The Capitals have been having trouble with their offense all season. More often than not the problem they’d run into would be a suddenly hot goalie. Tonight, it was a combination of a lack of shots and the Rangers forecheck that kept Alex Ovechkin and gang under wraps losing in the shootout to New York 2-1.
The Caps would get away just 23 shots on goal and got just one past Rangers starter Martin Biron, a Matt Hendricks goal early in the second period. What’s fascinating is that once the game was in overtime, after the Rangers tied the game up in the third thanks to a somewhat fluky Marian Gaborik tip-in of a Brian Boyle shot, they responded by getting as many shots on goal in overtime as they did in all of the third period with six.
In the shootout, Braden Holtby struggled giving up three goals on four Rangers attempts. Holtby had a stellar regulation making 28 saves, but in the skills competition it was a different story. Wojtek Wolski, Mats Zuccarello, and Artem Anisimov all fooled Holtby badly with dekes to score. For Zuccarello, his shootout goal makes him 4-4 in shootouts this season.
The Caps offense sputtered in part thanks to the Caps power play which continues to fail, tonight going 0-3. Washington’s power play is 18th in the NHL at 17.4% but it’s a point of contention for coach Bruce Boudreau who would like to see more from their potent lineup.
For the Rangers though, it’s yet another gutsy victory in comeback fashion in the third period. Two games in a row now the Rangers have tied the game up in the final period and won in the shootout. The win also marks their 17th road win of the year, tied for the best mark in the league. The Rangers may not be winning games with flashy output but they’re getting standout play from the likes of Marc Staal on defense and steady play from their goaltending be it Henrik Lundqvist or Martin Biron. The Rangers are now winners of three of their last four and are three points behind Pittsburgh in the Atlantic Division and two behind Washington in the Eastern Conference.