Overtime has not been kind to the Rangers, especially not against the Washington Capitals. So the best strategy for the Blueshirts Sunday, once their matinee affair against the defending Stanley Cup champs had gone beyond regulation, was to find a way to get the game to a shootout.
But in the shootout tiebreaker, goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, who had been brilliant in making 37 saves – six against Alexander Ovechkin – was called for throwing his stick at Ovechkin as the Caps captain made his move. After huddling to check out the replay, the officials, by rule, awarded Ovechkin the winning goal, which gave Washington a 3-2 victory at the Garden.