to counter that with movement – both of the puck and themselves. They also need to get a player at the top of the blue and they need to station a second forward in the high slot – like they did in overtime in Game 4.

The Rangers also need to follow Anton Stralman’s Game 4 actions on the first goal of the game. Stralman deked his way around a Capitals forward to avoid the blocked shot. Another thing they might want to try is walking the blue line like Marc Staal did on his overtime winner.

In the end, the Rangers have to find a way to match and exceed the urgency and desperation level they showed in Game 6. They need to reflect back on their effort in Games 6 and 7 against Ottawa.

Much has been made of the Capitals and Holtby’s playoff performances. As I wrote in my Game 6 recap, there are some hidden numbers that the media has not been so quick to toss around.

While much was made about the Capitals becoming the first NHL team to go 4-0 in games following playoff losses, no one mentions what the Capitals record is in the games following those wins. That is because Washington is 0-3 with Game 7 pending.

The other stat that is tossed around is how Holtby is 6-0 following Capitals’ losses. That is true, but it also means that he is 1-6 in the other games – including 1-4 following up those six wins.

There is one wildcard that could possibly be introduced in Game 7, Benjamin Hunter Holtby – the son of Braden Holtby and his fiancée on Thursday. Ranger fans have to hope that Holtby has his mind on his son rather than Game 7.

Given the way this series has gone, it will come to no surprise to see the teams play beyond 60 minutes without a winner coming through early on Sunday morning.

Somewhere in the Garden State, the New Jersey Devils are smiling today about the prospects of the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals having to play another 60 minutes (or beyond) in a seventh and deciding game. While the Capitals have no other choice, the Rangers let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers.

With a chance to finally make things easier on themselves in the playoffs, the Rangers played with a troublesome lack of urgency. While it is natural for Washington to be the more desperate team, for the first time in the playoffs I never really got the feeling the Rangers were ever really going to get into the game.

The Blueshirts did themselves no favors by taking a penalty just 73 seconds into the game. Anton Stralman’s tripping penalty was an omen for things to come as the Capitals looked to be a step or two faster and quicker than the Rangers. When Alexander Ovechkin found the seam in the Rangers penalty kill and converted on a one-timer 15 seconds later, the Blueshirts were back on their heels and never seemed to recover.

The Stralman penalty also shows how fine the line is between winning and losing. If Stralman is able to get a piece of the puck before taking down Jason Chimera, there might have been no penalty.

“I thought we regrouped in the first period – it took us a few minutes,” Rangers Coach John Tortorella explained after game. “It’s not the way we wanted to start.”

With all apologies to the coach, I don’t think the Rangers really did a good job regrouping. It wasn’t a matter of the Ovechkin goal taking the wind out of the Ranger sails; the team never seemed to unfurl their sails at all.

“We talked about coming out and starting well and then they get a goal right away on the power play and it kind of set the tone for the game, and from there it was just tough for us to get going,” Henrik Lundqvist lamented while speaking to Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post. “I think we all feel like we can do better and we have to do better.”

By the way, quick note to Pierre McGuire and the NBC announcers, you can pretty much beat any butterfly goaltender high to the glove side – especially one like Lundqvist who plays deep in the crease. Lundqvist has been in the league for seven years and everyone knows it so Olaf Kolzig and the Washington Capitals certainly did not break new ground.

Getting back to Game 6, that penalty and goal appeared to knock the Rangers off their game. As I mentioned, the Capitals were quicker on their breakouts and the Ranger forwards were slower than usual on their backcheck. As a result, the Rangers never ramped up their forecheck during the game.

NBC’s announcers made a point to gush over how Mike Green appeared to be fully recovered because he was playing so well. Green was playing so well because the Rangers were not getting in on the forecheck and hitting him and the other Capitals d-men.

As badly as the Rangers were playing, they had their chances to get back into the game – but their power play took yet another night off.

In Game 5, the Rangers power play was a game changer. In Game 6, the Rangers power play was a game killer – despite Dan Girardi’s assessment.

“I think at times our power play was actually pretty good,” Girardi explained to El-Bashir. “We had some good entries. We moved the puck around well. Obviously, we didn’t get one on the power play and they got one on theirs. It could have gone either way.”

