Green light for Caps in Game 2
Icy D-man nets winner as series shifts to N.Y.
WASHINGTON— Puck over glass. The New York Rangers don’t score.
Puck over glass. “Casual Mike” does.
The NHL’s black-and-white delayof-game rule found a grey area late in regulation, then tipped the balance of the game twice in overtime. The Washington Capitals held firm when they were a man down, then won it on Mike Green’s latest extratime winner, topping the Rangers 1-0 Saturday to take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
It’s the eighth career overtime goal — and first in the post-season — for the defenceman whose more wellknown nickname is “Game Over Green.”
“When it gets to overtime and guys start to get the shakes a little bit, he’s still calm Mike Green,” teammate Karl Alzner said. “So he’s able to find those goals. We call him ‘Casual Mike’ every now and then.”
Braden Holtby made 24 saves for his first career playoff shutout for the Capitals and has stopped 59 of 60 shots in the series. Game 3 is Monday in New York. Green got his chance because the Capitals’ power play — the best in the NHL during the regular season — finally returned to the ice thanks to the rule that sends a player to the box when he “shoots or bats” the puck “directly” over the glass while in his defensive zone. The Rangers had done a better job staying out of the box after taking too many minors in Game 1, but the officials had no choice when defenceman Ryan McDonagh clearly committed the error 7:09 into over-
“When it gets to overtime and guys start to get the shakes … he’s still calm.”
KARL ALZNER
ON GAME 2 HERO MIKE GREEN
time.
“Just got a little too under it,” McDonagh said.
On only their second man-advantage of the game — and first since the first period — Green nailed a one-timer from high in the slot on a feed from Mike Ribeiro precisely at the eight-minute mark of OT.
Contrast that with the New York power play that started 1:51 into OT, after Steve Oleksy was whistled for the over-the-glass miscue. The Rangers failed to get a shot on goal during their two minutes of 5-on-4 — or at any point in the extra period.
“It comes down to: They score on their power play and we don’t,” Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said.
New York also had a power play late in regulation after Troy Brouwer slashed Rick Nash. The Rangers went 0-for-3 on the power play for the game and are 0-for-7 for the series.
“We’re just too stagnant,” New York coach John Tortorella said. “We’re almost paralyzed.”
Green’s 12 regular season goals led all NHL defencemen.
“I just happened to be open,” Green said of the game-winner. “And my goal was just to get it by that first guy and try to hit the net.”