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WASHINGTON— On the morning of Game 3, reporters and teammates each took turns trying to convince Rick Nash, the second-highest goal-scorer in the NHL this season, that scoring goals was not really important. That it was the little things, like providing a screen for a power play goal or winning puck battles along the boards or just playing sound defensive hockey that makes the difference.

It was a gesture that made the New York Rangers forward smile, if not laugh out loud.

“Thanks for noticing that,” said Nash, who after Monday night’s 1-0 loss to the Washington Capitals remains with just one goal during these playoffs. “I appreciate the positives.”

Around this time a year ago, there were no positives from a drought that saw New York’s US$7.8-million star forward finish the playoffs with three goals in 25 games. Fans booed him on home ice after he went the first two rounds without a goal. When he finally did score, the headline in the New York Daily News read, “Hell freezes over.”

It is easy to carry that criticism into this year, especially with Washington’s Alex Ovechkin having already scored two GIF-ready goals and having set up the winner in Game 1 in this series. But the 30-year-old Nash, who said the disappointment of going the entire Stanley Cup final without a goal stayed with him all summer, seems a bit wiser this time around.

“I’ve been through this before,” said Nash, who has not scored since Game 2 of the first round. “The negative doesn’t get you anywhere. I feel like all the negatives come from (the outside). In here, we’re positive things will go in.”