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Clinched! Caps beat Rangers 2-0

By Patrick Holden

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April 5, 2017 10:34 pm

Wednesday night is rivalry night on NBCSN and this one featured an actual rivalry. On top of that, the Caps had a chance to clinch a bunch of things that are not the Stanley Cup.

The first period happened, even if the Caps seemed unaware of this fact at times. The team went over six minutes without a shot attempt in the middle of the frame. But the guys in red picked up the action towards the end of the frame.

The action at the end of the first period did not carry over into the second period and both teams struggled to create much flow or pace. But then, a little over halfway through the period, some guys broke the rules and the Caps found themselves with their second 4-on-3 of the night. The pace picked up and, once play had gone to 5-on-4, Alex Ovechkin did his thing and the Caps went up 1-0.

Just over five minutes into the third, Marcus Johansson and Evgeny Kuznetsov hooked up for a pretty goal. Fans of the EA Sports NHL video game series know that the inside-outside deke Kuznetsov pulled on Henrik Lundqvist is unstoppable.

Caps win 2-0!

Caps clinch the Metro! And the East! And the Presidents’ trophy!

  • This is a thing that happened:

  • But it’s not the nicest thing that Tarik tweeted tonight:

  • Ovechkin’s goal tonight was his 23rd against Lundqvist, the most he’s score against any goalie.
  • This is a scheduled bullet point: Nate Schmidt was flying out there tonight. His skating ability can get the Caps out of hot water in their own end and lead to quality chances off the rush down the other end. But through two periods he was minus-4 in shot attempts, tied for lowest on the team. This proves what we all know: Big Corsi is a lie
  • How good was that open ice hit from Dmitry Orlov? Just two years ago, Orlov missed an entire season due to a troubling wrist injury that wouldn’t heal. Now, he’s a bonafide top-four defenseman.
  • Despite this game having little flow at times, the Caps never seemed outplayed for any extended period. Yes, the Rangers rested some regulars, but the Caps deserve credit. It was their second game in two nights, against a team that had off since Sunday, yet they never looked like the more tired team.
  • Credit to the crowd at Verizon Center tonight. They seemed to be in playoff form.
  • TJ Oshie, who has scored more than 30 goals this season, bled his own blood after a high stick from Chris Kreider.
  • Tom Wilson was handing out body hits tonight, which is surprising considering that…just kidding, it’s not surprising at all.
  • Through the first two periods, Lars Eller skated 1:55 more than Jay Beagle.
  • The Caps have a sweet new display of sticks at Verizon Center

Full Coverage of Caps vs Rangers

Headline photo: Patrick McDermott

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