New York Rangers Keep Season Alive, Force Game 6 In Washington

Photo Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Photo Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The New York Rangers were less than two minutes to have their season end in disappointment. Coming into the game, the Rangers were down in the semi-conference final series by 3-1 to the Washington Capitals. A silver lining for Rangers fans is that the Rangers have won their last eight home games in which they were facing elimination.

Proving to be ineffective for the first 57 minutes of the game, the Rangers were destined to alter the expected outcome of Game 5 in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Prior to the Rangers goal scoring, the Capitals took advantage of the impatient Rangers in the transition game, having a two-on-zero that resulted in a 1-0 lead for the Capitals. The goal came around ten minutes in the third period. Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby looked to shutout the Rangers for the second time this series.

Holtby has had a stellar series performance, thus far, and was looking to complete the series with a shutout, but the Rangers had other plans. Rangers forward Chris Kreider, in the final two minutes of regulation, evened the score with a one-timer off of Derek Stepan.

The Rangers were just removing goaltender Henrik Lundqvist from the net to provide a an extra man, with the result of an empty net, but that proved to be unnecessary as Kreider equalized the game. The resulting goal would force overtime action in Madison Square Garden.

As the overtime period loomed, the Rangers were showing their home crowd their immaculate patience. Derek Stepan had a one-on-one with Holtby, but decided to pass back to captain Ryan McDonagh for a one-timer into the net.

The Rangers will be heading to Washington in hopes to keep their season alive, yet again, in Game 6 of the series. The end result, for the Rangers and their fans, would be a Game 7 back in Madison Square Garden.

*Vine Credit: nyrangers and Everything Hockey.