The Rangers and the Washington Capitals had battled six games — each one decided by a single goal — and well into overtime Wednesday night in Game 7 of their epic second-round playoff series. What separated the teams at Madison Square Garden was a stunning, six-second sequence.
Off a faceoff in the Capitals’ zone, defenseman Dan Girardi launched a shot from the point that Braden Holtby, the Capitals’ goaltender, knocked away. But the puck skidded to his right, away from a pack of defenders, directly to Derek Stepan, who was standing alone to the side of the net.