Rangers Beat Capitals in 3 Overtimes WASHINGTON - Marian Gaborik stood outside the Rangers" dressing room, exhausted but happy and, most of all, redeemed. "It was about will," he said. We wanted to win this game. Gaborik's goal at 14 minutes 41 seconds of the third overtime period ended an epic battle of wills between the Rangers and the Washington Capitals that began Wednesday night and hurtled on into Thursday morning, and finally finished at 12:14 a.m. with the Rangers on top, 2-1. It felt like two full games, and in total time played it very nearly was. In the end, it gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead in this Eastern Conference semifinal. The victory was the Rangers" first in overtime after seven straight overtime losses, one shy of the N.H.L. record. At 114:41, it was the longest Rangers game in 73 years, and the fifth longest in club history - the four longer ones all took place in the 1930s. It was also the longest game in the N.H.L. since 2008. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, in goal for each of the seven consecutive overtime losses, made 45 saves. The Capitals" rookie goalie, Braden Holtby, made 47. Afterward, the Rangers" trainers room looked like a casualty ward. Several players sat inside being wrapped, bandaged and otherwise cared for. Defenseman Dan Girardi, who took a seven-stitch cut on his brow after accidentally being clipped by Lundqvist's stick, then had it opened again during overtime by a shot, was one of those inside. Gaborik's goal was his first since the opening game of the playoffs, after he had scored 41 during the regular season. "I hope it gets Gabby going," said Rangers Coach John Tortorella, ever the pragmatist. He's a guy we need, if we are to continue. This is just one game. Gaborik fired from the slot, a one-timed, sweeping shot that went between the legs of Holtby, set up by a perfect one-touch pass from behind the net by Brad Richards. The remarkably poised Holtby did not have a chance. The Rangers scored first, way back in the second period, when Ryan Callahan pirouetted to bury a loose puck during the power play. Less than five minutes later, the Capitals tied it when John Carlson moved across the top of the slot and fired past Lundqvist. Then the war of attrition began, through the rest of regulation and on through almost three full overtime periods. Both sides missed golden chances, both sides blocked shots, both goalies made great saves. Gaborik hit a goalpost six minutes before he scored. But Washington's Dennis Wideman also hit a goalpost, just one minute before Gaborik's goal. "I just want to lay down and relax and get a massage," Lundqvist said. My neck is hurting. Lundqvist talked about how the pressure of finally winning a playoff overtime game for the first time since April 2007, and the strain of winning one of this length. "You have to keep reminding yourself to not have a letdown or make bad decisions out there," Lundqvist said. After the fourth period, it's all in your head. How far can you push yourself? "My entire body is exhausted right now, not so much from moving around, but from keeping my focus for so long," he continued. It's exhausting. All it takes is a stupid mistake or a bad bounce and it's over. That's the toughest part. You have to stay sharp. Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh led all players with a herculean 60 shifts and 53:21 on the ice. He was knocked woozy at one point but carried on regardless, shutting down the Capitals, rushing the puck and steadying the defense. "Mac is a guy who has a mental toughness about him that impressed us right away," Tortorella said. "We kept asking him, "Are you O.K.?" He said he wanted more. Tortorella said he believed the Rangers had an advantage as the night grew into morning. "When you get into many hours of playing, it becomes a mental game," Tortorella said. As the game got longer and longer, I felt that our team was at an advantage. I think we have a mentally tough group. Brian Boyle, who blamed himself for the Rangers" Game 2 defeat when he lost a third-period face-off that led directly to Alex Ovechkin's game-winning goal - and who helped win this game by blocking a shot at the end of the first overtime with his jaw - spoke about watching from the bench as Gaborik won the game. "You just scream and yell and try to get off the bench and get to the pile as quick as you can," Boyle said. I almost fell face-first. That's the fun stuff. You remember those. And there are the other superlatives to remember. The Capitals attempted a total of 115 shots, the Rangers 107. The Rangers blocked 41 shots, the Capitals 40. Washington threw 59 body checks to the Rangers" 46. Ovechkin did not score, but he threw nine body checks - as many as Boyle threw, but less than the 11 thrown by Washington's Matt Hendricks. One of Hendricks's checks knocked McDonagh silly during the first overtime period, but he stayed in the game because Girardi was off the ice, being stitched up. Lundqvist was asked what the Rangers need now, after the longest game of a lifetime. "To get away from the game for a while and relax and recharge," he said. Then we can focus on the next one. It's important that when we come back, we're ready. They will have to be ready Saturday afternoon for Game 4. "It's just two wins," Lundqvist said. We need four.