NHL PLAYOFFS

Rangers slip, regroup to even series

NEW YORK - Dan Girardi and Derek Stepan scored third-period goals for the New York Rangers, who squandered a two-goal lead but held on to pull even in the best-of-7 NHL playoff series with a 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night.

Girardi ripped a shot from above the left circle, off a feed from Derick Brassard, to give the Rangers the lead again with a power-play goal 59 seconds into the third. The advantage was created by Jason Chimera’s interference penalty at the end of the second.

Stepan made it 4-2 at 6:02, scoring into a wide-open net at the end of a give-and-go play in front with Carl Hagelin, who had a goal and two assists.

Game 5 will be back in Washington on Friday before the series returns to Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The home team has won all four games in the first-round Eastern Conference match up.

Brad Richards and Hagelin staked the Rangers to a 2-0 lead, but goals by Mathieu Perreault and Troy Brouwer tied it for Washington in the second period. The Capitals closed within 4-3 on defenseman Karl Alzner’s goal at 7:31 of the third.

Henrik Lundqvist, selected a Vezina Trophy finalist earlier Wednesday, made 27 saves. Braden Holtby stopped 30 shots for Washington.

Despite having a 26-15 shots advantage through two periods, the Rangers found themselves locked in a tie heading into the third. Washington was outshot 13-9 in the second but scored twice in the final 6:52 to get even after Hagelin made it 2-0.

The Capitals began spending more time in the New York zone and making it increasingly difficult for the Rangers to get the puck out. The momentum was shifting, and the nervousness began to grow within the crowd as Washington’s puck possession became more dangerous.

Joel Ward got the Capitals going when he led a strong rush up ice after the Rangers gave away the puck. Ward charged in, with Perreault, and made a hard move on defenseman Michael Del Zotto. Ward got Del Zotto down to the ice near the left post and feathered a pass through the crease to Perreault, who tied up Richards and slid in his first career playoff goal.

The Rangers appeared set to get out of the second with the one-goal lead they brought into it, but Brouwer’s first of the playoffs tied it.

Defenseman Anton Stralman lost the puck in his end along the right-wing boards, and Mike Green barely kept the puck in at the point. He sent a pass into the high slot to Brouwer, who backhanded in a shot with 17.1 seconds left in the period.

Hagelin’s second goal of the series doubled the Rangers’ lead midway through the second. Brassard, who had a goal and two assists in the Rangers’ 4-3 victory in Game 3, made a hard pass from the right point to the left circle that Hagelin fired into the top right corner of the net.

The Rangers had taken a 1-0 lead in the first off a gaffe by Holtby. The goalie drifted to his left to track down a Rangers dump-in several feet in front and wide of the net. His clearing attempt was knocked down by New York forward Taylor Pyatt, who moved the puck to Hagelin.

BRUINS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 3, OT

TORONTO - David Krejci scored his third goal of the night at 13:06 of overtime, giving Boston a victory over Toronto and a 3-1 lead in their playoff series.

Krejci beat James Reimer with a shot from the face off circle after coming down the left wing.

The Bruins are 15-2 when leading a best-of-seven series 3-1. Toronto is 2-12-1 in its last 15 games in Boston.

Patrice Bergeron added a goal for Boston, with captain Zdeno Chara collecting four assists.

Joffrey Lupul, Cody Franson and Clarke MacArthur scored for Toronto.

Goalies Tuukka Rask and Reimer were both busy in an end-to-end overtime, with Toronto’s Matt Frattin hitting Rask’s goalpost.

KINGS 3, BLUES 2, OT

ST. LOUIS - Slava Voynov scored on an odd-man rush at 12:00 of overtime and the Los Angeles Kings beat the St. Louis Blues for the third consecutive game.

The win put the defending Stanley Cup champions on the verge of surviving the first round, leading 3-2 heading to Game 6 in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Alex Pietrangelo scored on a wrist shot from the point with 44.1 seconds remaining in regulation and goalie Brian Elliott off for an extra attacker. That forced overtime for the second time in the series.

The Kings’ Justin Williams scored in the final minute of Game 1, also in St. Louis.

Jeff Carter scored in the opening minute of the second and third periods for the Kings, who became the first road team to win in the series.

At a glance NHL PLAYOFFS

FIRST ROUND (Best-of-7)

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

Boston 4, Toronto 3, OT Boston leads series 3-1

NY Rangers 4, Washington 3 Series tied 2-2

Los Angeles 3, St. Louis 2 Los Angeles leads series 3-2

Detroit at Anaheim, (n) Series tied 2-2

TODAY’S GAMES All times Central

NY Islanders at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m. Series tied 2-2

Ottawa at Montreal, 6 p.m. Ottawa leads series 3-1

Minnesota at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Chicago leads series 3-1

Sports, Pages 19 on 05/09/2013

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