Last night’s overtime loss was about as hard a point this season the Rangers earned. Had the Rangers been able to pull off the overtime win, it probably would have been one of the better games of the season. However, a high risk play by Mika Zibanejad caused a 2-on-1 in overtime, and Tom Wilson redirected a cross ice pass by Dylan Strome past Igor Shesterkin.
Though a strong game for the Rangers, it felt they played a bit too conservative once they established a lead in the second period. The Capitals are the kind of team this season where a defensive shell is death in the third period. The Rangers only ended up getting 2 shots on goal the entire 3rd period while the Caps had 9 along with multiple power plays. Alex Ovechkin scored his 885th career goal to tie the game, and we know how it ended.
The shell put unnecessary strain on Shesterkin to save the day against a high-octane offense, and you cannot win hockey games long term just playing defense. At some point, you have to get the puck out of your zone, and go on the offensive. In hockey, the best defense is a good offense. It was disappointing, and hopefully a lesson for the Rangers. A little more offensive jump is needed to put these playoff teams away.
Focusing on the positive, this is the best array of bottom six talent the Rangers have assembled in quite some time. When the top six just does not have the juices flowing, Peter Laviolette has a few weapons and options for tertiary scoring with the way they’ve been playing. He’s polarizing, but even Matt Rempe looks way more comfortable this season. He isn’t tasked with being a side show, he’s playing a 200 foot game and getting much better each and every game. His block at the end of regulation got the bench up and banging their sticks along the boards.
Sam Carrick, a guy who has mostly flown under the radar, has really solidified that bottom six. He might be the best 4th line center this team has had since the Brian Boyle/Dominic Moore days. He’s really a good leader for that bottom six and sets the tone with just solid play.
While we are still riding the wave, last night changed a few opinions on this iteration of the Rangers. Instead of hoping to survive and not bottom out, the Rangers have reeled us all back in with the strong showing last night, even in a loss. The youth has injected a different type of attitude on the ice, and they are ready to destroy anyone in front of them. Brennan Othmann in particular is on the cusp of scoring his first NHL point each and every game. It’s going to happen soon, he’s doing too many of the right things to not get rewarded at some point.
No team has more come from behind wins this season than the Capitals, so while it’s not entirely surprising they came back, it’s still frustrating that the Rangers couldn’t grind out the win in the end. We are still riding the wave with 5 out of 6 points leading up to the trade deadline. The Rangers are playing well, and they can surprise people in the playoffs if they get there. Worst case scenario, it seems the locker room issues are a thing of the past and they can make a run next year.
More About:Game Wrap-ups