3 Rangers takeaways after grabbing 1 point not 2 in OT loss to Capitals
The New York Rangers did plenty of good things Wednesday on home ice against the first-place Washington Capitals. What they didn’t do, though, is come away with two points, although they did get one, in a hard-fought 3-2 overtime loss to the Capitals.
What that means in the Eastern Conference playoff race is that the Rangers slipped out of a postseason berth, but just barely. They’re percentage points behind the Ottawa Senators, who secured two points Wednesday with an overtime win over he Chicago Blackhawks. The Rangers and Senators each have 67 points, but Ottawa is in the second wild card because it’s played one less game than New York.
We’ll have plenty more to report on this, but, man, that’s a big game between the Rangers and Senators on Saturday afternoon in Canada’s capital.
As for the game Wednesday, it was frustrating for the Rangers not to get that second point, especially since they were less than 10 minutes away from a regulation win. But the Capitals are first in the East and second overall in the NHL for a reason, and they shut down the Rangers in that third period, buying time for Alex Ovechkin to score the tying goal. The Rangers aren’t the first team he’s burned with a clutch goal this season or over the past two decades!
That bitter enemy Tom Wilson scored the winner at 4:07 of OT just adds to the pain of this loss for the Rangers, who are 7-3-1 in their past 11 games, but struggling to defeat the League’s best teams.
The Rangers were winless this season against the Capitals (0-2-1), though could flip that script should the Metro rivals meet this spring in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Related: Winners, losers from bitter Rangers’ OT loss to Capitals
Three takeaways from Rangers OT loss to Capitals
Here are three takeaways from another a frustrating overtime loss for the Rangers on Wednesday.
1. Let’s get physical
In a tightly-played defensive game that had the feel of a playoff matchup, the physical play was ratcheted up by each team. There were 58 combined hits, two fights, numerous post-whistle skirmishes and plenty of ill will.
The Rangers set the tone in the first period, when they were credited with 16 hits. They finished with 36, and all but six skaters recorded at least one. Rookie Brennan Othmann, who was shaken up briefly by a Matt Roy hit from behind in the second period, led New York with six hits in just 11:07 TOI. Newcomer Calvin de Haan continues to impress after arriving from the Colorado Avalanche; he had five hits and three blocked shots in 14+ minutes of ice time. And Matt Rempe was a bull with four hits and a key blocked shot in the third period.
Sam Carrick and Juuso Parssinen dropped the gloves for New York, which was up for this big challenge, even it ended up on the wrong side of the final score.
2. What’s up with the number 3?
It appears the number 3 is no friend of the Rangers. On Wednesday, for example, they blew a third (there’s a 3) and lost 3-2 (and another 3). It was their third (yup, 3 again) straight loss this season to the Capitals.
But here’s the real issue with the number 3. The Rangers cannot win three games in a row any more. They failed again Wednesday and haven’t won three straight since Nov. 14-19, three-plus (3 again) months ago. Wednesday was the sixth time they failed to extend a win streak to three games since mid-November.
3. Didn’t finish strong
The Rangers didn’t generate much offense all night, but it dried up completely in the third period, allowing the Capitals to tie it up. The Rangers had 13 shots through two periods, but managed only three in the third. The Capitals deserve credit here for a strong commitment to defending tightly in five-man groups, but the Rangers didn’t win nearly enough puck battles in the O-zone nor get to the net enough to create traffic in front of Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren.
In overtime, the Rangers had one shot, and it was a beaut. Zac Jones was all alone in the low slot with the game on his stick less than a minute into OT. But Lindgren made the game-saving stop. That was that.
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