There is no shame in being beaten by one of the greatest goal-scorers in hockey history, but that did not make the Rangers’ 2-1 loss to the Capitals on Friday night any easier to take.
After having controlled the game at Capital One Arena for most of the night with a smothering defensive effort, the Rangers watched Alex Ovechkin score two short-range goals in the final seven minutes.
The Russian star scored twice in 3:09, giving him at least one in five consecutive games and 720 for his career.
The Rangers led, 1-0, when Ovechkin put in a loose puck from in front of the net with 6:42 remaining in regulation time.
The puck had bounced off teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov and trickled in front of the net.
Then with 3:33 left, Ovechkin did it again, putting in another loose puck, this time off a rebound he controlled with his skate, then putting it past goalie Alexandar Georgiev.
The Rangers (12-13-4) entered the night having beaten the Capitals in both of the teams’ meetings this season.
Washington (20-6-4), one of the league’s best and hottest teams, has won seven games in a row and is 14-2-1 in its past 17 games.
The Rangers beat the Flyers, 9-0, on Wednesday in the first game for interim coach Kris Knoblauch. He was filling in for David Quinn, who along with his staff is not allowed behind the bench because of COVID-19 protocols.
Knoblauch is expected to work Saturday night’s rematch with the Capitals as well.
The Rangers were by far the better team in a fast-moving first period that ended with them leading, 1-0.
Ryan Strome twice set up teammates with excellent scoring chances, first Brendan Smith and then Jacob Trouba, but Washington goalie Vitek Vanecek denied them on both occasions.
It was yet another pass from Strome that finally allowed the Rangers to break through.
On the Rangers’ first power play of the game, Adam Fox attempted a long shot that bounced off the post to the right of Vanecek. The puck bounded to Strome, who found Artemi Panarin in the left faceoff circle. Panarin beat Vanecek to his stick side at 16:42.
The goal gave Panarin three goals and four assists in four games since his return from an absence for personal reasons.
The Rangers held onto that 1-0 lead through the second period, thanks to a solid defensive effort against the high-powered caps. The Capitals had only 11 shots through two periods.
The best chance for Washington came when defenseman Zdeno Chara, who celebrated his 44th birthday on Thursday, charged down the slot for an unlikely breakaway.
But he was harassed by the Rangers’ Chris Kreider and K’Andre Miller and missed the net and Georgiev altogether.
Joked MSG Network analyst Joe Micheletti, "You may have to go back to the ‘90s [for] the last time he got a breakaway."
The Rangers had a chance to extend their lead, but Vanececk stopped Strome from short range off an excellent pass from Fox.
The biggest drama of the second period surrounded Ryan Lindgren.
First, he took a puck to the face while sitting on the bench and briefly went to the dressing room for repairs.
When he returned, he leveled Ovechkin with a crushing body check that seemed to rattle Ovechkin, whose stick broke.
For the rest of the period, Capitals players jawed at Lindgren, although it was not clear why, because the hit seemed to be legal.
The Rangers had been 10-1-2 when taking a lead into the third period this season.
They had chances to extend the lead on an early power play when Brenden Dillon was penalized for hooking Mika Zibanejad, but they were unable to convert.
With 9:14 to go, the Caps were called for a holding the stick penalty on Richard Panik. But the Rangers were unable to cash in. Shortly thereafter, Ovechkin tied it.
