Once they shake off matching the fifth-largest blown lead in the Stanley Cup record book, the Rangers might notice that if there’s any team that loses from a 3-1 series lead, it’s the Capitals.
The Rangers never have pulled off the task now required to extend their season. The Capitals can’t say the same about always finishing their job.
The Capitals have made their reputation blowing 3-1 leads. They have lost four of nine such edges when there have been 23 such losers in best-of-seven history, a 9.6 percent rate. They did it last year against Montreal.
“If we think we’ve got this won, by any stretch of the imagination, we’re in deep trouble,” Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said after last night’s 4-3 double-overtime triumph at the Garden.
“I think we were in this situation a little while ago,” Boudreau recalled, correctly.
The Rangers have been down 3-1, 14 times without winning, so they might be due.
“Losing an overtime game in the playoffs always hurts,” coach John Tortorella said. “But our team will bounce back.
“We can’t look at the hill. We just have to look at the next game here. We’ve been right with them. We have to find a way to win one hockey game.”
For the Capitals, the comeback was sweet, particularly following the chants for Boudreau, who had ripped the Garden and claimed the Washington fans were louder than the New Yorkers.
It takes a lot for Rangers fans to replace Denis Potvin’s name in that chant, but they so honored Boudreau. They offered the usual judgment on his persona, and finally, loudly, asked, “Can you hear us?”
“I might have made a mistake by saying what I said. Let’s leave it at that,” Boudreau said.
It made their comeback all the more remarkable.
“The best feeling in the world,” said Jason Chimera after scoring the winner.
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The Capitals’ comeback trails only the Kings’ five-goal rebound on the “weak-kneed wimps” Oilers in April 10, 1982, and the four-goal climbs of Montreal over Boston on April 8, 1971, Minnesota over Chicago on April 28, 1985 and the Sharks over the Kings on Tuesday night.
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The Rangers’ two goals in seven seconds by Marian Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky took one second longer than the team record held by Rod Gilbert since April 11, 1968, when Win Elliot implored TV viewers to consider that the furniture they were wrecking cost money. The Blackhawks changed goalies, won that Game 3, 7-4, to overcome the Rangers’ 2-0 series lead in six.