The saying goes: Good teams find a way to win, bad teams find a way to lose.
This had the feeling of a playoff game, the type of matchup the New York Rangers should embrace, having reached the Eastern Conference Finals in two of the last three seasons with a core that’s remained largely unchanged since, except the addition of former Vancouver Canucks’ playoff cult hero J.T. Miller.
For most of Wednesday night’s game, the Rangers held the Washington Capitals in check. But a lackluster third period showing, a power play that failed to score on any of its four opportunities and an overtime gamble that didn’t pay off cost them, as the Capitals took this one 3–2 in extra time.
There are no moral victories. At this point of the season, these games matter. Especially against a Washington club the Rangers are likely to face in the first round of the playoffs, should they qualify. Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s loss.
A playoff-like matchup
It was a low-scoring, tight-checking game — one that was decided by a few inches and synonymous with playoff hockey.
“It’s a small margin for error out there,” head coach Peter Laviolette said.
“Played them in the playoffs last year,” Mika Zibanejad added. “It’s been a long history between the Rangers and the Caps, and you go back in some of the playoff series even before I got here.
“They’re a tough team. That was a good test for us as well, and I think the group responded in a good way.”
The Capitals are firmly in hold of the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference, meaning that they will play the team in the second Wild Card spot — which the Rangers are battling for. It would be the reverse matchup of the two clubs’ first round matchup a season ago, when the Presidents Trophy-winning Rangers swept the final seeded Capitals.
Tensions escalated in the second period, when Brennan Othmann hit Matt Roy into the boards. Roy went after Othmann, and ended up fighting Juuso Parssinen. The tussle came after Sam Carrick and Brandon Duhaime dropped the gloves earlier in the period.
“Anytime he drops the gloves and puts his body on the line,” Vincent Trocheck said about Carrick. “It just shows what he’s willing to do for the team, and I think anytime someone does that, it’s a lift for the team.”
“I feel like our group is coming together more and more,” Zibanejad said. “You can tell by the way we play, the way we stand up for each other. That’s a good thing. We got to keep doing that.”
In overtime, Zibanejad narrowly missed Miller with a cross-crease pass, which ricocheted off the corner boards and onto the stick of Tom Wilson, who converted a two-on-one rush with Dylan Strome for the winning goal.
Ovechkin 10 goals away
Alex Ovechkin scored his 32nd goal of the season and 885th of his career. The Capitals’ superstar is now 10 goals away from surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s goals record.
Ovechkin’s power play tally tied the game at two just after the halfway mark of the third period — a frame in which the Capitals outshot the Rangers 8–3.
“Up until that point, I thought that the third was in check with where we wanted to be,” Laviolette said. “And they scored a power play goal, tied it up.”
Washington is the NHL’s best third period team this season. They’ve scored 222 goals in the final frame this year.
Ovechkin led all players on the ice with five shots. He came close to adding to his total, but Igor Shesterkin made two timely glove saves, once in the third period and again in overtime.
Impact on New York’s playoff hopes
The East is wild right now.
The Rangers are third in the Wild Card, sitting just outside the playoff picture with 67 points in 62 games. The Ottawa Senators won on Wednesday, earning a key two points that gives them the same total as the Rangers in 61 games. The Columbus Blue Jackets are clinging to the first Wild Card spot with 68 points, though their spot is by no means safe.
The Detroit Red Wings, who held the second Wild Card spot a few days ago, have lost three straight games and have now dropped to fourth — below the Senators and Rangers. The Montreal Canadiens are riding a five-game win streak and are breathing down Detroit’s necks.
It’s chaos, and with each game involving one of these teams, the standings seem to fluctuate.
The Rangers play a back-to-back this weekend. They will be in Ottawa on Saturday afternoon and will return home Sunday evening to face the Blue Jackets. There hasn’t been a more important stretch of games this season for the club.