No offense to Girardi, but what game was he watching? Despite Girardi being the only Ranger blueliner who seemed intent on adding to the offense, he couldn’t have been more wrong about the Rangers power play – and it was never more apparent than during the four-minute power play about midway through the second period.

Down two goals, the Blueshirts had the perfect opportunity to make up for their lackluster play with Jeff Halpern in the penalty box. You know that everyone in the Verizon Center was flashing back to Joel Ward’s double-minor that turned Game 5 around.

“Obviously, with what happened in Game 5 your first thought is negative,” Halpern admitted to Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times. “With a two-goal lead it could have been two bang-bang power play goals.”

Tortorella summed up the play of his power play unit, both during the four-minute power play and the other man advantages.

“It sucked,” was Torts retort.

Much has been made about Tortorella’s curt manner with the press during his post-game press conferences. Well, when you have guys ask why you only had one assistant on the bench – as someone did a couple of weeks ago – you can see why the coach gets a bit testy.

Last night, it happened again. One of the reporters basically asked him why he called the timeout prior to the Capitals getting their second goal. That would be the timeout the Rangers called because of icing after a long shirt. According to Rick Carpiniello of the Journal News, the question was not asked by some neophyte reporter. Instead, it was asked by a veteran Canadian hockey writer.

The urgency they showed on the power play at the end of Game 5 was nowhere to be found in Game 6. The one thing the NBC announcers did get correct was the Rangers inability/unwillingness to go to the front of the net and create traffic and deflections in front of Braden Holtby – both on the power play at even strength.

Holtby has proven that he is not a flash in the pan and long-range slapshots with no one in front of him (not at the side of the crease) is not going to beat him. You have to wonder if Holtby has gotten into the Rangers minds to the point where they feel they need a perfect shot to beat him.

The simple fact is they need to examine the last three goals they have scored to find a solution to their Holtby problem.

Setting aside the point of the game and the urgency exhibited, the Blueshirts last three goals can as a result of the Rangers getting bodies in front of Holtby so he can’t control rebounds (Richards’ goal) and they got bodies in front to set screens (Staal’s goal) and they got bodies in front for deflections (Gaborik’s goal).

You know things are going badly for the Rangers when their fourth line is their most consistent line. Heck, Ovechkin was more of a goal scoring threat when he got a shot off while sliding on his ass in the third period than the Rangers were for the entire game.

In the end, you have to give the Capitals credit. They were in a must-win game and played that way. The biggest key for them was their ability to extend their one-goal lead – something they did not do in Game 5.

Between now and Saturday night, the Rangers must figure out why they did not raise their intensity-level and why they were not able to match Washington’s urgency once they fell behind. If they are unable to do those two things in Game 7, the Rangers are doomed to repeat their 2009 playoff fate when they let a 3-1 series lead slip through their fingers.

Here is one point to ponder, one that you did not here NBC trumpeting last night. While much was made about the Capitals becoming the first NHL team to go 4-0 in games following playoff losses, no one mentions what the Capitals record is in the games following those wins. That is because Washington is 0-3 with Game 7 pending.

The other stat that is tossed around is how Holtby is 6-0 following Capitals’ losses. That is true, but it also means that he is 1-6 in the other games – including 1-4 following up those six wins.

The New York Rangers are very familiar with last second goals in the playoffs. Valeri Zelepukin scored with 7.7 seconds in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 1994. Chris Drury scored with, yep, 7.7 seconds left in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals – and eventually ended up signing a lucrative contract with the Rangers.

Last night the Game 5 last-seconds drama returned to Madison Square Garden; however, this time it was the Rangers turn to score as Brad Richards helped the Blueshirts snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as he nearly duplicated his game-winning goal at Phoenix.

“You have to believe you can do it,” Henrik Lundqvist admitted to Ira Podell of the Associated Press. “It was tough for us to get in front and create real good scoring chances, but we were shooting a lot and had a lot of energy. We definitely deserved this win. We worked so hard.”

While the difference in time between Richards’ tying goal and Marc Staal’s winning goal was only 1:42 on the scoreboard and about 25 minutes in real time, it seemed like an eternity for Ranger fans.

Last night’s game shows just how quickly a player’s fortune can change in the blink of an eye. Staal ends up the hero of a game where he could just as easily been one of its goats. It was Staal’s inability to corral a bouncing puck at the Capitals blue line that led to Mike Rupp’s penalty that led to John Carlson’s go-ahead goal.

