Let’s just say head coach John Tortorella does not have any use for the Capitals’ grousing regarding the officiating in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

“We get everybody and their brother whining out there in Washington about what happened in that series, and I think that’s a big reason why they lose that series,” Tortorella said, unprompted, in response to a question about the importance of playoff experience during his post-practice press conference Wednesday afternoon in Greenburgh, N.Y.

The Capitals were bothered by what they perceived was league favoritism toward the Rangers in the series. The Rangers had 28 opportunities on the man advantage in the seven games compared the Capitals’ 16.

Following the conclusion of the series, Alex Ovechkin told Slava Malamud of the Russian-language newspaper Sport-Express “The refereeing … you understand it yourself. How can there be no penalties at all [on one team] during the playoffs? I am not saying there was a phone call from [the league], but someone just wanted Game 7 — for the ratings. You know, the lockout, escrow, the league needs to make profit. I don’t know whether the refs were predisposed against us or the league. But to not give obvious penalties [against the Rangers], while for us any little thing was immediately penalized.”

Yesterday, Capitals general manager George McPhee backed his captain.

“I don’t think there’s a league conspiracy, but it sure didn’t feel right. Alex wasn’t wrong. I talked to them during the series, but at some point you stop. They’ll referee the way they want to referee,” McPhee told the Washington Post. “What we didn’t get a chance to do was go on the power play very often, and it was a real strength of ours. It was real good during the season. We didn’t get many power plays during the series; I don’t know why. We had to kill too many penalties; I don’t know why. I didn’t think that part of the game from the league standpoint was all that good.

“I didn’t like the refereeing, but if you complain about it during the series and you’re accused of trying to gain an edge. If you complain about it after a series is over, then it’s whining and sour grapes.”

Yankee Stadium hockey

The House That George Paid For With Taxpayer Money will accommodate hockey next January.

Yankee Stadium will host two games as part of the NHL’s Coors Light Stadium Series, the league announced yesterday. The Devils will host the Rangers on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014 at 12:30 p.m., and the Islanders will meet the Rangers three nights later.

The Rangers will be the visiting team in both games.

“The innovative nature of the Stadium Series affords the opportunity to have all three NHL teams in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area play, outdoors, at one of the most-celebrated stadiums in the world,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “We’ll be able to create a multi-faceted, multi-day experience for our fans, and we thank the teams, Coors Light, the New York Yankees and Yankee Stadium for their support of this memorable NHL event.”

The two games at Yankee Stadium are part of a four-game series of outdoor games sponsored by the beer conglomerate. Previously, the NHL announced a Jan. 25, 2014, game between the Ducks and Kings at Dodger Stadium, and a March 1, 2014 match involving the Blackhawks and Penguins at Soldier Field.

These outdoor games are separate from the Jan. 1, 2014, Toronto-Detroit Winter Classic, which will take place at Michigan Stadium. That game was scheduled to take place this past January but had to be postponed due to the NHL lockout.

Information regarding how to purchase tickets will be released shortly.

Injury updates

Ryane Clowe, Darroll Powe and Marc Staal did not practice. There was no update on their conditions. Clowe has not played since Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Powe missed the final four games of the series, while Staal only played in Game 3.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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For the first time since the 1973 quarterfinals, the Rangers and Bruins will meet in the Stanley Cup playoffs as the Original Six brethren advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals with Game 7 wins Monday night.

In the ultimate win-or-go-home-for-the-summer game, the Rangers routed the Capitals, 5-0, Monday night at the Verizon Center.

Trailing in the series 3-2, the Rangers won Games 6 and 7. Last night’s win was the first in the series for either team on the road. It was also the first Game 7 road win in franchise history.

Arron Asham’s off-wing goal 13:19 into the match was the series winner.

Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 35 shots he faced to record his eighth career Stanley Cup Playoff shutout, second most in franchise history behind only Mike Richter.

Taylor Pyatt, Michael Del Zotto, Ryan Callahan and Mats Zuccarello also scored for the Rangers. Ten players recorded at least one point, led by Derick Brassard and Steve Eminger who each had two assists. The plus-3 rating Del Zotto and Anton Stralman finished with led 16 players.

Boston defeated Toronto, 5-4, in overtime. Trailing 4-2 with 1:22 left in regulation, Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron potted back-to-back goals to force the extra session. Bergeron scored the series-deciding goal 6:05 into overtime.

