Previewing Game 7 Between the Rangers and Capitals

When it comes to the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs, there is nothing like a Game 7.

Fans are pumped, both teams are prepared to give it their all and in the end, only one will advance to the next round. This is what it has come down to for the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers.

With the Rangers’ 1-0 win over the Capitals in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon, the stage has been set for a Game 7 on Monday night at the Verizon Center. This will be the team’s second Game 7 matchup in Washington as the Capitals won Game 7 back in 2009 after being down 3-1 in the series.

Let’s now take a look at what each team needs to do win the decisive game.

New York Rangers

For starters, the team is going to need to get unbelievable goaltending from its best player, Henrik Lundqvist.

With the exception of one or two goals in this series, Lundqvist has been absolutely terrific and has given the Rangers an opportunity to win every game in this series. The “King” will need to do that and more in Game 7.

The Rangers must find a way to get their power play going. In Game 6, the team went 0-5 and by not cashing in on their opportunities, made the game a lot more exciting than it should have been.

The team’s big guns must also find a way to put the puck in the net. Rangers’ power forward Rick Nash has had opportunities to score in this series but has yet to come through while nine-year man Brad Richards has just one goal in this series.

Lastly, much like they did in Game 6, the team will need to stay out of the penalty box. On Sunday afternoon, the Rangers did not take one penalty and played extremely disciplined hockey, which is something they will need to do in Game 7.

Washington Capitals

Hart Trophy candidate Alex Ovechkin must come out of hiding.

After being a factor in Games 1 and 2 of this series, Ovechkin has yet to find the back of the net or even the score sheet for that matter. In Game 7, Ovechkin must make his presence felt and as the team’s captain, must find a way to lead them to victory.

The Capitals must find a way to make life extremely difficult for Lundqvist. If Lundqvist can see the puck, he is going to stop it. The team must find ways to create more traffic in front of the net, throw pucks from anywhere and crash the net for rebounds because with the way Lundqvist is playing right now, it is going to be tough to beat him.

In Game 7, the Capitals need to be a lot more disciplined. The team might have lost just 1-0 in Game 6 but they were lucky it was not more as they gave the Rangers five power plays in the hockey game, something you do not want to do in a winner take all Game 7.

Lastly, goaltender Braden Holtby must continue to play the way he has in this series. Holtby has been calm and collected between the pipes and has made several big saves to get the Capitals to where they are in this series.