Conversely, Joel Ward, who scored the game-winning goal in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins, becomes the goat of the game as his double-minor for high sticking paves the way for the Rangers two power play goals.

“It’s a game of inches. It happens pretty quick. We were a few seconds [away from] winning and it turned into an overtime and then a loss just like that,” Ward told Katie Carrera of the Washington Post. “It’s a little mentally disturbing for sure right now. It’s tough to be in that position when you’re letting the team down.”

After struggling woefully all night long on the power play, the Rangers finally connected on the power play when the urgency reached its height. We saw the Blueshirts not only get bodies in front of the net, but they actually managed to find a way to get shots on goal.

“We just kept trying to come at them,” Staal related to Podell. “It wasn’t a set play or anything off the draw. Just a good clean draw, and guys went to the net, and (Braden Holtby) couldn’t see it.”

It was that traffic and shot on goal that paid off in Staal’s winner. As Carrera wrote, the Capitals “lived by the blocked shot, died by the blocked shot”.

The Blueshirts need to find a way to carry the urgency they showed on their last two power plays over to the rest of their man advantage chances.

Rangers Coach John Tortorella broke the game down to its basic element in his post-game press conference. Torts said the key was each team’s inability to grab a two-goal lead. The Rangers had their chances up 1-0 as they outshot Washington 17-4.

The Capitals had their chances in the third period to go up 3-1, but didn’t capitalize (pun intended) – among the chances being Nicklas Backstrom hitting the cross bar at about the seven-minute mark.

“At the time you don’t realize how important those plays are,” Lundqvist said after the game. “Looking back at it now, every little play we made in the third obviously made a difference in the end.”

It should come as no surprise that neither team was able to get that elusive two-goal lead. Both teams have become masters of the one-goal game. Of Washington’s 12 playoff games, 11 of them have ended in one-goal decisions. The only one that didn’t was the Rangers Game 1 victory.

The Blueshirts are no shrinking violets when it comes to one-goal games either. Of their 12 playoff games, nine of them have been one-goal games and really for intents and purposes that figure should be 10 because Ottawa scored an empty net goal with 54 seconds left in their Game 5 win.

Those Ranger faithful who were resigned to the fact of having to repeat their Games 6 and 7 exploits against Ottawa can take solace that even The King shared those same thoughts.

“When it got to 10 seconds … I was already thinking about the next game, I’m going to be honest with you,” Lundqvist said to Larry Brooks of the NY Post. “Then it was from a low to a high in a second, and with only [6.6] seconds left, I’m glad I got the chance to regroup in the locker room during intermission and think about what I needed to do.”

The Rangers have to continue to win these types of games where they keep the Capitals Big Four off the scoreboard because the Brooks Laichs and John Carlsons of the world have a way of finding a way to score.

Kudos to Anton Stralman who finally figured out a way to beat the Capitals shot blocking. Rather than fire a shot into a Capitals defender, he faked Matt Hendricks, skated around and used Dennis Wideman as a screen on the first goal.

It was no coincidence that the Rangers second power play goal occurred with two men in front of Holtby. Artem Anisimov provided the main screen, but it was Derek Stepan at the hashmarks that forced the Washington forward to not aggressively attack Staal at the point.

In the playoffs, the Rangers need Henrik Lundqvist to be the best goaltender on the ice. In this series, that has not been the case through no fault of his own. That is how good Braden Holtby has been.

There is a reason why the Capitals are winning the battle of blocked shots 128-87 – the Rangers have been able to carry most of the play during the series. While Holtby has seen more shots, Lundqvist has probably had to make the bigger saves.

We have seen that momentum has not carried over from game-to-game in the Rangers first two series. After all, the Capitals bounced back from their heartbreaking triple overtime loss in Game 3. The question is can they do they respond to being 6.6 seconds away from having a chance to close out the Rangers in Game 6 at the Verizon Center.

Washington Coach Dale Hunter believes his team can continue to be the comeback kids who are 3-0 when following up an overtime loss in the playoffs.

“We’ve been resilient all year. Just come back and play a hockey game,” Hunter said in his post-game press conference. “The guys are going to come out and battle. That’s all you ask from your team is to go out and battle. We win at home, that’s what we need to do.”

