Mike Ribeiro’s OT goal puts Caps on brink of eliminating Rangers (Video)

It should come as no surprise to see how tight the New York Rangers/Washington Capitals series has been. Entering Game 5, nine of their last 10 meetings had been decided by one goal, with three of them needing overtime.

Game 5 kept with that theme as Mike Ribeiro's goal 9:24 into overtime gave the Capitals a 2-1 victory and moved them a win away from the second round:

Capitals head coach Adam Oates said before Game 5 he was "worried" about how his team would start the game. His fear became a reality when Brian Boyle scored just 53 seconds into the game to give New York the early lead.

Boyle would later watch from the penalty box as Joel Ward evened the score 11 seconds into Washington's first power play (drawn by Ribeiro) of the game 7:44 into the second period. That set the scene for Ribeiro to step up in the OT and score his first goal of the playoffs and first since April 18.

With the Maple Leafs also winning Friday night, Game 6 for Capitals/Rangers will be Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy