The New York Rangers have done it once again. The Blueshirts defeated the Washington Capitals 3-1 Friday night in Game 3 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The Rangers need just one more win to advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, and at the pace they’re moving, it’s looking like the series will be over in four.
The Washington Capitals, however, have not admitted defeat just yet despite their struggles. Will they be able to come back from this critical deficit, or should they shift their focus to next season?
The Rangers Dominating In Special Teams
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Once again, there were several referee calls on the ice that prevented a majority of the game from being played at even strength. As noted before, 5-on-5 is Washington’s most notable offensive strength. John Carlson got the Caps on the board early in the first period with a goal at even strength, and Chris Kreider responded with an even-strength goal of his own less than half a minute later.
Regardless, the Washington Capitals had six power plays, and could not capitalize on a single one. Meanwhile, the Rangers saw the Caps’ power plays as big opportunities.
In the first ten seconds of their first penalty kill of the game, bottom-six forward Barclay Goodrow scored a short-handed goal on a 2-on-1 from a pass from Vincent Trocheck, who already has two goals in the series. The Washington player between those two was none other than Alex Ovechkin. The Goodrow goal marks the second straight short-handed goal in this series for the President’s Trophy winners.
Apart from scoring goals, the Rangers’ power plays and penalty kills were miles better than Washington’s. On the PK during Game 3, the Rangers blocked seven shot attempts and allowed eight shots on goal. Those numbers apply to six penalty kills.
On the power play, the Blueshirts dominated as per usual. Vincent Trocheck sealed the victory for the Rangers with four and a half minutes remaining in the second period, scoring a power play goal assisted by Mika Zibanejad. Both players have multiple points in the series.
It is clear that the Washington Capitals are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to referee calls. However, there is still plenty of time to get their units together. Alex Ovechkin is clearly not producing anything good for the Caps in special teams (quite the opposite, actually).
If they want to win Game 4 and extend this series, the Caps must realize that they need to restructure their special teams. Place younger, more productive players in spots that are the most crucial. Adjust the defense to a point where it’s hard for the opposing team to get those breakaways and odd-man rushes, and hope that they get some pucks past Shesterkin.
Frustration and Physicality
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This has been a frustrating series for the Washington Capitals and their fans alike. They thought that a change of scenery and playing in their home arena would be just the push that the Caps needed to finally get on the board in this series. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.
Their response to rising frustrations? Both teams going back to their physical roots.
The looming threat of Rangers’ Matt Rempe and Capitals’ Tom Wilson dropping the gloves at any moment has lived in fans’ heads rent-free. However, it seems like the Washington team itself has not stopped thinking about it as well.
Just a little over halfway through the first period, Matt Rempe laid a hit on Capitals forward Trevor Van Riemsdyk that led to him having to leave the game with an upper-body injury. Rempe faced a minor interference penalty. A controversial call, since it seemed as if there was contact with the head on the play.
John Carlson, who scored the first goal of the game, expressed his frustration by saying, “I’m sick and tired of losing defensemen to ‘clean’ hits…it’s frustrating how guys can get injured and it’s legal.”
After the hit, Caps players, specifically Tom Wilson, kept their eyes on Rempe hoping for a long-awaited fight. Rempe wanted nothing to do with it, which frustrated Wilson further.
Will the Wilson-Rempe tension bubble over in this series, or should it be a dropped topic at this point?
Washington On The Brink Of Elimination
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The Washington Capitals are on the first-round exit doorstep. While it was quite a delight to see them make it to the playoffs, given their injured defensive roster and abysmal goal differential, they simply have not been able to match the intense energy and style of play held by the President’s Trophy winners.
Only four NHL teams in history have come back from a 3-0 deficit and won the remaining four games to take home the series. The odds are unfortunately not in the Capitals’ favor. However, anything can happen in the playoffs, and this season has seen quite a bit of records being broken.
They might just surprise us.
Looking Forward
The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals will meet again for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Round 1 playoff series on Sunday, April 28 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST and will be streaming nationally on TBS. There will also be local streams on MSG Network for Rangers fans and Monumental Sports Network for Capitals fans.
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About the Author
River Caraballo (she/they) is a hockey writer for Total Apex Sports. She is a big fan of the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild, despite being based in Connecticut. They are the host of a weekly podcast and radio show, Round the Rink, where they talk hockey from the NHL to the PWHL and college hockey. You can follow River on Twitter/X to keep up with her sports content.