Looking ahead to Game 6, pay close attention to the team that scores first. Washington is 6-1 when they score first and the Rangers are 7-2.

Also expect both teams to ratchet up their defensive coverage on faceoffs as four goals last night came off lost faceoffs.

You have to give Brendan Shanahan credit for one thing; he is consistent – consistently bad – but consistent nonetheless. Once again the NHL’s Director of Player Safety (and Chief Clerk and Bottlewasher) dropped a one-game suspension on Claude Giroux for his hit on New Jersey’s Dainius Zubrus.

In announcing the suspension, Shanahan referred to Giroux’s “late, reckless hit to the head”. Kind of like the one that Alexander Ovechkin delivered to Dan Girardi in Game 4 on Saturday. If you are trying to figure out what the difference was between the two hits, well, let’s just say that is the question at hand.

The funniest thing that has come out of the Ovechkin-Girardi play is how, all of a sudden, people are bringing up Girardi’s hit on Matt Hendricks. If you are trying to recall that hit, don’t fret if you can’t because no one ever gave it a second thought until the NHL needed a distraction to duck, dodge and deny an Ovechkin suspension.

In one way you have to feel bad for Giroux. The Flyers forward has put together a remarkable playoff run, but he has not reached the true rarified air of “superstar”. If he had, Giroux might have skated on a suspension like Ovechkin did and just like Shea Weber did.

As his custom, Shanahan explained his decision to suspend Giroux on the NHL’s official web site.

“This is a violation of the illegal check to the head rule which states: ‘A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head, where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact, is not permitted,” Shanahan reasoned.

I am sure Shanny would be quick to refer to that statement if you asked him about Carl Hagelin’s three-game suspension for his hit on Daniel Alfredsson.

However, how does Shanahan then let Ovechkin off without even a disciplinary hearing?

Oh yeah, that is right, Girardi was not hurt despite the fact that Ovechkin left his feet to deliver the head shot – the exact same action that caused Ovie to be suspended for three games in January. Yes, that is the same suspension that caused Ovechkin to pull out of the 2012 All-Star Game.

So we have a repeat offender in Ovechkin and there isn’t a paltry $2,500 fine. Chris Neil injured Brian Boyle with a head shot and he doesn’t warrant a disciplinary hearing or a slap-on-the-wrist fine.

If your head is spinning trying to figure out Shanahan’s actions, join the club.

Perhaps the NHL needs to do to Shanahan what they did with Colin Campbell once his son Gregory reached the NHL. Perhaps Shanahan should not be allowed to rule on any disciplinary actions involving one of his former teams. Therefore, someone else involved in the NHL’s executive offices would rule on any actions by a member of the Devils, Blues, Hurricanes (Whalers), and Rangers.

I know that is a bit harsh and doesn’t put Shanahan in the best light, but let’s face facts. I could understand and rationalize Shanahan’s decisions if it were only one or two “disciplinary actions” that went against the Rangers. However, when you reach three such decisions then something is rotten in Denmark and it ain’t the Limburger cheese.

You really have to wonder what an opponent would have to do to a Ranger in order to receive a suspension. I guess anything short of decapitation goes – and I am not too sure that Shanny would classify a Ranger decapitation as a “long-term injury”.

Enough about Shanahan because there is no way the Rangers are ever going to win this battle. You can’t fight City Hall and you can’t fight the National Hockley League.

Let’s take a quick minute to focus on Game 5 tonight at Madison Square Garden. The last thing the Rangers want to face is a repeat of the Ottawa series where they have to go on the road in Game 6 just to force a seventh and deciding game. This would be a good time for the Rangers to take the easy road for a change.

They key to that easy road will be scoring the first goal. The Washington Capitals are 6-1 when they score the first goal during the playoffs and 0-4 when they don’t.

Conversely, the Rangers are 6-2 when they score first and 0-3 when they don’t.

The one thing that we can take away from the New York Rangers 3-2 loss in Game 4 to the Washington Capitals is that momentum does not carry over from game to game. If that were the case, it would have been the Rangers who stormed the Verizon Center during the first period on Saturday afternoon.

Instead, it was Washington that carried the play during a first period that saw the Capitals outshoot the Rangers 14-3, and more importantly, lead the Rangers 1-0 on an Alexander Ovechkin shot that goaltender Henrik Lundqvist would love to have back.

