Late in the second period Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, linemates Troy Brouwer and Andre Burakovsky found themselves with a gift. The New York Rangers’ clearing attempt had struck Burakovsky’s chest at the blue line, which gave the Capitals forwards a two-on-one rush in a one-goal game. Burakovsky drew the initial attention of defenseman Marc Staal, who bent down and put his stick onto the ice to prevent a low pass. Brouwer faced Burakovsky and called for the puck.
Burakovsky slipped the pass through the slim window and hit Brouwer on the tape. But Brouwer had skated backwards far enough that, by the time he pivoted to face goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, he had given himself a tight angle to the right of the net.