NEW YORK — Ryan McDonagh scored 9:37 into overtime and the New York Rangers kept their Stanley Cup hopes alive with a 2-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Friday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Chris Kreider breathed life into the Presidents’ Trophy winners by scoring with 1:41 left in regulation to force the overtime.

The Capitals lead the series 3-2. Game 6 is Sunday night in Washington.

Henrik Lundqvist made 28 saves for the Rangers, who have won each of their last nine playoff games when facing elimination at home – dating to Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Braden Holtby made 41 saves for Washington, which was less than two minutes away from its first trip to the conference finals since 1998. Curtis Glencross scored for the Capitals.

NOTES

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BLACKHAWKS: Defenseman Michal Rozsival will miss the rest of the playoffs because of a broken left ankle.

Rozsival was hurt when he lost his balance and fell backward in the second period of Chicago’s 4-3 series-ending victory at Minnesota on Thursday night. The Blackhawks will face Anaheim or Calgary in their third consecutive appearance in the Western Conference finals.

RED WINGS: Coach Mike Babcock received permission to speak with other teams.

Babcock’s contract is expiring, and his status is the main question facing the Red Wings as they try to figure out their plans for the future.


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