Jason Chimera scored at 12:36 of double overtime to give the Capitals a 4-3 victory Wednesday in New York. Game 5 of the series is at 3 p.m. ET Saturday in Washington.
Marcus Johansson completed the Capitals' comeback to reach overtime with his first two goals of the playoffs -- the equalizer coming at 12:07 of the third period.
Until the third period, it appeared the Rangers would walk to a tie in the series.
Cheered on by boisterous and clearly perturbed fans, the Rangers vented their collective spleens on the Capitals -- and especially their coach, Bruce Boudreau. It was Boudreau who had criticized Rangers fans for lacking enthusiasm and Madison Square Garden as an overrated relic with substandard facilities and accommodations.
His comments became blackboard material on overload.
“Well, the one thing, its reputation is far better than the actual building,” Boudreau said in a radio interview after Game 3 -- which the Capitals lost. “I mean, it’s nothing. The locker rooms are horrible. The benches are horrible. There’s no room for anything. But the reputation of being in Madison Square Garden is what makes it famous. Also, our building’s a lot louder, too. So I mean, they can say what they want, but it’s not that loud in there.”
Neither team scored in the first period, but the Rangers took command in the second period with three goals -- by Artem Anisimov at 4:24, Marian Gaborik at 13:30 and Brandon Dubinsky at 13:47. It was the first goal of the playoffs for Anisimov and Gaborik, the second for Dubinsky.
It also was the first goal in a month by Gaborik, nominally the Rangers' most dangerous scorer. And two goals allowed in seven seconds was a Capitals playoff record.
The Capitals regained the composure in the third period, and they then rallied after Alexander Semin scored at 2:47. Johansson scored less than a minute later to make it 3-2. He then tied the game with less than eight minutes to play.
The Capitals played without top-line forward Mike Knuble, who appears to be nursing a bum right hand. Eric Fehr took Knuble's lineup spot, with Jason Chimera moving up to play with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.
Knuble missed practice Tuesday and wasn't at Wednesday's morning skate.
Leather-lunged Rangers fans went after Boudreau as soon as the doors opened. In response to his criticism that the Garden was too quiet for Rangers home games, they unloaded on Boudreau -- especially with the Rangers in the lead -- by chanting "Can you hear us?"
In addition to the usual vulgar chant about Boudreau, they also howled "Boooooo-dreau."
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