The third period may have been a bit chippy on the ice, but at no point were the hometown Capitals truly challenegd in maintaining their 2-0 second period lead. The Capitals won Game 2 of the Eastern Conference 2011 NHL Playoffs first-round series, and head to New York in complete control.
The Rangers showed much more fight in the third period, mainly led by all-world irritant Sean Avery, but all that extra effort still did not translate into legitimate scoring chances. Washington goaltender Michael Neuvirth only faced 22 shots the entire game, and just six total in the third period.
Game Three is Sunday at 3 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. If Washington wins that one, Capitals fans might really have something to get excited about in May for once.
A few key stats for Caps fans: the Rangers have now fallen behind 2-0 for the 25th time in a playoff series, and are 0-25 all time in such situations. Oh yeah, it's also the 17th time that they've fallen behind 2-0 in a playoff series by losing the first two games on the road. Their record in those series? You guessed it, 0-17. I think you see what I'm saying.
I'd say more, but Avery threw my laptop into the wall for no reason.