The Original Six rivals met three times this season, with the Rangers winning twice.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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Moments after the Rangers concluded their 1-0 win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, a media member suggested Derek Dorsett’s play in the game was “Prustian,” referring to the gritty ex-Ranger Brandon Prust, now a member of the Canadiens.

Dorsett, acquired on trade deadline day along with Derick Brassard and John Moore from Columbus in exchange for an ineffective Marian Gaborik, played his strongest game of the season Sunday afternoon. In 12 minutes of ice time spanning 14 shifts, Dorsett had three hits and a blocked shot.

“Being out nine weeks, I feel better every day. I feel better every day,” Dorsett said. “I just want to make sure I keep going and doing whatever I can to help this team achieve its goal.”

Dorsett drove the Capitals to distraction in Game 6. He drew three penalties, including a cross check from Mike Green that the right wing said bloodied his upper and lower lip. After the game, the Capitals complained bitterly that Dorsett had attempted to slew foot Green, but multiple replays showed the Rangers winger was attempting to ride the defenseman into the boards.

“I think emotions ride high in the postseason. Things are bound to happen. It’s part of the game and you can expect it,” Dorsett said. “When I get moving my feet and playing hard, sometimes it can get under their skin. Anytime I can do that I want to try and help get the team on the power play.”

As is his wont during the Stanley Cup playoffs, head coach John Tortorella declined to discuss the play of specific players. But he praised the work of the Dorsett-Brian Boyle-Taylor Pyatt third line.

The trio had a combined 12 shot attempts, 10 hits and three blocked shots. Their sustained forecheck gave the Rangers time in the offensive zone.

“I thought everybody contributed,” Tortorella said. “I’m not going to pick out one name but I thought that line played well and forechecked well. He is what he is. He brings us energy and it’s important when you get to this time in the series.”

Home sweet home?

The home team has won every game in this series. Yet the Rangers are confident going into Monday night’s Game 7 at the Verizon Center.

“If you can lose two in overtime, you’re close,” Lundqvist said. “It’s just a bounce and you win it, so we know we can do it.

Boogaard family files suit

According to a published report, the family of Derek Boogaard has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NHL.

Boogaard died on May 13, 2011, after overdosing on prescription medication and alcohol. At the time, the then-Rangers winger was recuperating from post-concussion symptoms developed after a fight with Matt Carkner, now of the New York Islanders.

An autopsy revealed Boogaard suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. He had 61 fights and 589 penalty minutes in 277 NHL games.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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They are two of the most exciting words in sports: Game 7.

The ultimate do-or-die game in sports will be contested at the Verizon Center tonight after the Rangers’ pulsating 1-0 win over the Capitals in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals yesterday afternoon at the Garden.

The best-of-seven series is tied at three games apiece. The puck drops for Game 7 at 8 p.m.

“We are just going to have the same mentality we had coming into this game,” said Derick Brassard, who scored the game’s only goal. “We just played our game [and] had fun. It was positive. The guys were relaxed and that’s what we need to do tomorrow.”

The Rangers broke through 9:39 into the second period on Brassard’s second goal of the series. Brassard’s slap shot from inside the blueline deflected off of Capitals’ defenseman Steve Olesky and past Braden Holtby (28 saves).

“The crowd kept chanting [‘shoot the puck’ and] I didn’t see myself giving a pass to one of my teammates there. I think I had to shoot,” Brassard said. “They obviously want us to shoot. On the ice, it’s a little different. We try and make plays. Sometimes it can work. Sometimes it doesn’t work. I just took two steps and ripped it as hard as I could.”

“We needed it. There was desperation out there,” said Henrik Lundqvist, who made 27 saves to earn his seventh career shutout in the playoffs, and his first since Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals last May.

The Vezina finalist is tied with Hall of Famer Dave Kerr for the second-most Stanley Cup playoff shutouts in franchise history. Mike Richter’s nine playoff shutouts are most in team history.

“I felt like this was going to be the type of game where there were one or two goals, tops,” Lundqvist said. “My focus was on trying to shut it down.”

He was aided by a defensive effort that mostly limited Washington to shots from the outside as the Rangers finished with 17 blocked shots and outhit the Capitals, 33-28.

“We showed a lot of character and worked really hard,” Lundqvist said. “It was that type of game [yesterday] where you pay the price — big blocks, physical.

“Everybody contributed,” head coach John Tortorella said. “For us to sustain the forecheck and sustain some territory, we needed bodies.”

The Capitals did not have a power play in yesterday’s game, as the only penalties assessed to the Rangers were roughing minors to Derek Stepan and Dan Girardi in a scrum involving all 10 skaters on the ice at the final buzzer.

