Tom Wilson added an empty-netter with one second to go, closing the door on the Rangers.
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This New York Rangers team isn’t the same pushover as its predecessor. A year after finishing with the Eastern Conference’s worst record, New York came to Capital One Arena on Friday off to a 4-1 start with four straight wins.
But the Washington Capitals, too, are stronger than they were a year ago. While it took some time, they eventually showed their growth, rallying to beat the Rangers, 3-1, at Capital One Arena behind goals from Timothy Liljegren and Boone Jenner.
The Capitals begin the season 3-1, including 3-0 in the Metropolitan Division.
“I thought it was a hard-fought game, not a lot of room on either side,” Coach Spencer Carbery said. “Just a battle on the inside on both sides. … They’re playing well, they’re defending well, and good hockey game, and so for us to get two points was good to see.”
Washington will succeed this season if it can get contributions from everyone. While the Capitals don’t have a true star forward, they have more depth, which means they don’t have to rely on one player or line to win, as evidenced by Friday’s victory.
The Rangers have dominated the first period this season, not allowing a goal. They did just that again, jumping out to a 1-0 lead as Alexis Lafrenière scored on the power play.
But in the second period, the Capitals added pressure, with Liljegren scoring from the point to tie the game up just over six minutes into the period. It was the first goal in a Capitals jersey for Liljegren, who was acquired in March from the San Jose Sharks and is taking on a bigger role with Matt Roy sidelined.
“I feel pretty good,” Liljegren said. “Just kind of try to keep my game the same, try to be a steady defenseman back there and follow up as I did there on the goal whenever I can, but you know, defense first.”
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A few minutes later, the Rangers took a major blow when goalie Igor Shesterkin had to be helped off the ice after his leg appeared to hit the post. Shesterkin, who earlier this season was the first goalie in Rangers history to score a goal, has been a major part of New York’s hot start.
With backup goalie Dylan Garand now in, goalie coach Scott Murray radioed a scouting report to the coaches, who then passed it on to players. They were quick studies, taking the lead later in the second period after a failed icing attempt. Jenner capitalized on a loose puck in the middle of the zone, sending it to the back of the net to score his first goal with the team.
Jenner, one of the Capitals’ four offseason additions, signed a four-year, $23 million contract in July. He said it’s been easy transitioning to the Capitals, in large part because of the character they have.
“It’s been a great group to be a part of,” Jenner said. “Easy for myself and the new guys to come in and feel welcomed in here. I think we all want to find our role right away, and I think we’ve done that.”
The Capitals maintained the lead throughout the third period, closing the door on the Rangers, particularly in the final two minutes after New York pulled its goalie. Tom Wilson added an empty-netter with one second to go, his second goal of the season.
“That was a hard game,” said goalie Logan Thompson, who made 21 saves. “They came out hard tonight. They’ve been playing well, so I thought we matched them well, especially when they grabbed an early goal. I felt like we stuck with it and stuck to the game plan and good things happened tonight.”
Note: Matt Roy, who missed his second game due to a lower-body injury, is still day-to-day but skated Friday morning for the first time since being injured in Saturday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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