The Washington Capitals kicked off Monday night with a flurry of offense and ended it with, well, something. Doesn’t matter; the suddenly young New York Rangers didn’t have a reply to a four-goal first period.
And hoo boy, did the Caps whip the donkey in the first period. Nick Backstrom set up TJ Oshie, then Evgeny Kuznetsov set up Matt Niskanen. Alex Ovechkin got an Ovi Shot from the Ovi Spot, which chased rookie goalie Alexander Georgiev from net, but the Caps weren’t done yet: Evgeny Kuznetsov recorded a shorty before the period was up.
The second was more tame, but Rangers rookie Lias Andersson scored his first NHL goal to crack Grubauer’s shutout bid. The third period saw Mats Zuccarello make it 4-2 while the Caps tripped on their laces, but that was enough for one night.
Caps beat Rangers 4-2!
- The whole Caps squad played possessed in the first, but Evgeny Kuznetsov especially. He crashed the net and committed a slash on his very first shift, he delivered a gorgeous pass to Niskanen during even strength, then got his first shorthanded goal since his very first NHL goal ever.
Kuznetsov's shorthanded goal here tonight is his first shorthanded point in the NHL since he scored a SHG as his first NHL goal four years ago yesterday, on 3/25/14. #CapsNYR
— Mike Vogel (@VogsCaps) March 27, 2018
- How cool is that little fact nugget from Caps senior writer Mike Vogel? Vogs is such a pro.
- And none of that even comes close to the pizzazz Kuzy was feeling when he tried for this lacrosse-style goal.
- TJ Oshie, once ice-cold, now has four goals in six games. He had been trending in the right direction for a while – all he needed was some luck and a gorgeous setup like the one he got from Nick Backstrom.
- Man, the Rangers are young all of a sudden. Lias Andersson, Alexandar Georgiev, Filip Chytil, Neal Pionk – they’re all babies. I know it stinks to be a fan of a team that’s rebooting or whatever you wanna call it, but it’s also exciting to watch a bunch of young players try to prove themselves. Chytil and Andersson recorded their first points and goals tonight, and that’s fantastic.
- Forty five goals grows Alex Ovechkin‘s lead in the Rocket Richard race. I’d give you some more information, but the NHL’s stat website shat itself when I asked to list for me players by goals. My fault for asking too much. Will Ovi hit 50? Depends on if that Bulgarian kid is in net on Wednesday, heh. Ovi had eight shots on net.
- As foretold in prophecy, the Caps dissembled in the third period. Mostly they had trouble getting the puck back (from a bunch of teenagers) and getting out of their own zone. They were out-attempted 10 to 2 until a Caps PP gave them a break, but even then things got sloppy with neutral-zone turnovers and baffling decisions on the breakout. The 2018 Rangers are green enough to blush when someone uses salty language (while also having no memory of an America that was not at war), but the Caps could see Philly or the Blue Jackets or the Devils in the first round. This won’t fly there.
Me looking at tonight’s Rangers roster of the night
The Rangers come to DC for a Wednesday night rivalry game, so let’s do this again then, and maybe the boys will play a solid sixty.
Full Coverage of Caps at Rangers
Headline photo: Jared Silber
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