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The New York Rangers Turn the Caps Into Lowercase in Win Over the Washington Capitals

With the conclusion of the Christmas Break, the New York Rangers turn the Caps into lowercase in a 5-1 victory over the Washington Capitals. Away are the days of tidings of comfort and joy with the hunt for a playoff spot on the horizon. On the back of their overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres, New York welcomed a division foe for a midweek tilt.

The last time these two teams met, it embodied a one-sided affair. The Capitals skated circles around New York, defeating the Rangers 4-0 on December 9th. A 31-save performance from Charlie Lindgren was the result of one of the few lacklustre showings for The Blueshirts. Thankfully, the poor performances are few and far between. Throughout the season, New York has proved once and for all that they can hang around with the “Big Boys” of the NHL. Arguably, they could listed as one of the “Big Boys” themselves. Could New York keep their winning ways before the Floridian Road Trip?

First Period Takeaway: A Reassessment Well Worth It

The first 20 minutes called for a chess match between the two divisional opponents. Both teams traded a fair amount of chances. Goaltenders Igor Shesterkin and Darcy Kuemper stood strong in their respective creases, not allowing anything past them in the opening frame. Each of the respective teams’ head coaches Peter Laviolette and Spencer Carbery presented a more cautious brand of hockey. There were not many scoring chances, but both teams showed promise. This trend could not last the entire game, right?

Second Period Takeaway: NY Rangers or Rangers FC?

Whenever the Rangers complete a scoreless first, the goals typically follow no matter who it is. In Wednesday’s case, the visitors started the scoring. Anthony Mantha got Washington on the board with his 11th of the season. He scored on a play you do not see beating Shesterkin often: a shot on the left side, beating him high glove.

Despite conceding the opening goal, New York modelled their play after a famous soccer (yes, soccer) club that sparked their offence. The Rangers in this contest where they turn the Caps into a lesser light took a page out of FC Barcelona’s book with sublime passes. An equalizer in the form of K’Andre Miller’s sixth of the year tied the game at one apiece. A beautiful one-two between the former Wisconsin Badger and Mika Zibanejad led to a backhand from the slot that beat Kuemper.

The Rangers earned themselves three power plays up to this point. Although they were unsuccessful on the first two, the third time’s a charm. Zibanejad possesses both a great shot and impeccable vision. His keep-in at the blue line led to Artemi Panarin finding the puck down low and firing one top-shelf past Kuemper.

40 seconds later, a breakout off of the draw found the Rangers back in Washington’s zone. Known for his underrated wrist shot, Braden Schneider tucked in his third of the year. Three unanswered goals from New York was the storyline of the middle frame. With 20 minutes to go, who knows how this one would end up?

Third Period Takeaway: Kids Eat Free on Wednesdays and the Rangers Turn the Caps into Appetizers!

The message seemed to be clear from Laviolette: do not let up. Even with three unanswered goals, New York has a history of finding themselves in vulnerable positions. They tend to get too comfortable and let their opponents back into the game. Tonight, they learned from their past mistakes and keep their foot on the gas pedal. Miller kept his impressive play up and notched his seventh of the season. It might not have been the best of shots, but nevertheless, it will still show up as a goal on the scoresheet.

The third period belonged to the youngsters as Alexis Lafreniere would tally the fifth and final goal for New York. Adam Fox proved that he is still one of the smartest players in the league with that pass alone. His heads up play found the 2020 first-overall pick for his tenth of the campaign. Shesterkin ends up with 26 saves and only one goal allowed. Another impressive performance by New York’s number one netminder.

The Rangers are back in action on Friday when they take on the Florida Panthers down in Sunrise. Last year’s Eastern Conference Champions have been impressive during the month of December, coming off a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Puck drop is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. EST from Amerant Bank Arena.

Main photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

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