2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs nightly GIF recap: Bruins and Rangers advance

A couple of very different Game 7s unfolded on the final night of the first round of the NHL playoffs.

May 14, 2013, 1:00 PM UTC

USA TODAY Sports

The first round of the 2013 NHL playoffs came to a close with two Game 7s in the Eastern Conference, and fans were treated to some of the best and worst playoff hockey.

In the first of the two games, the Boston Bruins pulled off a stunning comeback to rally from a 4-1 third period deficit against the Toronto Maple Leafs to win the game 5-4 in overtime.

In Washington, the Capitals put on an embarrassing display in front of their hometown crowd and fell to the New York Rangers by a final score of 5-0.

Those sound like a pair of extremely GIF-friendly games, right? So let’s check them out.

The game between the Leafs and the Bruins was a physical one. The two teams seemed to be pretty sick of each other at this point:

There were also some goals in the game, including this one that Nazem Kadri scored for Toronto five minutes into the third period to give the Leafs a 4-1 lead:

But the Bruins never quit and seemed to get stronger as the game continued. Here's the game-tying goal from Patrice Bergeron with under a minute remaining in regulation:

And it was Bergeron again in overtime to win the game for Boston:

At this point, people had all but forgotten there was another game going on in Washington. You can hardly blame them.

At least it started out fun. Alex Ovechkin was on a mission to hit everything that moved on Monday.

Ovechkin finished with 13 hits. But NO GOALS. What a terrible player. No effort, am I right, Mike Milbury?

No, the terrible thing in this game was the Capitals’ defense in their own zone.

It started with Braden Holtby giving up a goal to Arron Asham.

Then it continued with some quick Rangers passing and awful luck.

The Capitals still had a chance heading into the third period. Three goals in one period to tie it up...it’s possible, right?

Not when you let Ryan Callahan score 19 seconds into the frame. And definitely not when you let Mats Zuccarello just walk in alone like this.

The last ten minutes were so boring that Doc Emrick started talking about the Preakness Stakes. Seriously. The game finally ended, and the Rangers will play the Bruins in the second round.