At the tail end of the Rangers’ power play in the second period of Game 2 on Tuesday, the second unit was up against the clock to break a 2-2 tie.
After carrying the puck through the middle of the ice and cleanly entering the Capitals’ zone, Jack Roslovic circled Washington’s net, posted up in the right faceoff circle and accepted a pass from Erik Gustafsson.
The Rangers’ trade-deadline acquisition then sniped the puck short side, right over Charlie Lindgren’s blocker and through a sliver of an opening to the back of the net to regain the lead for his team on the way to its 4-3 victory over the Capitals.
It came at a tough angle, too.
“That’s a high, high-end, elite play,” Washington head coach Spencer Carbery said. “You’ve got to tip your cap.”
Game 2 was arguably Roslovic’s best game since the Rangers acquired the 27-year-old forward from the Blue Jackets at the trade deadline in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2026.
In addition to the goal, Roslovic was a little more noticeable in transition and when creating space for his linemates in the offensive zone.
There hasn’t been a lot to write home about since Roslovic slotted onto the right wing of Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, but Tuesday saw a more encouraging performance from the Ohio native.
“I think he is a factor,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “We had mentioned Mika earlier, I don’t think it’s Mika just on his own, I think his linemates have to help him contribute, as well. He got in the system the first game he bumped it up to Mika, Mika sends [Kreider] in on the breakaway. He’s on the second unit of the power play, which gets some time at the end. Not on the penalty-kill rotation, and so when you’re rolling the four lines, naturally some guys are going to get more minutes.
“It shouldn’t necessarily be a reflection that there’s no confidence in how he plays the game or what he’s able to contribute. He’s played in two games, he’s generated a couple points for us and I think he’s played fine. He brings some speed, he brings some skill and he’s contributing.”
After his 2-1 score with the man advantage in Game 2 on Tuesday, Zibanejad notched his seventh career playoff power-play goal to move into a tie with Ron Greschner for seventh place on the franchise’s all-time list.
It was his 13th multipoint performance in the playoffs, tying Kreider and Walt Tkaczuk for the fifth most in Rangers history.
K’Andre Miller became the fourth defenseman in the past 20 years to score a shorthanded goal in the playoffs and have it stand as the game winner after he made it a 4-2 game on Tuesday, joining Brendan Smith, Matt Greene and Nicklas Lindstrom.