You can also bet that rookie winger Chris Kreider wishes he could have a mulligan on the play that led to Ovechklin’s 40-foot slapshot. While the NBC announcers thought Kreider was looking to pass to Brian Boyle, it appeared that Kreider rushed the play because he was feeling pressure. Rather than take his time to work the puck along the boards, he went cross-ice with the puck.

Ovechkin’s goal went against the tenor of a series that has seen nine of the 12 previous goals scored from the low slot or in front of the net.

Two of the Capitals three Game 4 goals would be scored from the outside with only Nicklas Backstrom’s goal being the lone tally from the high-traffic area.

In my preview to Game 4, I wrote that the Rangers needed to win the special teams battle. Unfortunately for the Rangers and their fans, they lost that battle and ended up losing the war on Mike Green’s power play goal.

Washington is a tough team to defeat when their Big Four are going. On Saturday afternoon, three of the Big Four struck for goals and Alexander Semin was very active during the game.

It remains to be seen in the Big Four will get a chance to play a part in Game 5. It all depends on Brendan Shanahan and the NHL calling a disciplinary hearing for Ovechkin’s hit on Dan Girardi. There was no question that Ovechkin left his feet and that Girardi’s head was the first impact. Then again, it was pretty clear that Chris Neil deserved a suspension for his hit to Boyle’s head in the Ottawa series.

While Ovechkin will get the benefit of the (superstar) doubt, he is a repeat offender and was nailed with a three-game suspension for leaving his feet to hit Pittsburgh’s Zbynek Michalek in January.

It will be interesting to see how Shanahan and his minions spin their way out of suspending Ovechkin. In the end, Shanny will probably levy one of his patented $2,500 fines.

I am not a fortuneteller, nor do I play one on TV, but Shanahan will probably question exactly what the impact point of the hit was and will reference the fact that Girardi was not hurt. Of course, that goes contrary to his ruling on the Neil-Boyle hit, but the NHL’s Director of Player Safety (talk about oxymorons) never let the facts get in the way of a good explanation.

While the puck was at his feet, it did not appear that Ovechkin made a concerted effort to play the puck. To me, it seemed like he was more intent on delivering a big hit.

“It hit me in the head first,” Girardi told Andrew Gross of The Record. “I’m not the judge of that (whether or not it should have been more than a minor). You guys can make your comments about that. I don’t know, they called a penalty on it, that’s all I know.”

As you might expect, Ovechkin had a different opinion on the hit.

“I just missed the puck. I tried to kick the puck and I saw he was coming, so I just got to protect myself,” the Capitals captain said to Gross.

You have to admit that leaping and launching yourself at a player, and hitting him in the head, is an “interesting” way to protect oneself.

Ovechkin offered up another excuse, er explanation, to Lindsay Applebaum of the Washington Post.

“In the head?” No, I think it was the shoulder,” reasoned Ovechkin.

Washington Coach Dale Hunter called the hit “incidental contact”. Given his brutal attack on the Islanders Pierre Turgeon in 1993 (the one that got Hunter a 21-game suspension to start the next season), do we even need to be hearing from this jackwagon?

Also expect the media to ratchet up their attacks and sniping at Rangers Coach John Tortorella who set the land speed record for blowing off the media at the post-game press conference. It would not surprise me to see the NHL fine Torts and let Ovie skate.

Getting back to the game, both of the Rangers goals were scored from in front of the net with Artem Anisimov scoring one and assisting on the second. Anisimov picked Brooks Laich’s pocket while screening Braden Holtby and tied the game in the opening minutes of the second period.

Anisimov played a huge part in knotting the game as he raced in to win a loose puck behind the Capital net when icing was waved off. With the Washington defense easing off, Anisimov set up Marian Gaborik for a replay of his Game 3 winning goal.

I am not one to complain about penalties called or missed, but the third period was a microcosm of what is wrong with NHL officiating. If you look up the word inconsistency in the dictionary, you would see the picture of an NHL official.

While they whistled Carl Hagelin for the slashing and breaking a stick, the referees swallowed their whistles a couple of minutes earlier when Boyle’s stick was broken at the Capitals blue line.

The referees, and the linesmen for that matter, silenced their whistles after the Green goal when they missed Mike Knuble’s delay of the game when he batted the puck over the boards.

