WASHINGTON -- Nobody in the New York Rangers dressing room ever said they were going to completely stymie the Washington Capitals' powerful offense. It would have been ludicrous even to think that.
The Rangers knew heading into Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series on Wednesday night that Alex Ovechkin and Co. were going to get chances and score some goals. However, they felt that if they were able to weather the storm, all could be well in the end.
That's exactly what happened in Game 1 as the Rangers stole home-ice advantage in the series by escaping a dreadful first period still locked in a scoreless tie and beating Washington 4-3 on Brandon Dubinsky's game-winner with 8:17 left in regulation.
Game 2 isn't until Saturday (NBC, 1 p.m. ET).
"That team is going to surge," Rangers coach John Tortorella said. "It's a matter of reclaiming your momentum with some simple plays, maybe your forecheck, holding on to the puck. It's not about scoring a goal right away. It's about getting your game back.
"Washington totally dominated the first period. The Caps held a 14-4 advantage in shots, a 16-11 advantage in hits and an 11-4 advantage in faceoffs. Ovechkin had 11 shot attempts, including six that went on net, and was credited with six hits. There were times when it seemed he was everywhere.
All that dominance didn't matter. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist kept the game scoreless.
"We knew as the game went on we would improve our game," said Lundqvist, who came up with 32 saves.
The Capitals were fearful of just that after coming away empty after the first period.
What's worse is Washington goalie Jose Theodore didn't get much action in the first period -- and he looked shaky in the second.
Caps' coach Bruce Boudreau said he didn't think about pulling Theodore during the second intermission even though he allowed three goals on 11 shots in the middle period -- not one of which was scored through a screen or off a deflection or a rebound -- because he didn't want to show any signs of panic.
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