The Washington Capitals aren’t going to back down despite 2-0 series deficit to Rangers

The New York Rangers knew they would get a desperate effort from the Washington Capitals in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden.

And by all accounts, the Capitals came to play. They kept things close, but the Rangers skated out to a 4-3 victory to improve to 2-0 in the series. That was more like the effort most expected from the Caps, especially after playing must-win hockey against teams like the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders down the stretch.

Scoring the first goal of Tuesday night’s game was crucial for the Washington Capitals. 

“I think the first goal, especially on the road, is very important – in playoffs in general, if you can get that first goal – that means you got momentum on your side,” T.J. Oshie said before the game. “Playoff games are all about momentum shifting back and forth. The longer you can keep it – the better.”

The Capitals had as strong of a start to the game as they would have liked, but a couple of mistakes would end up costing them shortly.

“That’s the frustrating part, we’ve been so good in those situations all year,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said. “This is a whole different animal – playoffs, opponent, and all that stuff.”

To the Rangers’ credit, instead of letting the poor start affect them mentally, the group showed a ton of resilience. Vincent Trocheck was a big reason why. The veteran forward was the recipient of the 2024 Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, a fan vote for a Ranger that goes above and beyond the call of duty. Trocheck has been that X-Factor all year, and he got them going tonight a little less than three minutes after falling behind. 

His goal and assist in the first period helped uplift the team, while – along with linemates Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere – brought loads of energy.

“There’s going to be times that we go down in the playoffs, but we can’t let that affect the way you play your game – especially if it’s an early deficit,” Trocheck said.