Eastern Conference Semifinal: 1) New York Rangers VS. 7) Washington Capitals

Welcome to the post for the semifinal series between the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals. Please use this post as a reference for the entire series.

Game 1: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York. In goal: Henrik Lundqvist for New York; Braden Holtby for Washington. New York got things going in the second period as Artem Anisimov scored, thanks to Ruslan Fedotenko and Ryan McDonagh. Washington tied it with four seconds left in the period, as Jason Chimera potted his second of the postseason, with the help of Brooks Laich. The Rangers regained the lead in the third period with a Chris Kreider goal, his second of the playoffs, fueled by Derek Stepan. New York iced it at 3-1 on a Brad Richards goal, his third of the postseason, set up by Kreider and Marian Gaborik. The three stars were Kreider, Richards, and Fedotenko. New York leads the series 1-0.

Game 2: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York. In goal: Henrik Lundqvist for New York; Braden Holtby for Washington. Washington was first on the board with a Mike Knuble goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Keith Aucoin and Joel Ward. The Capitals extended the lead as Jason Chimera used half the Rangers on ice roster scored his third of the playoffs, via Matt Hendricks and Jay Beagle. New York got on the board late with a Brad Richards goal, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of Marian Gaborik and Michael Del Zotto. The Rangers tied it in the third period as Ryan Callahan scored his third of the playoffs on the power play with the help of Del Zotto and Richards. Washington took the lead again as Alex Ovechkin sniped his third of the postseason, a power play goal powered by Nicklas Backstrom. They held on to win 3-2, with Holtby (26 for 28 in saves), Del Zotto, and Ovechkin got the three stars, while Richards gets an honorable mention. The series is tied at 1 apiece.

Game 3: Verizon Center, Washington, District of Columbia. In goal: Braden Holtby for Washington; Henrik Lundqvist for New York. New York started things in the second period as Ryan Callahan netted his fourth of the postseason, a power play goal powered by Michael Del Zotto and Marian Gaborik. Washington tied it on a John Carlson goal, made possible by Alexander Semin and Karl Alzner. The Rangers won it 2-1 in the third overtime as Gaborik put away his second of the playoffs, with the help of Brad Richards and Dan Girardi. Gaborik, Lundqvist (45 for 46 in saves), and Holtby (47 for 49 in saves) got the three stars. New York regains a series lead at 2-1.

Game 4: Verizon Center, Washington, District of Columbia. In goal: Braden Holtby for Washington; Henrik Lundqvist for New York. Washington began with an unassisted Alex Ovechkin goal, his fourth of the postseason. New York tied it in the second period with Artem Anisimov scoring his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Dan Girardi and Brian Boyle. The Capitals got the lead back as Nicklas Backstrom sniped his second of the postseason, via Jason Chimera and Joel Ward. The Rangers tied it again on a Marian Gaborik tally, his third of the playoffs, coming off of Anisimov and Marc Staal. Washington regained the lead in the third period on a Mike Green power play goal, powered by Dennis Wideman as his second of the postseason. This was good for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Green, Backstrom, and Anisimov. The series is now tied at 2.

Game 5: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York. In goal: Henrik Lundqvist for New York; Braden Holtby for Washington. New York started off with an Anton Stralman goal, his third of the postseason, set up by Marc Staal and Derek Stepan. Washington tied it in the second period as Brooks Laich netted his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Alex Ovechkin and Troy Brouwer. The Capitals gained the lead in the third period with a John Carlson power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Dennis Wideman and Brouwer. The Rangers got an equalizer with eight seconds left in regulation, a Brad Richards power play goal guided in by Ryan Callahan and Michael Del Zotto as his fifth of the playoffs. New York won it 3-2 in overtime when Staal scored his second of the postseason, a power play goal with a lone John Mitchell assist. Staal, Richards, and Holtby (35 for 38 in saves) got the three stars, while Brouwer gets an honorable mention. New York now has a 3-2 series lead.

Game 6: Verizon Center, Washington, District of Columbia. In goal: Braden Holtby for Washington; Henrik Lundqvist for New York. Washington struck first as Alex Ovechkin netted his fifth of the postseason, a power play goal powered by Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green. The Capitals extended the lead in the second period on the fourth of the playoffs for Jason Chimera, via Backstrom and John Carlson. New York got one back late in the third period, a Marian Gaborik goal set up by Dan Girardi and Derek Stepan as his fourth of the postseason. The final stood at 2-1, with the three stars being Holtby (30 for 31 in saves), Ovechkin, and Chimera, while Backstrom gets an honorable mention. The series is pushed to game 7 as we are all tied at 3 games each.

Game 7: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York. In goal: Henrik Lundqvist for New York; Braden Holtby for Washington. New York opened with a Brad Richards goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Carl Hagelin and Michael Del Zotto. Del Zotto extended the Rangers lead in the third period on his second of the playoffs, fueled by Marian Gaborik and Hagelin. Washington got on the board as Roman Hamrlik scored, with the help of Brooks Laich and Jason Chimera. The Capitals couldn't get an equalizer, falling 2-1. The three stars belonged to Lundqvist (22 for 23 in saves), Richards, and Del Zotto, while Hagelin gets an honorable mention. The Rangers go on to face the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.