Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers Hold Off Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals
Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers Hold Off Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals:- The Rangers had not seen the Washington Capitals and their goal-scoring machine Alex Ovechkin since the second week of the season, eons ago amid the grind of the N.H.L. schedule.
The Capitals have surged to the best record in the league and entered Sunday’s game at Madison Square Garden with an 18-2-2 record since Jan. 1. They figured to be a difficult opponent as the Rangers sought to regain their footing after a 4-2 loss to the Islanders on Thursday in Brooklyn.
And any occasion where Ovechkin stares down Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist is a recipe for drama. After 31 saves from Lundqvist and goals from Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello, the Rangers skated away with a 2-1 victory in Washington’s first Garden visit this season.
“Obviously, we were not happy with the way it went against the Islanders, and we wanted to respond,” Rangers defenseman Marc Staal said. “We had a good mood in the room. We were ready to go.”
Lundqvist said his team’s resilient mind-set was a crucial factor against the high-flying Capitals.
“Going into this game, we felt like it was a good test coming at the right time for us,” said Lundqvist, who has won six of his past seven starts, including his 400th regular-season victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 11. “It was a fun game, a good game.”
The Rangers (38-19-1) won for the seventh time in their last eight games, and are 15-4-1 this season after a loss.
The Capitals (39-12-7) lost for the second straight time this weekend following their bye week. They had won six straight before the mandated hiatus.
The Rangers dominated the first period, outshooting the Capitals, 19-10, and emerged with 1-0 lead on a goal by McDonagh, his third of the season.
The Capitals are steeped in talent, including Ovechkin’s prolific linemates Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie and the high-scoring forwards Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson and Evgeny Kuznetsov.
But none of them had much of an impact Sunday, a day after the Capitals lost, 3-2, in a shootout at Detroit.
“We were atrocious in the first period,” Capitals Coach Barry Trotz said. “We were better in the second and third, but at the end of the day, the Rangers found a way to win.”
The Rangers, often slow starters at home this season, came out with distinct zip, pressuring Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
After McDonagh’s goal, the Rangers thought they had taken a 2-0 lead late in the period, but an apparent goal by Mika Zibanejad was reversed after the Capitals challenged the play. The goal was disallowed because McDonagh was ruled to have been offside when he entered the Capitals’ zone.
Ovechkin tied the score, 1-1, with his 27th goal of the season, a power-play score at 17 minutes 24 seconds of the second period. But for the remainder of the game, Lundqvist was at his best for win No. 401, tying Chris Osgood for 11th on the career list.
At 8:37 of the third period, Zuccarello notched his 12th goal on a setup by Chris Kreider and Zibanejad.
Lundqvist made 11 saves in the third period to improve to 27-14-1 this season.
Ovechkin, who entered the N.H.L. in the same 2005-6 season as Lundqvist, got his 22nd career goal against Lundqvist, the most he has scored against any goaltender in the league. But that was little solace after the defeat.
“We played yesterday and today, and we were better, but the results were not there,” Ovechkin said, drenched in sweat after a postgame workout on a stationary bicycle. “We have to forget it and move forward.”
Many teams have struggled after returning from the league-imposed five-day bye week, instituted this season to offer a break in the schedule because the preseason World Cup extended the league’s calendar. Teams are 3-9-3 in their first game back after the hiatus.
Ovechkin did not want to use that as an excuse.
“It’s the schedule — there’s nothing you can do,” he said.
For Rangers Coach Alain Vigneault, the victory provided a good barometer with seven weeks remaining in the regular season.
“In this league, with the fine line that separates every team, you have to find different ways, and that’s what we did,” said Vigneault, who, with his 182nd win with the Rangers, moved into third place on the franchise list. “We had to check real well and we had to get some saves, and we did. That’s a real strong hockey team. They’re not in first place in the league for nothing.”
Source:- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/sports/hockey/rangers-capitals-nhl.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fsports&action=click&contentCollection=sports®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=10&pgtype=sectionfront&mtrref=www.nytimes.com&mtrref=www.nytimes.com&mtrref=www.nytimes.com