That might not have been such a big deal given the Rangers power play which has resorted back to its regular season ineptness. Gone is the quick passing puck movement and player movement. Back is the constant over-passing and indecision that stagnates the Blueshirts man advantage.

Even if they were moving the puck and looking to shoot, odds are the Capitals would have blocked the shot anyway. Washington dominated the shot blocking game 25-7.

If the Rangers are going to take anything out of their Game 4 loss is that they need to work harder at getting shots through to Holtby. If the Capitals are going to sell out to block shots, then the Rangers need to fake shots and look to move stickhandle into a better position.

One of the biggest culprits was Michael Del Zotto who had a couple of shots blocked in the closing minutes.

If you are fans of numbers, there are some interesting ones that came out of Game 4. First off, Holtby has not lost back-to-back games in his last 27 games. The Capitals have not lost two games in a row since March 22-23 when they lost a shootout to Philadelphia and an overtime game to Winnipeg.

The Capitals are now 3-0 in games following overtime losses in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Washington is 6-1 when they score first in the postseason.

For the second time in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs the New York Rangers have an opportunity to put a stranglehold on a series following an emotional Game 3 win. Henrik Lundqvist’s shutout over Ottawa was followed by their marathon victory over the Caps. While Game 4 on Saturday afternoon is not a “must-win” game, it sure can be classified as a “boy-it-would-be-really-nice-win” game.

The sooner the Rangers can wrap up this series, the sooner they can start healing up the bumps, bruises and lacerations that come with playoff hockey. It also gives Brandon Dubinsky and Mats Zuccarello some extra time to recover from the injuries that have kept them out of the lineup.

There has been a lot of discussion centering on does momentum carry over from one game to another. If this game had been played on Friday, we might have had a clearer insight into this debate. As it stands, Saturday’s game won’t settle the issue, but it will lend some insight into the psyches of both teams.

Capitals associate goaltending coach Olaf Kolzig shared his perspective of being on the losing end of a marathon overtime game.
“I haven’t been on the winning end of one of those, so I don’t know how it feels after you win one of those, but I know it’s pretty deflating after you lose,” Kolzig explained to Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times on Thursday.

“Just continue to play the same way. That’s all you can say. You’re going to have games like that. You’re going to have games where your team bails you out. It’s just keeping your emotions in check and playing with a steady level.”

Kolzig not only feels Braden Holtby’s pain, but can top it after suffering a quadruple overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1996.

For their part, the Capitals seemed to realize that what’s past is gone and the important thing for them is to focus on the task at hand.
“It’s a challenge,” Karl Alzner said when speaking to Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post following the Game 3 loss.

“But with the two days off, it’s a little easier to forget and focus on [Game 4]. “You replay it tonight; then tomorrow you got to forget about it. You can’t keep looking back on games. If you look back, then you’re going to be playing that game [all over again] in the next one. You have to look forward.”

Rangers Coach John Tortorella does not expect the Game 3 marathon to play any part in his team’s Game 4 performance.

“This is playoff hockey. It’s no big deal. They’ll be no problems with our club,” Torts stated during Thursday’s conference call.

I guess winning triple overtime games must agree with Tortorella because he was rather talkative, for him anyway during today’s talk with the media. In fact, he even drew some laughs from the writers in attendance.

When asked about whether Ryan Callahan is more of an on-ice leader or vocal guy, Tortorella responded, “He doesn’t say shit, really. What you see is what he is. It’s easy for people to talk – it’s more important for a leader to do.”

Elliotte Friedman of CBC.ca had an interesting take on why Tortorella seems to be so adversarial when dealing with the media of late.

Friedman wrote, “Convinced the edgier-than-ever John Tortorella media conferences have to do with his recent $20,000 fine. There were always things he wouldn’t discuss, but this is a new level. You could always find something he’d have a (great) opinion about.”

Looking ahead to Game 4, I have a few observations on things to be on the lookout for on Saturday afternoon.

First off, is there anything more annoying than that guy in Washington who blows that stupid plastic horn? Can’t the Rangers send John Scott over to that guy so he can hit him over the head every time “Dizzy Gillespie” put that horn to his lips?

