After missing the first game of the series against the Capitals and then being ineffective in Games 2 and 3 with a bum hand or wrist, no one could be sure what the Rangers would get out of Chris Drury last night — or if they would get anything at all.
It turns out that they got the game-winner from the captain.
“That was huge,” Paul Mara said of Drury’s tally, which came 2:23 into the second period of the Blueshirts’ 2-1 win over Washington at the Garden. “He’s been awesome, battling through things that a lot of players wouldn’t be on the ice with.”
That was evident in the previous two games, when Drury basically played with one arm, leading both him and coach John Tortorella to wonder if he would be able to play last night.
The goal that gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead proved that he was, as he knocked in his own rebound, which came as no surprise to his teammates.
“He’s been making clutch plays for many years now,” Mara said.
Last night’s goal was the 47th playoff tally of his career and the 17th postseason game-winner, good for fifth all-time.
“I was just trying to get it low and slow,” Drury said. “I got a good break and got one in.”
The Rangers needed this one, as Alex Ovechkin seemed poised to tie the game throughout — especially during a second period in which Washington outshot the Rangers 19-5.
When it was over, the Rangers had a 3-1 series lead and a chance to close out the series tomorrow in D.C.
That likely wouldn’t have been the case without an improved Drury.
“Is he all there?” Tortorella said. “No. . . . He was honest with me and he did some good things for us. Oddly, he scored the winning goal. That will help him.”
And the Rangers.
“I don’t really look back too much,” said Drury, who said following Monday’s loss that as long as he is on the ice, he expects to do well, regardless of his physical condition. “You don’t have a choice. There’s no going halfway. I just try to get to the right place at the right time.”
Once again, he did.