Washington Capitals, New York Rangers aim to take lead in series -NHL Playoffs Game 5 Preview
Being in the tightest postseason series is never easy for any team involved but going into Game 5, New York Rangers and Washington Capitals have their eyes set on taking a commanding lead in the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Eastern Conference
Playoff Semi-Finals.
As Washington and New York stand tied at 2-2, whoever emerges dominant in the upcoming Game 5 matchup, will have the other on the verge of elimination, forcing them to win a Game 6 and 7 competitions, which could always be tough but not impossible.
New York has experience of doing that as they were to be eliminated in Game 6 against Ottawa Senators in the first-round, but fought back and took over to move on into the semi-finals.
"We have to win it," New York Rangers’ captain, Ryan Callahan, said of Game 5. "It's a big game, especially coming back home. We have to make sure we concentrate on our start, take the crowd's energy and make sure that our first 10 minutes are there."
Knowing how Washington has been able to fight back at each and every corner along with eliminating a team like Boston Bruins, who were dedicated on defending their Stanley Cup championship. New York will be smart to not go easy on them in any way possible.
"It's hard to play against a team like that," Callahan added on Sunday. "They're really good in their defensive zone and they are similar to us in our style, the way we block shots. The big thing is frustration. We can't let that creep in. We need to just
keep banging away, we've got to keep playing.”
Winning the next at home as Game 5 is scheduled to be in New York at the Madison Square Garden, Rangers will have to take advantage of playing at home as Game 6 is set for Washington and will not be easy to win if they give up the next.
It will certainly be exciting to see which team comes out on top as Game 5 kicks off at 7:30 PM EDT.
Prediction:
New York Rangers shutout Washington Capitals 1-0
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