Ottawa fans may be cool people and their “Alfie” chant was a classy move, but they have spawned a monster. First it was the Garden crowd doing a countdown to “Ovie sucks” and now the Verizon Center crows is doing their version of the countdown in support of their captain. Can we all agree to call a truce?

Now that those rants are over, let’s take a look at what might happen on the ice during Game 4.

We can expect to see the Rangers continue to activate their defense on offense. However, they must make sure that their forwards are paying attention and cover up for the pinching/rushing defensemen. That is especially the case if the Capitals are going to look to stretch passes on their breakouts in attempt to key breakaways and odd-man rushes.

The Rangers need to win the battle of the special teams. With offense at a premium, special team performance may very well decide this series. After scoring on their first man advantage, the Rangers forgot what they did on that power play – especially when they squandered the overtime power plays.

The Rangers have to find a way to get shots from the high traffic areas. Draw a rectangle from the hashmarks of the faceoff circle down to the goal line and this is where the Rangers need to concentrate their attack. Shots (on goal) from the point will be more effective with players stationed in this area.

They also need to stop playing on the perimeter so much. That goes for both the power play and even-strength. Far too often the Rangers attack veers off wide to the boards rather than directly at the defense down the middle of the ice.

I have noticed one bad habit that Brian Boyle has fallen into during some faceoffs. He has a tendency to bend so low that is practically toppling over. As a result, he does not have good balance and is slower to react if he loses the draw. That is what happened on the draw that cost the Rangers Game 2 against Ottawa.

One thing I noticed as overtime progressed was that Holtby seemed to be dropping into the butterfly a little quicker than normal. I am not sure if it was a natural reaction as the game dragged on or if I might have been imagining things.

One thing I am sure of is that when he dropped down he seemed to be jabbing at the puck with his glove rather than letting the shot come to him. It bears watching during Game 4 because it could be a rookie netminder getting a little anxious in goal.

Given the enormous amounts of ice time the Rangers top four defensemen saw, you can beat Washington will be ratcheting up their forecheck and looking to be very physical against the Blueshirt blueliners – especially given a comment made by their coach.

“They did play one guy too much. We basically played six D. …You just want to finish your checks on their D and hopefully tire them out,” Coach Dale Hunter said to El-Bashir.

I have one final piece of advice for the Rangers. Should they find themselves in overtime and they are pinned in their zone as they pass the midway point of the overtime period, merely ice the puck and take advantage of the mandatory ice maintenance break – just the Capitals did twice during Game 3.

Early this morning the New York Rangers settled all family business in respect to the streaks that have been haunting them. The Rangers triple overtime victory in Game 3 wiped clean two losing streaks: the seven game playoff overtime streak is history as is the five game playoff losing streak at the Verizon Center. Marian Gaborik’s game-winning goal at 12:15am ended a stretch f eight games without a goal.

I don’t think the Beatles had this game in mind when they recorded “A Hard Day’s Night”, but it sure became the anthem for Game 3. Quite honestly, the Rangers didn’t win the game – they survived it.

Henrik Lundqvist pretty much summed up the feeling for all Ranger fans.

“Usually when we score I’m so excited that I scream, but I was too tired for that,” The King explained to Larry Brooks of the NY Post. “I was just, ‘Oh My God, Oh My God, it’s over.’

“I felt like it was never going to end.”

Washington had their chances to continue the Rangers losing streaks as Alexander Ovechkin and Dennis Wideman each hit posts and Troy Brouwer missed the net when he was left alone about five minutes into the first overtime.

Of course, the Rangers had a chance to end it in double overtime, but Mike Rupp’s shot hit Brian Boyle’s backside as he was screening Braden Holtby. Overall, it was a tough night for Boyle who partially blocked a shot with his face and then had his other end nearly cost the Rangers a victory.

The only thing more fitting would have been to have played this game on April 29 – a date which features prominently in Rangers mystique – as mentioned by Andrew Gross of The Record.

In 1971, Pete Stemkowski’s goal at 1:29 of the third overtime sent the Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks to a seventh and deciding game. Interestingly enough, Stemmer won Game 1 with a goal just 1:37 into overtime.

On April 29, 2007, Michal Rozsival’s shot from the right point at 16:43 of double overtime proved to be the game-winner against Buffalo – the last time the Rangers had won a playoff overtime game prior to Game 3.

