Rangers vs. Capitals: You Reap What You Sow
- The New York Rangers give up early goals in a way I don’t think I have ever seen before, and a goal by Jay Beagle 14 seconds into the game seemed like a bad omen.
- To his credit, Henrik Lundqvist battled back the rest of the period stopping the next 16 shots he faced.
- The Rangers were lucky to escape the period only down a goal, as Alex Ovechkin was given a very early holiday gift from Nick Holden, but failed to capitalize. Overall the Blueshirts were out shot 17-9 in period one./
- The second period was more of the same for the Rangers despite out shooting Washington 13-8, and Nicklas Backstrom’s goal was a microcosm of the night the team had. It was a situation where a botched play and being just a step behind made all the difference in the world. /
- The Rangers finally got into the game with 57 seconds remaining in the second period when Michael Grabner picked up his 14th! goal of the season. It was his fifth goal in the last five games, and he’s continuing to defy logic shooting 23%. He’s an impending free agent, and boy oh boy is he going to make bank.
- The bottom-six was one of the positives from the loss, as Jesper Fast picked up his sixth goal of the season after Paul Carey took the puck away from Madison Bowey along the boards./
- Although Boo Nieves was caught flat footed on the Capitals’ third goal of the game, the Rangers fourth line has been pretty solid since he joined the team. This is something that can give the Rangers an edge once the lineup is 100% healthy.
- After the third goal the Rangers looked defeated instead of playing like a team trying to tie things up in the final minutes of action. Ryan McDonagh got burned hard by Tom Wilson, and that is a sentence I never expected to type./
- This was a game the Rangers had no business winning. The team looked flat, was out shot 40-29 and once again struggled mightily on the power play, an area that has given the team life when they have had games like this.
- The Rangers’ power play is 2/15 since Mika Zibanejad went down with an injury, and the team is going to have to go back to the drawing board and find a way to get things done 5v5 when the power play struggles.
- There were a few occasions in which five left-handed skaters were on the ice for the power play, and that severely limits options from a tactical perspective. The power play has been at its best with quick puck movement and one timers, and that near impossible with a unit made up of same handed shooters.
- It was a disappointing result, but the Rangers need to have a short memory as they look to get back on track vs. the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey is coming off a 5-3 loss vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- It will be another opportunity to pickup points against a Metropolitan Division rival, and another must win considering how tight things are in the standings./