“We know what’s at stake when we put them on the power play. They can capitalize pretty quickly,” Ryan McDonagh said. “One thing that we said every time in-between periods is to use our legs, not our sticks. We have to dictate the tempo and forecheck to create penalties for them.”

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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As chaos reigned around him, Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist slammed his stick off the Rangers bench.

It was a moment that summed up a night — and maybe a season.

The Rangers are one game away from a premature and unsatisfying end to a season that began with Stanley Cup aspirations after Mike Ribeiro shoved a rebound goal past Lundqvist 9:24 into overtime to give the Capitals a 2-1 win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at the Verizon Center.

Washington leads the best-of-seven series, 3-2. Game 6 is set for 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Madison Square Garden due to the Leafs beating the Bruins, 2-1, in Game 5 of that Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series last night.

That the Rangers were in overtime was a testament to Lundqvist. The reigning Vezina winner stopped 33-of-35 shots in a game where the Southeast Division champs out-shot the Rangers, 81-67.

While the Capitals had the better play for the majority of the game, the Rangers actually led 1-0 53 seconds into the game when Brian Boyle tapped a Derick Brassard feed under Braden Holtby (24 saves).

But the Rangers could not capitalize on the advantage or four power plays. The Rangers went 0-for-4 in four man-advantage opportunities in the first two periods.

Then Washington began to surge. Alex Ovechkin, Karl Alzner and John Carlson all fired shots Lundqvist stopped in the final 17 seconds of the first period.

Washington’s barrage intensified over the second and third periods, as the Capitals outshot the Rangers, 19-9. The disparity in shots does not account for the disproportion in possession and zone time. The Capitals initiated the play and the Rangers spent 40 minutes absorbing body blows.

The Capitals tied the game 7:34 into the second period on Joel Ward power play goal. Exactly 11 seconds after Boyle was called for slashing Ribeiro, Ward culminated a game of tic-tac-toe with Marcus Johansson and Nicklas Backstrom with his 11th career playoff goal.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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Head coach John Tortorella believes the Rangers possess character and resilience. Those attributes were on full display last night.

There will be at least one more hockey game contested at Madison Square Garden in this abbreviated season after the Rangers evened the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series after a 4-3 win over the Capitals in Game 4 Wednesday night. Game 5 is Friday night at the Verizon Center.

“We got the job done,” said Dan Girardi, who was one of four goal-scorers for the Rangers last night.

Derek Stepan’s goal 6:02 into the third period was the game-winner. Brad Richards and Carl Hagelin also scored goals for the Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves.

The series is now a best-of-three, and neither team has been able to win a game on the road in the first four games.

“We feel good now,” Ryan Callahan said. “We have to keep the momentum and keep the confidence rolling. … It’s a tough building to play in. They play [well] there.”

Richards opened the scoring 16:25 into the first to culminate a bizarre sequence. A shaky Braden Holtby (30 saves) attempted a bad clear that was knocked down by Taylor Pyatt and intercepted by Hagelin, who blasted a slap shot into John Carlson. The rebound bounced out to Richards, who ripped a shot into a half-empty cage.

Hagelin doubled the lead with his second of the series at 10:13 of the second. The left wing one-timed Derick Brassard’s gorgeous cross-ice feed over Holtby’s glove. Brassard has four points in the four games.

“[Brassard] grabbed a hold of it here and makes just a great play on [Girardi’s] goal,” Tortorella said. “He’s stepped in here to try and make a difference and he’s made some big plays for us. I’m not afraid to put him in a lot of different positions in a lot of different situations.”

The Rangers never trailed in the game and, in fact, dominated the Southeast Division champions for the first 35 minutes. But the teams went into the second intermission tied at 2-2.

Mathieu Perreault cut the deficit in half at 13:08 of the second period by stuffing Joel Ward’s rebound through Lundqvist. Troy Brouwer evened the game with 18 seconds left in the period with a backhander after Mike Green was able to keep a loose puck in at the blue line.

“It took us a little while but once we got our legs, I thought it was a pretty good hockey game,” Capitals head coach Adam Oates said. “I think we gave them a couple chances too many. We made a couple mistakes.”

Girardi put the Rangers back up, 3-2, 59 seconds into the third, with a slapshot goal on the power play. Stepan’s goal nearly six minutes later doubled the lead.

