In the second period of Game 2 on Tuesday, the Rangers’ second power play unit faced a time crunch to break a 2-2 tie. After carrying the puck through the middle of the ice and entering the Capitals’ zone, Jack Roslovic circled Washington’s net, took up position in the right faceoff circle, and received 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, giving his team a 3-2 lead en route to a 4-3 victory over the Capitals. The goal came at a difficult angle. “That’s a high, high-end, elite play,” said Washington head coach Spencer Carbery. “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 more noticeable in transition and when creating space for his linemates in the offensive zone. Roslovic’s performance was more encouraging than his previous games on the right wing of Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. “I think he is a factor,” said head coach Peter Laviolette. “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.” With his 2-1 score with the man advantage in Game 2 on Tuesday, Zibanejad notched his seventh career playoff power-play goal, tying 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.
Rangers’ Jack Roslovic’s Elite Play Leads to Game 2 Win Over Capitals
