WASHINGTON — Igor Shesterkin looks ready for the playoffs. And so does the Kid Line. Now the task will be for the rest of the Rangers to get their games in order by the time the postseason begins on April 17.
Sunday’s matinee in Washington against the Capitals provided an opportunity for the Rangers to get right after dropping back-to-back games in New Jersey and Buffalo, and, thanks to Shesterkin and the Kid Line of Alexis Lafrenière, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko, they did.
Lafrenière and Kakko had early goals, K’Andre Miller, Vladimir Tarasenko and Mika Zibanejad also scored, and Shesterkin was sharp in making 26 saves as the Rangers beat the fading Capitals, 5-2, at Capital One Arena on Sunday to improve to 45-21-11 for 101 points.
After starting poorly in the first period in each of their last two games and four of the previous five, the Rangers were looking to get off to a better beginning against the Capitals. But they weren’t looking particularly good in the first period Sunday until Vincent Trocheck took a harmless-looking, wide-angle backhand shot from the bottom of the left circle that Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper saved easily.
K’Andre Miller, however, skated unchecked into the slot, got to the rebound first and backhanded it past Kuemper for his ninth goal at 13:17 to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Two minutes and two seconds later, Lafrenière made it 2-0 with a spectacular goal, reminiscent of the one he scored against Detroit last season.
Chytil stole the puck just outside the Washington blue line, crossed the line, and dropped a pass to Lafrenière, who put the puck between his legs, spun away from the defender and backhanded a shot past Kuemper for his 16th goal.
Kakko then made it 3-0 on his 16th goal 1:00 into the second period.
Dylan Strome got the Capitals on the board when he took a shot/pass from below the goal line that banked in off Shesterkin to make it 3-1 at 13:23. But the Rangers were unfazed and regained a three-goal lead when Vladimir Tarasenko beat Kuemper with a shot over the glove from the left wing at 5:53 of the third period. The goal was Tarasenko’s 17th and his seventh in 26 games with the Rangers since coming over in a trade from the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 9.