“Getting that goal right away by Girardi was key,” Hagelin said. “That’s what we talked about in here [during the second intermission], ‘We want to get the next one.’ They obviously had a good last five minutes there in the second but we came in with a lot of confidence in the third that we were going to score on the [power play], and we did.”

Karl Alzner cut the lead to one, 4-3, with 7:31 left.

From there, the Rangers implemented a rope-a-dope strategy against the Capitals, who shot from everywhere to no avail. The Capitals had 25 shot attempts in the final 7:31.

“Guys are confident. You can’t panic. We weren’t trying to throw pucks away but in those situations you’re just trying to get it out [and] they picked some off,” Girardi said. “For the most part, guys were blocking shots, keep everything to the outside and we found a way to get the win.”

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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The season has not been salvaged, but it has been extended.

The Rangers battled their way to a 4-3 win over the Capitals last night at the Garden. Washington leads 2-1 in the series.

“It’s huge. We definitely knew it was a big game,” Derek Stepan said. Stepan’s goal at 613:35 of the third was the game-winner. It was his first goal of the playoffs. “We didn’t want to go down three-zip. [Game 3] changed the series quite a bit.”

“Be a little tenacious,” Brian Boyle said. “Don’t be satisfied with one win and four goals. You have to keep going.”

Boyle skated 20:42 spanning 29 shifts last night. He finished with two points (a goal and an assist), attempted six shots, blocked two shots threw a hit and won 14 of 21 faceoffs.

In a game in which scrums seemingly ensued after every whistle, the Rangers outhit Washington, 33-22, and had a 19-14 advantage in blocked shots.

“I think our style is of a grind-it-out style,” Stepan said. “We know their top line has a lot of skill and their power play has a lot of skill. We have to continue to work on our game, getting our game to our pace.”

The Rangers also benefited from secondary scoring. Arron Asham and Derick Brassard added goals. Brassard’s goal came on the power play, which has long been a detriment for the team. The Rangers finished 1-for-6 on the power play and killed off all three of Washington’s opportunities with the man advantage.

“They did a really good job of protecting [Henrik Lundqvist],” Capitals coach Adam Oates said of the Rangers’ final penalty kill, a 4-on-6 over the last 114 seconds. “We probably could have tried a better way to get to the net to start the process of [Lundqvist] not being able to cover his rebounds — get to the second waves. We were probably a little too cute with it.”

Lundqvist was a virtuoso in stopping 28-of-31 shots, including all 11 off the stick of Alex Ovechkin. He yielded just Nicklas Backstrom’s game-opening goal 4:06 into the match, Mike Green’s marker at 17:19 of the second, which tied the game 2-2, and Jay Beagle’s goal 7:19 into the third.

“There was a lot of determination going into this game,” Lundqvist said. “We knew we had to win this one. It was a must win.”

The Rangers also got a boost from the return of Marc Staal to the lineup after missing 29 games due to an eye injury. Staal skated 17:17 as part of a second defense pair with Anton Stralman.

“He’s so well-respected in the room and this is two major injuries that he has come back from,” head coach John Tortorella said, referring to the concussion that limited Staal to 46 games in 2011-12. “It really helps the room. He’s so well-liked and there are times when you can tell it’s going to take a little bit to totally get back but he made some really big plays at key times too.”

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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The Rangers trail the Capitals, 2-0, in the best-of-seven series, and have scored only one goal in 128 minutes in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

For many coaches, it would be cause for concern. Head coach John Tortorella is not most coaches.

“I think [the first two games] have been a hell of a lot more even than a lot of other people think,” Tortorella said in his morning press briefing before Monday night’s Game 3 at The Garden. “I think we’re close. I will put it to you that way.”

Part of the basis for Tortorella’s belief is that the Rangers have generated 60 shots on goal in the first two games, including Rick Nash hitting the post midway through a scoreless third period Saturday afternoon.

“Playoff series [are about] momentum [shifts] within the game,” Tortorella said “What if Rick Nash scores his goal in the third period [of Game 2]? [The momentum] changes.”

Most likely, Saturday’s games does change if Nash scores. But what did happen was Mike Green blasted a slap shot past Henrik Lundqvist eight minutes into overtime, and now the Rangers are in a must-win game.

“We need to win a game and that is all we are thinking about,” Tortorella said. “It means squat if you don’t win.”

Nearing full strength

Will the Rangers have all hands on deck Monday night?

Thirteen players participated in the optional morning skate at The Garden, including defenseman Marc Staal and left wing Ryane Clowe.

