Associated Press
It wasn't easy, and after a home loss in Game 5, it almost wasn't likely. But the Eastern Conference's top-seeded team gutted out a big road win and then made it count Thursday night when the Rangers held off the Senators 2-1 in Game 7 to advance to the second round.
Defensemen Marc Staal and Dan Girardi scored 4:18 apart in the second period, Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves and the Rangers eliminated the eighth-seeded Senators -- completing a rally from a 3-2 hole after losing Game 5.
"We were talking about it in Ottawa that if we could bring it back here, the fans would be behind us," Girardi said. "The way we play all year got us ready for games like this. We came with a great effort (in Ottawa) and another one tonight."
Staal broke the scoreless deadlock, and Girardi gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead with his first career NHL playoff goal. Lundqvist allowed Daniel Alfredsson's power-play goal in the second but stood tall the rest of the way to send the Rangers into a second-round matchup with the seventh-seeded Washington Capitals.
The Rangers hadn't hosted a Game 7 since their Stanley Cup victory over Vancouver in 1994, but they stayed perfect at home in deciding games - winning their fourth. New York is 4-5 overall in Game 7, and the Senators dropped to 0-5.
Lundqvist withstood tons of pressure from the Senators, who spent most of the closing five minutes in the Rangers' end. The win wasn't secure until Sergei Gonchar tripped Carl Hagelin as he skated toward the empty net with 36.2 seconds remaining.
The Rangers rallied from a 3-2 series deficit for just the second time in team history, building off the momentum of its 3-2 victory in Ottawa on Monday night.
"It was a hard series against a very good team," Rangers coach John Tortorella said. "I thought both teams went toe to toe in all areas of the game. Sometimes the first round is the hardest round. That's all this is, one round. We found a way"
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STAT OF THE GAME
This was the first time in team history that the Rangers had multiple goals scored by defensemen in Game 7 of a playoff series. Prior to Thursday, only three Blueshirt defensemen had tallied a goal in a Game 7 –- Muzz Patrick (1939 Series A-Semifinals at Boston); Allan Stanley (1950 Stanley Cup Finals at Detroit); and Brian Leetch (three times; 1992 Division Semifinals vs. New Jersey, 1994 Conference Finals vs. New Jersey and 1994 Stanley Cup Finals vs. Vancouver). The Blueshirts’ win was also the first time since 1950 an NHL team won a Game 7 without having a forward score a goal in the contest. |
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| (selected by the local media) |
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| 1. Lundqvist |
2. Girardi |
3. Staal |
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Senators
Rangers
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