Capitals head coach Spencer Carberry was encouraged by his team’s performance in Game 2 on Tuesday, despite the eventual loss and sending the Caps home in a 2-0 series hole. It seemed like it was done.
Giving Washington hope would be the riskiest thing the Rangers can do at this point in the series.
And as the scenery changes, so does the dynamic of the series.
It’s up to the Rangers to manage both if they want to advance to the second round of the playoffs early.
“We’re going home now. We’ll have a chance to take control of the game.” [Alex Ovechkin]” Carberry continued, dissecting the captain’s struggles more deeply than perhaps any other Capitals coach during Ovechkin’s 19-year NHL career. “He can turn it around. That’s the thing about Ovi, he can turn it around in one game and all of a sudden be the difference-maker and help us on the home ice and be a driving force in winning. You can do it.
“There’s no question that we’re in a difficult position to go home, but to be able to play on our home ice — and [MSG] I know it’s a great building to play on the road, but playing in Washington this year and coaching this team, there were some games where I was caught off guard by the building and the energy of the fan base. I’m looking forward to Game 3 back in our building, a playoff game, to see what it’s like.
“The same thing happened to this team.” [Tuesday night] — every mistake, every little thing that happened, every icing, every thing I said — I will fight to the end. We’re playing against the best team in the National Hockey League. I don’t think it will change in Game 3 or any other series. ”
It’s true, the Capitals never let the Rangers run away in Game 2. They probably avoided forcing overtime when anything could have happened with one call or a puck bounce.
The key for the Rangers will be to prevent Game 2 from becoming a springboard for the Capitals.
“I think it’s really important to go slowly,” Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette said on a conference call with reporters on the Rangers’ day off Wednesday. “We take it game by game. In terms of results, we don’t talk about things like that. We’re more focused on the process of making sure we’re trying to do the right thing. think.
“Offensively, defensively, areas where we can do better to improve our game, we’re just trying to get better within the series. They played a big game. [Tuesday night], it was definitely a more lively match, and I expected the same to come to their building. ”
Washington will make its final changes at Capital One Arena and will be able to take control of the game there. Even if Ovechkin isn’t ready for a better game, the challenge his coach has given him could make it possible.
Not only is the Capitals’ desperation likely to reach another level, but the change in environment will be a factor the Rangers will have to overcome.
How will Matt Lempe handle being the villain in the playoffs? How will Laviolette, who pushed all the right buttons and coached the two games in detail, have an impact in Games 3 and 4 without swaying the matchup? How can the Rangers as a whole feed off their energy in the face of crowd attack?
And Igor Shesterkin will likely receive the same treatment, as Garden tormented him by repeating Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren’s name.
The series changes to this weekend, but the Rangers can’t.
Their playoff fate depends on it.