Staal has not played since March 5, when he suffered an eye injury when he was struck in the face by a Kimmo Timonen slap shot. Clowe has missed the last three games with an undisclosed injury suffered in the 4-3 overtime in Carolina on April 25.

“I feel pretty good,” Clowe said after the skate. “I [felt] pretty good out there. Obviously you guys want to know if I’m going to play tonight but I’m not sure.”

The Rangers acquired Clowe from San Jose on April 2. In 12 games with the Blueshirts, Clowe recorded three goals and eight points.

“Like anyone else at this time of year, no one is 100 percent. But when I come back I’ll definitely feel capable of doing everything that I think I can bring or the style I can play, which is obviously a physical style. I think that’s the key point I’m looking at here,” Clowe said. “Whenever guys come back, they’re not going to come back and put themselves at risk, even though we’re all tough guys and play through injuries. But more than anything, guys look at how they can help the team.”

Staal was unavailable for comment.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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The worst truths are the ones that are painful.

For the New York Rangers, the painful truth is they have played well in the first two games of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series and yet are returning home down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.

Mike Green’s power-play goal eight minutes into overtime was the only marker in the Capitals’ 1-0 overtime win Saturday afternoon at the Verizon Center. Game 3 is Monday night at the Garden.

Green’s game-winner came exactly one minute after Ryan McDonagh was assessed a two-minute minor for delay of game, and set off a wild celebration inside the raucous arena.

The goal was Henrik Lundqvist’s lone mistake in an oft-spectacular 37-save performance. Lundqvist made 25 saves in the final two periods of regulation and overtime.

Washington was 1-for-2 on the power play.

Unlike Game 1, the Rangers were far more physical in Game 2 and were able generate zone time. The Rangers generated 57 shot attempts, threw more hits (58-50) and blocked more shots (21-13).

Those were undeniable positives.

But the undeniable negatives are that the Rangers went 0-for-3 on the man advantage, and were unable to solve Braden Holtby. The Capitals’ netminder stopped all 24 shots he faced.

Washington has outscored the Rangers, 4-1, in the first two games of the series.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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It is clear this spring’s Rangers-Capitals series will not be 60-minute long staring contests.

The Capitals took Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, 3-1, in a manner decidedly opposite last season’s Rangers series win.

Unlike 2012, when the Dale Hunter-run Caps played to avoid mistakes, new head coach Adam Oates turned Game 1 into a track meet instead of the physical, grinding game the Rangers believe they must play in order to be successful.

Carl Hagelin’s wraparound 16:44 into the series gave the Rangers an early lead, but it would be their only goal.

The Rangers could not grow the lead, despite four power plays, and Washington continued to press. It paid off when Alex Ovechkin one-timed Mike Green’s rebound for a power-play goal at 6:59 of the second to tie the game at 1-1. Ovechkin’s goal was his 31st in 52 playoff games.

Eight minutes later Marcus Johansson potted the go-ahead goal on a semi-breakaway. Jason Chimera’s goal 46 seconds later ended the scoring.

The Rangers had a chance to cut the deficit to 3-2 late in the third, when John Moore’s off-angled shot hit Braden Holtby, who contorted his body into the cage. But replays were inconclusive and it was ruled no goal.

Lundqvist made 29 saves. Holtby stopped 34-of-35 shots.

The Rangers were 0-for-4 on the power play. Washington went 1-for-4.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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There are signs that spring is upon us. The days are longer, the weather is warmer and the Rangers and Capitals meet in a playoff series.

For the third time in the three years — and the fourth time in five years — the Rangers and Capitals will face off in the playoffs. The Eastern Conference quarterfinal series begins Thursday night at the Verizon Center in Washington.

“We wanted to keep on playing,” head coach John Tortorella said after the Rangers ended the regular season with a 4-0 win over the Devils Saturday afternoon at the Garden.

A preseason favorite to win the Stanley Cup, the Rangers spent much of the first 10 weeks of the season alternating wins and losses before authoring a strong April, in which they went 10-3-1 and led the NHL with a 3.6 goals per game average.

“We are where we need to be,” Dan Girardi said Saturday. “April was a good month for us. We played our style of hockey and won in different fashions.”

The strong April coincides with the trade-deadline acquisitions of Ryane Clowe in a trade with San Jose, Derick Brassard, John Moore and Derek Dorsett in a trade with Columbus and the free-agent signing of Mats Zuccarello.

“I’m really happy with the past month, five weeks,” Tortorella said. “I really like the team. I think we stabilized ourselves when we got a little bit of the middle of the lineup straightened away.”

