In a wildly high-scoring game on Thursday night, where ties and lead changes occurred as fast as Alex Ovechkin can skate from one end of the ice to the other, the visiting Washington Capitals squeaked out a 6–5 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
The team with the best record in the NHL, the Capitals, fought for their 12th victory in a row while the Rangers dropped their seventh game in the last eight.
The Blueshirts came out and took charge, scoring their first power play goal in eight games just after the halfway point in the first period.
Olli Jokinen, just acquired in a trade with Brandon Prust that sent Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins to the Calgary Flames, shot at the net. Ryan Callahan beautifully redirected the puck to give Jokinen his first point as a Ranger.
Ten seconds after the Capitals tied the score off a goal by Boyd Gordon later in the first period, Marian Gaborik set up Vinny Prospal for a 2–1 lead.
Six goals were scored in the second period, three for the Rangers and three for the Capitals. All three Rangers goals came with the man advantage. However, the game-changer may have come with just seconds left on the clock.
With the Rangers up 5–3, Ovechkin showcased his speed and strength by flicking in another highlight reel shot. Ovechkin slipped the puck through the legs of Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival and with one hand on the stick, managed to flick the puck up goalie Henrik Lundqvist’s stick and over his left shoulder.
Ovechkin, who finished with two goals and one assist to reach 500 points for his career, said after the game in an interview with MSG, “We never give up and it’s a good sign for us.”
Teammate Nicklas Backstrom also had a monster game with a goal and four assists in his third career five-point game. His winning goal came 5:34 into the third period.
Backstrom brought the puck deep into Rangers territory on a power play before passing the puck. Lundqvist then made several saves with the Capitals buzzing. Backstrom then found himself all alone with the puck and his shot got through everyone for the third Capitals power play goal and a 6–5 lead.
For a team that was so vaunted for its penalty-killing abilities, the Rangers could not overcome nine Capitals power play opportunities. Head coach John Tortorella said, “You plug one hole and a couple others spring up, mainly our discipline. Can’t be sitting in the box that much as we did tonight.”
The loss was heartbreaking. Prospal said, “To be up 5–3 with 10 seconds left in the second period and to end up losing like this, it’s never easy because it goes back to our problem, our troubles that we’ve been having throughout the whole season that we just don’t put in the 60 minutes. We played great for 55, 56 minutes today, but the four minutes, that’s what kills us.”
The Rangers currently sit in tenth place with 58 games played, which is more than the teams they are competing against.
The team with the best record in the NHL, the Capitals, fought for their 12th victory in a row while the Rangers dropped their seventh game in the last eight.
The Blueshirts came out and took charge, scoring their first power play goal in eight games just after the halfway point in the first period.
Olli Jokinen, just acquired in a trade with Brandon Prust that sent Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins to the Calgary Flames, shot at the net. Ryan Callahan beautifully redirected the puck to give Jokinen his first point as a Ranger.
Ten seconds after the Capitals tied the score off a goal by Boyd Gordon later in the first period, Marian Gaborik set up Vinny Prospal for a 2–1 lead.
Six goals were scored in the second period, three for the Rangers and three for the Capitals. All three Rangers goals came with the man advantage. However, the game-changer may have come with just seconds left on the clock.
With the Rangers up 5–3, Ovechkin showcased his speed and strength by flicking in another highlight reel shot. Ovechkin slipped the puck through the legs of Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival and with one hand on the stick, managed to flick the puck up goalie Henrik Lundqvist’s stick and over his left shoulder.
Ovechkin, who finished with two goals and one assist to reach 500 points for his career, said after the game in an interview with MSG, “We never give up and it’s a good sign for us.”
Teammate Nicklas Backstrom also had a monster game with a goal and four assists in his third career five-point game. His winning goal came 5:34 into the third period.
Backstrom brought the puck deep into Rangers territory on a power play before passing the puck. Lundqvist then made several saves with the Capitals buzzing. Backstrom then found himself all alone with the puck and his shot got through everyone for the third Capitals power play goal and a 6–5 lead.
For a team that was so vaunted for its penalty-killing abilities, the Rangers could not overcome nine Capitals power play opportunities. Head coach John Tortorella said, “You plug one hole and a couple others spring up, mainly our discipline. Can’t be sitting in the box that much as we did tonight.”
The loss was heartbreaking. Prospal said, “To be up 5–3 with 10 seconds left in the second period and to end up losing like this, it’s never easy because it goes back to our problem, our troubles that we’ve been having throughout the whole season that we just don’t put in the 60 minutes. We played great for 55, 56 minutes today, but the four minutes, that’s what kills us.”
The Rangers currently sit in tenth place with 58 games played, which is more than the teams they are competing against.
