Ward smiling after Derek Stepan tries punching him.
The Washington Capitals won game one at Madison Square Garden in surprisingly easy fashion– though it took a last-second goal to win. The first twenty minutes of game two have been way different.
But I’m an optimist, so let’s focus on the awesome things that happened in the first period first.
The Good
The Capitals’ best chance of the period was authored by Mike Green and his fan-supplied Stealth CNT. Look at this beautiful no-look pass he sent Ovechkin.
Ovechkin didn’t score, but that was nasty.
“We’ve done a good job with their first line so far,” Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault said to Pierre McGuire. “Except for that grade-A chance we gave Ovi there. We’re going to keep trying. They’re a great line.”
Another great moment was during a face-off. Jay Beagle won the draw clean, but the referee wanted a re-draw. So Mike Green took the puck and chucked it to the official. Instead, it hit a Rangers player in the stomach/balls area.
Green’s reaction. He’s like, “My bad, dude. My bad.”
You know what else was fantastic? Joel Ward taunting Derek Stepan during this scrum.
He’s smiling at him.
Braden Holtby made a save backwards.
GIF: one of Holtby's big saves late in the period pic.twitter.com/n025jvjaBH
— steph (@myregularface) May 2, 2015
And then that Tom Wilson sandwich hit…
The Bad
GIF: super slowed down look at Wilson hit. launched into it for sure pic.twitter.com/EVfPW9QEPM
— steph (@myregularface) May 2, 2015
Oh wait, that’s just the start of the bad. That was a dumb penalty. Tom, please don’t leave your feet and drive your elbow into someone’s head.
You know what else was bad? The Rangers scored 38 seconds into the period. That sucked.
GIF: Kreider goal, angle 2 pic.twitter.com/KSxaIqUq8R
— steph (@myregularface) May 2, 2015
The Rangers ended the Caps perfect penalty kill streak of 17 scoreless shorthanded sessions.
GIF: Dan Boyle scores the first power play goal against the Caps this post season, 2-0 Rangers pic.twitter.com/5auBiRXGJW
— steph (@myregularface) May 2, 2015
The Caps' perfect PK cracks on number 18.
— RMNB (@russianmachine) May 2, 2015
Ovechkin got put in a head lock.
GIF (requested): Kreider puts Ovi in a headlock pic.twitter.com/HG9KaKsIvx
— steph (@myregularface) May 2, 2015
And I’ve memorized the words of the Rangers goal song. So that period was not very fun.
🎵 DERRRRRRRRR DERRRRRRRRR DERRRRRRRR, DERRRRRRRRR DERRRRRRRRR DERRRRRRRR, DERRRRRRRRR DERRRRRRRRR DERRRRRRRR, HEY!…. HEY HEY HEY 🎵 #worst
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) May 2, 2015
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