📸: kurly from #crashers
The Washington Capitals hosted the New York Rangers in their final game before the holiday break on Tuesday night. The two Metropolitan Division rivals did battle in front of a rowdy Capital One Arena, ready to celebrate a win…yeah, about that.
Former Capitals winger Taylor Raddysh opened the scoring for the Rangers. John Carlson struck just 23 seconds into the second period to tie the game at one. Dylan Strome put the Caps ahead after a review determined his shot crossed the goal line. Will Cuylle deflected home a power-play goal to tie the game back up. Less than a minute later, Aliaksei Protas put the Capitals back in front.
Taylor Raddysh tied the game with his second goal, and Alexis Lafreniere quickly put the Rangers in front by one. Vincent Trocheck padded the lead. Artemi Panarin empty netter and Trocheck with one more.
Rangers beat Capitals 7-3.
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- I thought the Capitals started the game quite well, dominating most of the play until Ryan Leonard took a double-minor penalty for high-sticking. They then just didn’t record another shot on goal for the rest of the period, with play bogged down in the neutral zone for most of the 20 minutes. Not fun hockey to watch.
- The penalty kill was fantastic for those four minutes, though, creating more chances shorthanded than the Rangers up a man. Unfortunately, the Capitals gained zero momentum from the great kill, which is a bummer.
- Really good to see Ryan Leonard back on the ice. I thought he definitely looked like he was getting his sea legs back under him early on, but he got going and grabbed two assists before the game was even halfway done. He also made an absolutely absurd move that broke Matthew Robertson’s ankles and would have had a goal if he hadn’t been hacked, drawing a slashing penalty.
- I thought the Capitals were tremendous in the second period, and unlucky to go into the second intermission only up one goal. Leonard’s return to the lineup really sparked the team’s missing offense. Just completely night and day.
- Good to see Dylan Strome finally on the board again after he had just one goal in his last 20 games before Tuesday night. At first, it looked like Igor Shesterkin absolutely robbed him, but after review, Shesterkin clearly wasn’t able to keep the puck out of his net. They all count the same.
- Shesterkin gave up one of the worst rebounds of his career on a Sonny Milano shot that was probably a pass, which then landed right on Aliaksei Protas’s tape. Protas easily scored his third goal in his last four games and sixth in December overall.
- No Tom Wilson in the lineup, so, of course, Matt Rempe was trying to start some shenanigans near the benches after one of his incredibly few shifts in the game. Let’s hope Willy is feeling just fine again for the return matchup on New Year’s.
- Just a brutal third period. The Rangers looked like they wanted it more, and they got it. The schedule after the holiday break is jam-packed until the Olympics. The Capitals need to get their game together, and they may need to get someone from elsewhere to help them do so.
- A lot of funky deflections and bounces, but I didn’t think Logan Thompson was good at all in this game. The Capitals kept the Rangers to 10 shots after two periods. He can’t be giving up six goals. The last was the worst. Terrible rebound.
- Taylor Raddysh scored two goals in the same game. He had a stretch with the Capitals last year in which he scored ONE goal in 38 games from December 3 to March 5.
The Capitals and the rest of the NHL will now break for the next three days, resuming play on the 27th. The Caps will be in New Jersey, visiting the Devils, when the action restarts.
