The New York Rangers continued their knack for survival in Game 7s when they eliminated the Washington Capitals with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The win marked the Blueshirts sixth straight Game 7 victory and extended the club's Game 7 record on MSG ice to 7-0 while its mark for winning elimination games on home ice improved to 10 straight contests.
It was also the 14th straight time that the team won a one-goal playoff game, including the final two Stanley Cup Final games last year and all 12 of their postseason matches this spring.
Derek Stepan scored at 11:24 of overtime to propel the Rangers into the Eastern Conference Final for the second straight season and the third time in the last four campaigns. Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning is slated for 1 p.m. ET Saturday back at MSG.
Here are seven heroes for the Rangers in Game 7.
7) Chris Kreider: While he didn't find the score sheet, Kreider made his physical presence known by collecting nine hits and also had one blocked shot in the win. Kreider also had one shot on goal and is the reason the Rangers season didn't end in Game 5 as he scored with less than two minutes left in the game with the Blueshirts on the brink of elimination and the team won in overtime.
6) Dan Girardi: Girardi logged 25:19 time on ice and kept the Capitals big guns at bay while taking four shots and adding three hits and one blocked shot. The defenseman also played 3:14 shorthanded and helped keep Washington's power play from scoring while he also had a takeaway in the game. Girardi had the primary assist on Stepan's game-winner.
5) Ryan McDonagh: Girardi's partner also had a fantastic game, logging a team-high 29:02 time on ice while adding six hits, three takeaways and one hit in the game. The Rangers captain, who coach Alain Vigneault told the media played "outstanding" in Game 7, had one shot on goal and a helper on New York's opening tally.
4) J.T. Miller: Miller had a huge game for the Rangers, as his beautiful pass in the second period set up the Blueshirts' first goal and helped them tie the game 1-1, eventually forcing overtime.
3) Kevin Hayes: The rookie looked like everything but a newbie in his first NHL Game 7, putting up two hits and a takeaway and scoring on a beautiful feed from Miller to tie the game 1-1 on the only shot he took on the evening.
2) Stepan: The young center has emerged as one of the leaders on the Rangers and he put that leadership to good use by placing his name in the history books, corralling a rebound and beating Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby in overtime to cement New York's 2-1 victory and 4-3 series win. Stepan had two shots and two blocked shots in the game.
1) Henrik Lundqvist: The King once again cemented his Game 7 legacy by improving his win streak in the win-or-go-home game to six. Even more astounding, he has allowed one goal or fewer in each of those triumphs. For the third straight year on May 13, Lundqvist turned aside 35 shots en route to a Game 7 victory. Lundqvist, who missed a lot of time in the middle of the season with a vascular injury, has allowed two or less goals in 10 of the team's 12 playoff games this spring. He improved to 14-3 with a 1.39 goals-against average, .956 save percentage and two shutouts in elimination games.
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