It has also had the effect of jump-starting a slumping Brad Richards. Richards, who finished the season with 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points in 45 games, scored 16 points (six goals and 10 assists) in April.

“It’s been a work in progress,” Richards said Saturday. “It’s a good time to start feeling good.

“If it’s an 82-game schedule I probably don’t let some of the stuff get to me like I did. In the position I was in, it is tough to see your team battling in the seventh, eighth, ninth spot if you aren’t producing. I might have forced it a bit because of the short season. I got out of my game and my mind got in the way a little bit. Finally, something broke through. I started contributing and it just feels better.”

Tortorella created a line of Richards, Zuccarello and Rick Nash in the 4-3 overtime win over the Carolina on April 25, and the trio has fit together. Richards scored the game-tying goal against Carolina, and the line combined for two goals, three assists, five points and a plus-6 rating against the Devils.

“He has certainly found his game,” Tortorella said of Richards on Saturday. “Some of the goals he scored — it doesn’t matter with those type of goals — one was off a skate, one was off the backboard, it does not matter. It relaxes them a little bit.

“I thought that line, [when] we put it together the last game, I thought it ignited [Nash] in our last game. When he was with [Brassard] and Clowe — before Clowe go hurt — it just wasn’t working. Hopefully it will continue.”

Washington won two of the past three series, but the Rangers beat the Capitals in seven games last May to advance to the Eastern Conference final. Last year’s Eastern Conference semifinal is memorable for Marian Gaborik’s triple overtime game-winner in Game 3, Richards’ tying goal with 7.7 seconds left in the Rangers’ 3-2 overtime win in Game 5 and Dale Hunter’s bizarre usage of Alex Ovechkin.

Series breakdown …

FORWARDS: This looks to be as even as can be. Of Washington’s 146 goals, 124 were scored by forwards, led by Alex Ovechkin’s league-most 32. The Rangers finished 15th in the league with 126 goals. One hundred and eight were scored by forwards, led by Rick Nash’s team-high 21. The Blueshirts led the league in April with a 3.6 goals per game average, and John Tortorella has said the trade-deadline acquisitions of Ryane Clowe and Derick Brassard have provided the coach depth. Tortorella is hopeful Derek Dorsett — also acquired at the deadline — and Brian Boyle will be able to play at some point.

DEFENSE: This is a clear Blueshirt advantage. Tortorella has three defensive pairs he can use, compared to last spring when he was limited to five defensemen. The top pairing of Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh will be paired against Ovechkin’s line. They will be followed by the second and third groupings of Michael Del Zotto-Anton Stralman and Steve Eminger-John Moore. There is a decided drop off from Washington’s first two pairings — Mike Green-Karl Alzner and John Carlson-John Erskine — and the third unit of Jack Hillen and Steve Olesky.

GOALTENDING: Following the regular-season ending 4-0 win over the Devils at the Garden Saturday afternoon, Henrik Lundqvist said three words that should give the Rangers a great deal of confidence heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs: “I feel good.” Lundqvist ended the year with a 24-16-3 record and two shutouts. Last year’s playoff darling, Braden Holtby finished his first full year as a starter 23-13-1 with a 2.58 GAA and .920 save percentage. Holtby went 1-2 with a 2.71 GAA and .923 save percentage in three games against the Rangers.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Tortorella did not want to talk about special teams following Saturday’s season-ending win over the Devils, but it is a certainty the coaching staff and players are working on the man-up and man-down units. The Rangers finished 23rd (15.7 percent) and 15th (81.1 percent), respectively, on the power play and penalty kill. Washington’s 26.8 percent power-play efficiency led the NHL.

PREDICTION: This appears to be the best of the eight first-round series. Logical arguments can be made for either team winning. Both teams enter the playoffs playing their best hockey of the season. The Rangers won 10-of-14 games in April while Washington rebounded from a slow start to the season to win 16 of their final 20 games and clinched the Southeast Division title in the process. Lundqvist will be the difference.

RANGERS IN SEVEN.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman for coverage throughout the postseason.

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The Rangers earned one point, but they left another on the table.

New York dropped a 3-2 decision to the Capitals in the shootout Sunday night at the Garden.

“I’m thinking about points. We get a point,” head coach John Tortorella said. “Would we like to have two? Yes. But we didn’t get it.”

Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin scored for the Capitals during both the game and skills competition. Ovechkin finished with a goal and an assist. Braden Holtby made 30 saves.

