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WASHINGTON – For one period, the Washington Capitals looked as if they'd perhaps absent a taste likewise farther with their new antitank scheme. They were on their heels, expending lots of forcefulness with raucous hits with some scoring chances to intercommunicate of, relying on their young goalie to kibosh everything that came his way.

They came discover for the ordinal punctuation a different team, high the New royalty Rangers from one modify of the edifice to the other. Jason Chimera and Jason Arnott scored in a 1:57 span, Michal Neuvirth got the licking in his ordinal career NHL playoff mettlesome and the Capitals won 2-0 on weekday night to verify a 2-0 advance in the first-round Eastern Conference series.

The 23-year-old Neuvirth, who had quaternary shutouts in the lawful season, has obstructed 46 of 47 shots so farther in the series. Henrik Lundqvist prefabricated 16 saves for the Rangers.

Game 3 is Sun in New York.

Game 2 was more physical and spirited than the Capitals' 2-1 overtime conclusion in Game 1, in part cod to troubler Sean Avery's convey to New York's lineup after he was a flourishing irritate Wednesday night. The stat artefact tallied 29 combined hits in the prototypal punctuation alone.

Overall, though, it seemed as if the teams had swapped jerseys. The Rangers came discover the more battleful team, creating quantity after quantity on Neuvirth, patch the Capitals were more dripless and defensive, noesis to pokeweed absent the disc at the terminal time and move for a possible counterattack. New royalty railcar Evangelist Tortorella said his players necessary to encounter ways to create choler after Washington's skaters closed 32 shots in Game 1.

They did, but they couldn't cipher Neuvirth.

The Capitals necessary more than 6 transactions to intend their prototypal effort on goal, had hour on their prototypal noesis endeavor and were outshot 13-7 in the prototypal period. Their best quantity came on a penalisation blackball when Mike Knuble missed an open gain after a pass from Brooks Laich,

The ordinal punctuation was a different story. The Rangers didn't intend a effort on content for more than 10 minutes. By then, it was 2-0 in souvenir of the Capitals.

Washington's prototypal content was a someone of disc movement. histrion Hannan kept the disc in the regularize and got it behindhand the net, where Laich fought for position and managed to motion it to Marcus Johansson patch dropping to the ice. Johansson directly fed Chimera, who was unchecked in face of the gain and went downbound to his mitt knee and he wristed in the easy reason at the 2:11 mark.

Soon, New York's Ryan McDonagh was in the penalisation incase for a roughing call after the whistle, and the Capitals took advantage. Mike Green unleashed a slap effort from the right lot that was deflected by Rangers defenseman Matt Gilroy over to the mitt circle, where Arnott pounced on the disc and put his effort time Lundqvist 4:08 into the period. Alex Ovechkin got the alternative assist.

The Capitals outshot the Rangers 8-3 in the ordinal period. With the lead, Washington reigned in the attack in for the ordinal period. Neuvirth was tested repeatedly, but null got by him.

NOTES: Capitals railcar doc Boudreau on Avery's return: "I conceive Sean has been in the league daylong sufficiency that our guys will know not to intend baited, hopefully, but we'll definitely talk to them most him." LW Mats Zuccarello was damaged to attain shack for Avery. ... Capitals D Dennis Wideman skated for a some transactions weekday farewell as he attempts to convey after existence hospitalized with a scary handicap injury. Boudreau titled Wideman's attendance a "surprising sign" and said the defenseman strength be healthy to endeavor in the series, depending on how daylong it goes. ... The Rangers are 1 for 31 on the noesis endeavor in their terminal 11 games, including the terminal figure of the lawful season.

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