Last night’s/early this morning’s marathon was the losing game in Rangers history since March 21, 1939 when Mel Hill scored at 19:25 of the third overtime period as the Boston Bruins eliminated the Rangers in seven games. Hill earned his nickname, “Sudden Death” for his three overtime winners in that series. Hill also tallied a triple overtime winner in Game 1 of the series.

The Blueshirts did set a record during that series by becoming the first NHL team to force a seventh and deciding game after losing the first three games of a series.

The Capitals are not without their own overtime playoff history. Four times Washington has ventured into triple overtime or beyond and four times the Caps have come up losers. In addition, the Capitals lost all four of those series as well.

The main question to ask is how will both teams respond when they meet for Game 4 on Saturday afternoon?

The NHL did both teams a favor by adding an extra day off between Games 3 and 4. While it was done for television purposes, it turns out to be a blessing – especially for the Caps.

I am not a big believer in momentum carrying over from one game to another, but if Game 4 was scheduled for Friday I have to believe that the Rangers would have a big advantage. While key Rangers logged incredible amounts of ice time, the mental toll of losing a triple overtime game would weigh more on the Capitals then extra TOI on the Rangers.

Even though the extra day helps Washington in terms of putting the loss in perspective, I can’t say that I agree with their coach in terms of how he characterized Game 3.

“Both teams went through it. It’s a game where they both played the same minutes, same players, same game,” Coach Dale Hunter told Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times. “We’re always in the same boat. So it’s just another game then.”

Of course, it is easy for a veteran of the NHL wars like Hunter to take an even-keel approach. It is different among the players, especially the younger ones.

“That’s extremely, extremely disappointing,” Karl Alzner relayed to Katie Carrera of the Washington Post. “Whenever you lose in overtime it sucks, but when you lose in triple overtime it’s even worse. We had so many chances and they either blocked it or [Henrik] Lundqvist came up with the save, or we hit a post. That just makes it even more frustrating.”

Rangers Coach John Tortorella is going to have to rethink some of his lineup decision as we approach Game 4. He can’t afford to dress Stu Bickell if he is only going to give a token four or five minutes of ice time. If he does not have enough confidence to give Bickell 12-15 minutes of ice time, then he needs to find a defenseman who he trusts.

It doesn’t matter if that defenseman is Steve Eminger, Jeff Woywitka, Tim Erixon, Dylan McIlrath or even if they have to place Wade Redden on re-entry recall waivers, but the Rangers can’t have their sixth defenseman seeing less than four minutes in a game that goes 114 minutes.

When asked about the situation during the post-game press conference, Tortorella did not duck the question.

“You get into a situation where you ice Bick, and you just know this is going to go on for awhile, but it is an awful tough situation to put Bick into after he is sitting for awhile so we made the decision just to stay with the five [d-men],” Torts admitted.

If Bickell is going to continue to see reduced ice time, and Tortorella trusts no other blueliner in the organization, then the Rangers should call up the best faceoff man the Connecticut Whale have.

The need to use all 18 skaters at some points in the playoffs is a certainty given the way the playoffs become grind – especially the way the Rangers play. When you factor in the Capitals’ similar playing style, it becomes amplified.

That need grows exponentially more important when you get to overtime and beyond. The thing that makes NHL overtime hockey the best experience in sports also makes it the toughest. During overtime, there are no television timeouts. As a result, you have less opportunity to rest your stars so you have to rely on your entire roster.

It becomes amplified because of both team’s style of play.

“You look around the ice and probably half the players on the ice have blood on their jersey by the end of it. Some of our guys did; some of their guys did,” Brooks Laich said to Whyno. “It’s a grinding game. That’s the way it’s going to go.

One change the NHL needs to make is in reference to their overtime “mandatory ice maintenance” policy. The rule states after the first whistle after the 10-minute mark the ice is dry-scraped to remove the snow. Twice during the overtime periods, the Capitals iced the puck at that exact time.

The NHL needs to modify the rules so that teams do not get a chance to rest their tired skaters after icing the puck. Delay the maintenance until the next whistle if you must.

Looking ahead to Game 4 and the rest of the series, it sure would be nice if the Rangers didn’t continue to play such tight games. Outside of Game against Ottawa, the Rangers could have lost all the games they won and won all the games they lost.

A comfortable Rangers victory now and then would be a welcomed site because I am getting too old for this shtye.