No doubt, today’s game between the Rangers and the Capitals was one hell of a contest. After 2 mundane games, the Caps led the series 2-0 before the start of Game 3 and it was about time the Rangers brought their game back.
“If we get something good to happen to us, hopefully it goes through the team and allows them to play and feel good about themselves,” John Tortorella said to reporters before the game. “…It’s something you don’t map out, because it’s here [in your head], and no one knows what goes on there, not only individually but collectively. We’ve just got to stay within ourselves, and collectively stay with each other and try to get some good things to happen for us.”
Well they tried, and they succeeded. Good things were happening all over the place in today’s game. And the result? A Rangers win. A last minute (literally) goal by Dubinsky, won the game for New York at 3-2 and the Rangers finally skated off the ice with deserving smiles on their faces.
From broken sticks and injured referees, to disallowed goals and an incredible third period, this game was anything but mundane.
By Harrini Krishnan
Things got interesting late in the first period, after the Rangers get called for icing. The players, stuck with a lot of ice time, get a little tired and who comes to the rescue? None other than Sean Avery.
Say what you want about Avery. He’s a pest, a child, and a first class jerk. But he’s also a very smart, and talented team player.
Lined up for the faceoff, Avery’s stick snaps “inadvertently” buying his team a few seconds more to rest up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cheXHgP0b5c
Then, not 4 minutes into the second period, we have a referee down with a leg injury. The game gets delayed 10 minutes while ref Chris Rooney is guided off the ice.
Rooney skated backwards into the Capitals’ net, got tangled and tripped, stumbling down in pain. He got up and stumbled to the sideboards where he was helped by Rangers’ medical examiner and fellow ref. Close-up shots showed a red-faced referee biting his lip in pain. He was tended to by the Rangers’ medical staff before heading down the tunnel 3:44 into the second.
While waiting for backup ref Fredrick L’Ecuyer to come in, both teams left their benches to skate.
As if the game wasn’t alive enough already, the Rangers score a goal at the buzzer giving them a 2-1 lead. After the play went under review, the goal was disallowed and the perid came to a close. But if you look closely, the puck made it in with 0:01 on the clock.
Apparently, the officials were the only ones to not notice because even NHL.com thought it was a buzzer beater:
BUT the officials disagreed. In retrospect it really doesn’t matter, but still…
The Rangers may not have gotten that last goal, but they came back in the third period determined to win.
8 minutes into the period, Prospal cashes in rebound of Staal’s shot and the Rangers lead 2-1. But with Gaborik off the ice for cross-checking, Knuble gets in a powerplay goal to even the score 2-2.
Just when we thought this game would go into overtime, with 1:39 on the clock, Dubinsky puts one in the net and ends Game 3 bringing the Rangers back into the playoffs.
This is the kind of playoff energy we’d all been waiting for. Three games left in this round, and the Rangers make a comeback with a new lease on playoff life. If the Caps want to avoid getting bounced out of the playoffs in the first round again, they obviously need to step up their game too.