News

Rangers Thump Capitals, 5-1, In Post-Holiday Big Apple Tilt

By Jon Sorensen·
Photo: X/@Capitals

The Washington Capitals were back in action from their three-day holiday break, taking on another division foe in the New York Rangers. 

However, it did not go as planned. The Capitals completely unraveled in the second period, allowing three unanswered goals after taking a 1-0 lead and they could not find their game after that. Igor Shesterkin was sensational with 25 saves and the Rangers would whitewash the Capitals 5-1. 

Here is how it went down.

LINES AND PAIRS

Alex Ovechkin – Dylan Strome – Tom Wilson
Aliaksei Protas – Connor McMichael – Anthony Mantha
Hendrix Lapierre – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Ivan Miroshnichenko
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Martin Fehervary – John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin – Trevor van Riemsdyk
Joel Edmundson – Nick Jensen

Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren

Scratched: Matthew Phillips, Alex Alexeyev, Max Pacioretty (Achillies), Sonny Milano (Lower), T.J. Oshie (Lower), Nicklas Backstrom (hip)

PERIOD 1

There was once again no score after the first 20 minutes. Each team had a power play and the Capitals would have 1:35 of power play time going into the second period. Washington outshot New York 10-7. It was a very fast first period.

PERIOD 2

Anthony Mantha extended his goal streak to three games making it 1-0 Capitals with a snipe from the near side on a two-on-one. Rasmus Sandin and Aliaksei Protas had the assists at the 4:12 mark. It was Mantha’s 11th goal of the season.

The Rangers quickly responded at the 7:03 mark of the second. K’Andre Miller went streaking through the middle of the ice and beat Darcy Kuemper on the backhand, making it a 1-1 game. Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin had the apples.

The Capitals got into some penalty trouble after Ivan Miroshnichenko took a tripping penalty. Panarin ripped a short side snipe over the glove of Kuemper making it 2-1 Rangers at the 12:08 mark. Vincent Trocheck and Zibanejad had the assists.

40 seconds after the Panarin tally, Braden Schneider let a soft wrister go and it beat Kuemper to the far side. Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey had the assists at 12:48.

Washington was outshot 11-10 in the middle frame.

PERIOD 3

Miller got his second goal of the game to make it 4-1 Rangers at the 6:54 mark of the third. It was another long-range shot through a screen. Chris Kreider and Blake Wheeler had the assists.

The onslaught continued as Alexis Lafreniere made it 5-1 for the home team on a backdoor one timer after some puck watching by the Capitals defense. Adam Fox and Miller had the assists at the 11:15 mark.

Up Next

The Capitals will remain in the state of New York to square off against the New York Islanders on Friday, Dec. 29. 

By Jacob Cheris