WASHINGTON — For all of the intrigue surrounding whether the Washington Capitals would switch goalies — they did, going with a barely used rookie — Alex Ovechkin summed up rather simply why the Rangers won Game 2 of their first-round series.
“If you don’t score,” the NHL’s goal leader the past two seasons said, “you lose the game.”
Henrik Lundqvist made 35 saves for his third career playoff shutout, and Ryan Callahan spoiled Simeon Varlamov’s surprising NHL postseason debut by scoring on New York’s second shot Saturday, giving the Rangers a 1-0 victory over the Capitals.
The Rangers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0.
“We’re not trying to be pretty,” said Rangers captain Chris Drury, who played after sitting out Game 1. “We just want to win. This time of year, that’s all that matters.”
Led by Ovechkin and other high- scoring players such as Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin and Mike Green, the second-seeded Capitals came into the series as the favored — and flashier — team.
But the seventh-seeded Rangers, led by Lundqvist and teammates who keep blocking shots, have been solid.
“They’re going to make plays. They’re going to get chances,” New York’s Scott Gomez said. “But Lundqvist and the ‘D’ were outstanding again.”
Washington was shut out only three times in 82 regular-season games — and it hadn’t happened since Jan. 9. The Rangers blocked 29 shots, 16 more blocks than the Capitals had.
“Everyone’s doing a great job sacrificing and trying to get in the way of pucks and not letting them get to Hank as much as we can,” defenseman Wade Redden said. “It’s contagious — you see other guys doing that, and you really try to do those little things that end up being big at the end of the night.”
Varlamov was quite good in what was only his sixth career NHL start, but it turned out he had to be perfect in place of No. 1 goalie Jose Theodore, who allowed four goals on 21 shots in New York’s 4-3 win in Game 1.