Ovechkin slipped the puck between the post and Lundqvist’s pad for the first shootout goal. Backstrom ripped a laser that beat Lundqvist glove side for the game-winner.

“I only stopped two-of-four in the shootout,” said Henrik Lundqvist, who made 22 saves in the first 65 minutes. “I have to be better. You face really good players. I think the last one was a really good shot but Ovechkin, [I] felt like I had him but I didn’t get the stick down.”

Despite having lost consecutive games, the Rangers moved to eighth in the East. Arron Asham and Derek Stepan scored for the Rangers. Stepan scored the Rangers’ lone goal in the shootout.

“I’m not even thinking about playoffs,” Tortorella said.

One of the themes that has marked this Rangers campaign has been slow starts. Last night was no different as Washington jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the power of goals from Backstrom and Ovechkin in a span of 2:09.

“After they got the first one, we were stunned a little bit. We just kind of sat back and let them play,” Dan Girardi said. “Obviously we want two points but we need to get any point we can at this stage. But there are a lot of good things we can take from today.”

Following Ovechkin’s goal, the Garden denizens booed the Blueshirts viciously. But by the end of the period, the 17,200 in attendance were delirious as the teams went into intermission tied at 2-2.

Asham began the comeback with an off-the-rush goal to cut the deficit in half 14:12 into the period. The goal was Asham’s second of the season. Stepan tied the game with 1:57 left on a shot that pinballed off Holtby’s stick.

“I thought after the first 10 minutes we responded well — getting two goals and tying it after the first,” Ryan Callahan said. “We had chances in the second and third. We just couldn’t find the next one and eventually they did in the shootout.”

The game remained tied despite the Rangers having a 25-10 advantage in shots spanning the final two regulation periods and overtime.

“We just closed out defensively,” Girardi said. “We tried to keep everything to the outside, blocking shots like we always do, getting through the neutral zone and not turning any pucks over. When we are playing down [in] their end, it limits their shots.”

The second period was not nearly as wild as the first because the goaltenders stepped to the forefront. Lundqvist turned away all four Capital shots he faced, while Holtby stopped the nine shots he faced.

While the majority of shots the goaltenders saw were harmless, each team had a chance to break the deadlock in the second period. Marian Gaborik missed on a breakaway backhander with 8:19 left in the second, while Lundqvist stopped consecutive shots off the sticks of Mike Ribeiro and Karl Alzner with a minute left in the period.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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Rangers head coach John Tortorella didn’t get the memo that you are supposed to play your star goalie on a Sunday afternoon national TV game.

Then again, maybe he did.

Marty Biron started in net for the Rangers in place of defending Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist, and despite an early goal, the backup looked like a star in yesterday’s 4-1 win over Washington.

Capitals defenseman Steven Oleksy scored his first career goal 2:16 into the first period, but Biron was magnificent after that. He finished the game with 28 saves.

On the other end of the ice, it was the usual star players doing the offensive work.

Derek Stepan scored his sixth goal of the season to equalize the game at 1-1 in the first period. Brian Boyle netted his first goal of the season in what turned out to be the game-winner, but captain Ryan Callahan and Brad Richards were the other scorers. Meanwhile, Rick Nash continued his torrid play with two assists, one coming on an accidental deflection by Callahan. He now has 11 points in the last six games.

Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.

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Simply, it was the most complete effort of the season.

And the Rangers were rewarded for their labor.

“I thought we played a full 60 minutes,” captain Ryan Callahan said after the Rangers’ 2-1 win over the Capitals Sunday night at the Garden. The Rangers improved to 8-5-1 and have earned 17 points in their last 12 games.

“I think we’re getting where we need to be,” Henrik Lundqvist said (27 saves). “We’re doing a lot of good things. It’s a good feeling when we play the way we should play and it pays off.”

Facing an opponent that is attempting to re-establish an up-tempo attack, it was the Rangers who were the aggressors throughout. The Rangers out-hit the Capitals, 34-22, and finished with a 69-51 advantage in total shots.

Going hand-in-hand with the chances the Rangers generated was the virtual elimination of offensive opportunities for the Capitals’ skill players.

“Our offensive game has improved quite a bit as far as keeping the puck below the hashmarks, staying aggressive with our forecheck,” Michael Del Zotto said. “One area we wanted to improve on was being more aggressive defensively and closing out early, not allowing teams to get their cycle [going] and spread the puck. We did a good job of that tonight. Pretty much the whole game we carried the play.”

