Rangers Drop Second In A Row, Lose To Caps 5-3

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After a fantastic few games of hockey, the Rangers have come back down to earth, as they have dropped their second in a row, this time at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champion, Washington Capitals. The Rangers started off strong, with goals by Jimmy Vesey and Brady Skjei, but were unable to hold off the Caps, as they strung together three unanswered goals in a huge team defensive breakdown. Ryan Strome would tie the game off a nifty feed from Brett Howden in the third, but goals by Brett Connolly and an empty-netter by Tom Wilson sealed the deal for Washington. The Rangers fell apart in the second period, and although their third period was better, it was not enough to hold off an incredibly potent Capitals team. Here’s what stood out:

Incomplete Effort, Again: New York was flying for all of the first and some of the second period. After Brady Skjei scored to make it 2-0, the team seemed to fall into a bit of a malaise again. Sloppy puck movement and losing corner battles lead to two point shots beating Georgiev, alongside a Jakub Vrana breakaway goal off of a Ranger turnover. Although the Rangers tied the game up on a goal by Ryan Strome, which was beautifully set up by Brett Howden, New York just could not hold off the Capitals, as sloppy defensive play in the neutral zone led to a rush by defenseman John Carlson in which he fed a wide-open Brett Connolly for the go-ahead goal.

A Tom Wilson empty netter would seal the deal in what was an afternoon that began on a high note and ended on a dud. Although there were positives, like the nifty set up on the goal by Strome from Howden, and Tim Gettinger making his NHL debut, the Rangers shot themselves in the foot once again, allowing the Capitals to control the pace of the game. This was evident in the second and parts of the third. Even though games like this are expected in a rebuilding year, mental mistakes and inconsistencies are things you never want to see, and in saying that, coach Quinn has a lot of work to do in trying to get this team back on track. An overall better effort from the previous tilt versus Philadelphia, but almost only matters in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Next Game; The Rangers will look to get back in the win column on Monday night when they host the Ottawa Senators. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

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