But then Alex Ovechkin stepped up with and pushed the game-tying goal past Henrik Lundqvist at 13:44 of the third period. That gave the Caps life, and Alexander Semin gave the Caps the win by ripping a Jason Arnott pass past Lundqvist at 18:24 of the first overtime for a 2-1 victory. Semin had 28 goals in the regular season but hadn’t scored a playoff goal since Game 7 of the Capitals' quarterfinals series against the Rangers in 2009 – a 14-game drought. He also assisted on Ovechkin’s goal. That two-point effort matches the total he had in the series loss to Montreal in 2010. The Caps also got some good news in that No. 1 defenseman Mike Green played for the first time since he was elbowed by the Rangers’ Derek Stepan on Feb. 25. Green had an assist and played 26:30.

Washington is -160 on Bodog’s NHL odds to take tonight’s Game 2. The Rangers have to feel pretty good about their chances. Lundqvist was stellar, stopping 31 shots (including a Nicklas Backstrom breakaway), through regulation and overtime. But the offense wasn’t great and the Blueshirts must spend more time in Washington’s zone. Rangers forward Marian Gaborik hasn't scored a goal in 10 straight games and that streak must end for New York to win this series. He had four shots on goal in Game 1. In an effort to try and wring more offense out of his lineup, Coach John Tortorella toyed with some line changes during Thursday’s practice.

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