Among the few instances of sustained offensive pressure for the Caps occurred within the game’s first 79 seconds. The Rangers could not clear the puck from their own end and it led to John Carlson’s goal at 1:19.

Then the shooting gallery began for New York and lasted the remainder of the game. Even though they trailed 1-0 at the first intermission, the Rangers had outshot the Capitals, 20-8. The only reason they had not broken through was the play of Braden Holtby (38 saves).

“He plays well against us, that’s for sure,” Derek Stepan said of Holtby. “Throughout the game we kept trying to get bodies in front of him.”

Carl Hagelin equalized it 7:39 into the second period with a tip of a Ryan McDonagh shot. The goal was Hagelin’s sixth in seven games. He has nine points (six goals and three assists) in that stretch.

“With so much speed and [him] going to the net, he’s a hard guy to stop,” Rick Nash said of Hagelin.

The beleaguered power play unit got into the act as Stepan’s man-advantage goal 4:25 into the third was the game-winner. Brad Richards drew the Blueshirts’ fifth power play of the game 4:18 into the period by forcing Karl Alzner to trip him.

Richards won the offensive zone faceoff and moved the puck to Del Zotto, who fired a picturesque cross-ice feed to Stepan, standing on the doorstep.

“It’s good for our power play. Our power play was huge tonight. A lot of good looks. We only score one but we had a bunch of chances,” Stepan said. The Rangers finished 1-for-5 on the power play and had eight shots on goal. “It’s three great passes — even Nash’s spin-o-rama at the blueline was a great pass. A great pass from Brad Richards to [Del Zotto]. I’ll take a bunch of those this year.”

The Rangers lost Darroll Powe for the game 3:44 into the second period with an undisclosed injury. Powe collided with Matt Hendricks and somersaulted in the air before landing on the ice. After laying motionless on the ice for several moments, he was helped to the back by Stepan and Arron Asham.

“Don’t know about Powe,” head coach John Tortorella said.

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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Is Rick Nash ailing?

Per Rangers head coach John Tortorella, the answer is “none of your business.”

Prior to Sunday  night’s nationally televised game against the Capitals, Tortorella refused to answer questions about Nash’s health, saying, “I’m not discussing injuries.” Following the warmup in which all players participated, Nash played and Chris Kreider was scratched.

The top line left wing was checked from behind by Boston’s Milan Lucic in the Rangers’ 4-3 shootout win last Tuesday. He played 24:59 in Thursday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Islanders.

“He’s banged up. We’ll see how he is in warmup and see if he’s going to play,” Tortorella said. “I’m not going to talk about injuries at all this year, so there’s no sense in asking about that stuff.”

Nash did not practice Saturday, leading to the team calling up Kreider from AHL Connecticut one day after being sent down. Kreider played in the Whale’s 4-1 win over the Portland Pirates Friday night.

Before the call-up, Tortorella was emphatic that it was imperative for Kreider’s development that he play as much as possible. He had been averaging 10:17 of ice time in seven games with the Rangers this season.

“We asked them [if there was anyone ready for a call-up],” Tortorella said. “That’s who they told me.”

Nash entered the game with 11 points (three goals and eight assists), tied with Marian Gaborik for the team lead in that category. He is averaging 21:08 of ice time a game, including 48:26 on the power play.

Penalty kill working well

Special teams haven’t been all bad for the Rangers.

The Rangers penalty-killing units entered the game 11th in the league with an 83 percent success rate, and had killed the last 12 power plays against.

“I think [we’re] a bit more aggressive, more consistently,” Tortorella said. “I tried to keep the [penalty-killing] pairs together, especially upfront just to get some sort of familiarity and I think it’s helped.”

He acknowledged the importance of the man-down units against Washington. In their last six games, the Capitals had scored eight power play goals on 15 opportunities. The hot streak has seen Washington rise to fourth in the league on the power play with a 27.1 percent success rate.

“That’s a pretty good power play tonight, too,” Tortorella said.

First look at Caps

The first of three meetings between the former Patrick Division rivals marked the initial glimpse of the Adam Oates-led Capitals.

Washington hired Oates in June to be the franchise’s 16th head coach after Dale Hunter resigned following the playoffs. Oates had been an assistant coach with the Devils the last two seasons and served in the same capacity with the Lightning in 2009-10.

When he replaced Bruce Boudreau, Hunter applied a defense-first style. Oates is attempting to implement an offensive style to take advantage of the talents of Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom.

“I have no idea about Washington,” Tortorella said. “No idea. I have no idea. I don’t care about Washington. I care about our club.”

Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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