AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

The Rangers got off to a quick start against the Caps last night, jumping out to a 1-0 lead early on an Oscar Lindberg goal. After relinquishing the lead, the Rangers scored three straight and never looked back en route to a 5-2 win. The Rangers scored twice in the second, but they were completely dominated in that period. Elite goaltending was the difference here, as Henrik Lundqvist was sensational in that period. Hank stopped 13 of 14 shots, including two powerplays.

The top line looked really good in this game, as Mats Zuccarello, Derick Brassard, and Rick Nash pressured the Caps constantly, got a few scoring chances, and buried two goals in the second period. That said, it was only the third line that finished in the black in the possession game. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, as the Caps basically pinned the Rangers in their own zone for two periods. Just one goal though, and that was the difference.

As always, you can view the full videos on our video page here. All GIFs are on nyrgifs.comfiltered under the date of the game. On to the goals:

Rangers 1, Caps 0

Kevin Hayes is a very smart hockey player. He reads the turnover by #44 behind the net after the dump in, then throws it in front knowing he will have support. After a few whacks at the puck, Oscar Lindberg comes in trailing the play, finds the loose puck, and buries it. This goal was moments after Marc Staal speared Alex Ovechkin. As Joe pointed out on the broadcast, Viktor Stalberg started this play by stopping Evgeny Kuznetsov on the rush, and the Rangers transitioned from there. Stalberg is very under rated in his own zone.

Caps 1, Rangers 1

ovi goal

This is just some bad luck for the Rangers. Dan Girardi hit the post with his chance, and then the Caps were able to turn that into a 3-on-1 the other way. Staal got burned to the outside, which isn’t surprising because the Caps transitioned very quickly. Nate Schmidt got the puck across to Ovi, who roofed it.

Rangers 2, Caps 1

This was a broken breakout by the Rangers, as Kevin Klein fired the initial pass into Staal’s skates. However, once Staal got it up the boards to Lindberg at the center line, John Carlson pressured him, which sprung Kevin Hayes and Viktor Stalberg on a 2-on-1. Hayes beat Braden Holtby under his glove.

Rangers 3, Caps 1

Ovechkin simply misplayed a puck off the boards in the offensive zone, which sprung the Rangers on a 4-on-2 rush. Derick Brassard just waited out the defender before dropping to Klein, who beat Holtby stick side.

Rangers 4, Caps 1

Rick Nash pressured Holtby to get rid of the puck early. Then Mats Zuccarello pressured Marcus Johansson into a turnover along the boards before getting the puck to Brassard in the slot. Brass tried to get it back to Nash who circled to the doorstep, but the pass went off Johansson’s stick and into the net.

Caps 2, Rangers 4

johanssen goal

The Caps really dominated this period. It felt like the entire period was in the Rangers’ zone. The Caps finally broke through, as sustained pressure eventually led to a Johansson goal. Johansson was all over the ice, eventually circling behind the net, then back to the slot behind Klein. Karl Alzner got him the puck, and he deflected it over Lundqvist for the goal. I used the original goal angle here to show Johansson sneaking in from behind the net.

Rangers 5, Caps 2

Honestly, Holtby should stop this one.

Score-Adjusted Shot Attempts

sc corsi copy

The Rangers were really lucky to escape that second period, and even luckier to escape it with two additional goals. The Caps absolutely dominated that period.

Scoring Chances

scf

This chart is exactly what you’d expect from a team that was in their own zone for 66% of the game.

Individual Corsi

icorsi copy

Again, what you’d expect from the above two charts. Worth noting that only the third line was a positive possession line that game. They hadn’t been in the positives for possession through the young season, but they played a great game last night for their usage. I thought the top line played better than their numbers,

Shift Chart

shifts

Standard shift chart from Alain Vigneault for a matchup against the Caps. McDonagh/Girardi got Ovechkin, except on icings and whatnot. Marc Staal and Kevin Klein got the Backstrom/Johansson line, which also isn’t surprising. What I found to be interesting was AV matching his third line against the Beagle line, which the trio of Stalberg/Lindberg/Hayes absolutely dominated.

That usage may be why they were the only three to finish in the black in possession. Av really exploited that matchup when he could.

Shot Locations

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This was the first big test for the Rangers this season, and they capitalized on their chances and survived Washington’s pressure. It’s weird saying the Rangers “escaped” with the win, but if you were watching that game, you felt the Rangers were dominated throughout most of the game. But hey, a win is a win.

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