Capitals vs. Rangers: Game 7 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NHL Playoffs

The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers have had numerous tight playoff battles in recent years, so it was only appropriate that Wednesday's Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinal was decided in overtime.

When the dust settled in Madison Square Garden, the Rangers emerged with a 2-1 victory to pull within four wins of a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

This marks the 12th consecutive one-goal game the Rangers have been involved in.

A one-timer from the point by Dan Girardi ricocheted right to Blueshirts center Derek Stepan, who ripped it into the back of the net to secure the triumph at the 11:24 mark in overtime.

NHL Public Relations had a great anecdote on the tremendous resilience this Rangers nucleus has shown when it matters most—and how history has been on their side in Game 7 matchups:

And to think, Washington was less than two minutes away from closing out in five games.

Prior to Game 7, John Buccigross of ESPN highlighted how close these two clubs have been in the postseason of late:

Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin had guaranteed a victory before Wednesday's all-or-nothing showdown, per the Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan:

Ovechkin backed up his bold words by putting Washington on the board first 12:50 into the game, but now he'll continue to face serious criticism. The NHL's official Twitter account provided the footage of a snap shot Ovechkin ripped past Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist:

ESPN Stats & Info referenced how Ovechkin tends to elevate his game against one of the best goalies in the business:

Ovechkin has never made it past the conference semifinal, and Rangers forward Rick Nash has had some playoff demons of his own.

Nash had a golden chance to score toward the end of the opening period, only to be denied on a breakaway by Capitals netminder Braden Holtby, per NBC Sports:

After the first intermission, though, New York kept increasing its intensity on both ends of the ice. Much to the delight of the home fans, its previously anemic power play—one of 11 previous opportunities—came to life at the perfect time.

J.T. Miller skated in and had his initial wrister cast aside by Holtby, but Ryan McDonagh hustled to keep the puck in the zone. Miller then flanked the slot and zipped a stupendous pass to Kevin Hayes right on the doorstep.

The rookie then slid it underneath Holtby's pads for the tying goal 6:22 into the second period:

To that point, Washington hadn't managed to get a shot on goal during the second. The equalizer seemed to galvanize the visitors, as Ovechkin and Co. created numerous other chances but ultimately couldn't reclaim the lead before the final 20 minutes.

Bleacher Report's Dave Lozo and Dan Rosen of NHL.com highlighted the Capitals' difficulties on special teams after having a league-best power play in the regular season:

"

The Caps power play is unexplainably atrocious. Weird entries, no real plan when they get possession, Green runs off early.

— Dave Lozo (@DaveLozo) May 14, 2015"

Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star poked a bit of fun at how tightly competitive the series continued to be in Game 7:

Both teams played quite cautiously heading into the most critical stretch of the evening, combining for only four shots in the first eight minutes of the final period.

The defense was good, and the stupendous play between the pipes that has defined much of this epic series continued Wednesday, which NFL star Arian Foster appreciated:

It was more on Holtby to preserve the tie toward the end of regulation, as the Blueshirts peppered him with quality shots late in the third. None of them got through.

Then came Lundqvist's turn to bail his team out, standing on his head to deny a flurry from Washington to start the extra action. His extraordinary effort paid off, because it led to the key sequence that culminated in Stepan's game-winner.

ESPN's Adnan Virk weighed in on how Wednesday's decisive contest concluded:

New York may have won the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best team in the regular season, but the playoffs have been anything but a cakewalk. None of its games have been easy, which may actually help the Rangers as they gear up for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final.

Based on all of the adversity the Blueshirts have overcome, they seem like a team of destiny. On the precipice of returning to the Stanley Cup Final after losing last year, it's hard to imagine New York will lack the fortitude or confidence to keep moving forward.

As for the Caps, this is yet another instance of postseason heartbreak. One has to feel for Ovechkin in particular, who may rethink making guarantees in the future until his team gets over the hump.

Too bad someone had to lose this series—a seven-game thriller that ought to go down among the best of its kind in any major pro sport in recent memory.