Rangers vs. Capitals: Game 3 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NHL Playoffs

The Washington Capitals stole a game on the road and bounced back from a loss in the prior contest by holding down home ice against the New York Rangers on Monday at the Verizon Center.

A scrappy second-period goal by Capitals forward Jay Beagle was all the hosts needed in a 1-0 victory to take a 2-1 lead over the Blueshirts in an intense Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Beagle's goal came at 7:31 in the second period on a wraparound he didn't quite complete, yet he managed to sneak the puck past Rangers star Henrik Lundqvist, who knocked in the shot with his own skate.

Boston.com's Stephanie Vail captured a great view of Beagle's game-winner:

Alex Prewitt of The Washington Post noted the significance of Beagle's goal:

Bruce Beck of WNBC-TV in New York was critical of the lack of production from the Rangers' typically potent offense:

Sportsnet Stats supplied more context to New York's loss:

Although the Rangers did get more shots on goal than Washington, it wasn't as though New York was dominating puck possession as much as it'd appear. The Caps won 69 percent of faceoffs to keep the Rangers at bay to a degree.

Mike Brophy of NHL.com also mentioned how a seemingly boring game, as the scoreboard would suggest, was anything but that:

The action was fast-paced at both ends of the rink, and the Capitals defense did a nice job clearing traffic in front of goaltender Braden Holtby. Numerous Rangers shots were blocked, but Holtby made some tremendous saves to preserve the shutout.

BlueshirtBanter.com's Adam Herman rightly felt that New York didn't lose Game 3 as much as the Capitals went out and won it:

Prior to Game 3, Capitals left winger Jason Chimera spoke about how his club had to improve.

"We kind of took a period off in the second game which hurt us, but we don’t feel that we've played our best hockey yet in the series," said Chimera, per The Washington Post's Ben Raby. "We have to be a desperate team moving forward."

That message from Chimera seemed to resonate.

Washington wasn't content to settle with its one-goal advantage over the Presidents' Trophy winners. It still played a loose, attacking and exciting style of hockey, continuing to test Lundqvist throughout, who did well to only let one fluky goal past him.

But Holtby ultimately stood tallest, stopping all 30 shots that came his way to get a hard-fought win. No game in this series has been decided by more than one goal, so play between the pipes will continue to be key.

James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail highlighted the stupendous job Holtby and Lundqvist have done amid the high stakes of the postseason:

As much deserved hype as Lundqvist has received over the years, Holtby was really up to the task in Game 3. If he can at least keep matching Lundqvist's form in net and even outplay him as he did Monday once or twice more, Washington has an excellent chance of seeing the conference final.

The following anecdote from ESPN Stats & Info hints that none of the remaining games will be easy for the Capitals:

Bleacher Report's Dave Lozo believes the Rangers have the gall to square the series in the next game, though:

"

I refuse to waver from my stance that Caps-Rangers will be 2-2 going to Game 5. We are wasting time with these games. And our lives, really.

— Dave Lozo (@DaveLozo) May 5, 2015"

Now that the Caps have a 2-1 edge, the pressure will be on them to protect their house once more. If they fall in Game 4, they will have lost a chance to play an elimination game heading back to the Big Apple.

Lundqvist was magnificent in denying Alex Ovechkin on multiple golden chances in the first period, but Ovechkin figures to break through again based on his current form. None of this is good news for the Rangers, who are probably playing for their season in Game 4 in enemy territory.