The New York Rangers are one win away from the second round of the NHL playoffs following a 3-2 Game 5 overtime triumph over the Montreal Canadienson Thursday night at Bell Centre.MikaZibanejadplayed the role of hero andnotcheda game-winning goal with 5:38remaining in overtime to give his sidea 3-2 series lead following a scoreless third period.NHL on NBC provided video of the decisive goal:NHL on NBC also joked aboutZibanejad's mindset as he let the game-winner rip:Artturi Lehkonen and Jesper Fast tallied the game's opening goals for the Canadiens and Rangers, respectively, but it wasn't until the end of the first period that things really started to heat up.Specifically,Brendan Gallagher ripped a wrist shot from between the circles with the Canadiens up a man to hand Montreal a 2-1 lead entering the second period, as the NHL documented on Twitter:The Canadiens continued to operate as the aggressors throughout the second stanza, and they ripped off shot after shot thanks to two power plays within the frame's first four minutes. However, the Rangers killed off both to keep the margin at one, and that penalty-killing prowess paid off.With 1:32 remaining in the second period, Rick Nash jetted toward the net and set upBrady Skjei for a swift rebound tally that easily found its way past Carey Price to tie things at two:At that point, Blue Shirt Banter's Adam Herman noted Nash has been a scoring savant over his last couple postseason appearances: Zibanejadultimately sealed the deal with his game-winner to steal the show, but goalkeeping shouldn't be overlooked.Both Price and Henrik Lundqvist were locked in with 33and 34saves, respectively, and they repeatedly fended off shots throughout the third period to extend action and force an extra session.Lundqvist, in particular, stood out when he stoned MaxPacioretty on a breakaway midway through the third, as the team's official Twitter account documented:The scene will now shift back to Madison Square Garden for Game 6, which is scheduled to get underway Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.As things stand, history suggests the Rangers are in great shape.According to Elias Sports Bureau (via NHL.com's Sean Farrell), Game 5 winners with the series tied two games apiece in the best-of-seven format have advanced to the next round 78.1 percent of the time since 1953-54.For more news, rumors and related stories about the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiensand the NHL,check out the Rangers, Canadiensand NHLstreams onBleacher Report's app.
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