Caps Can't Catch Up in 4-2 Loss to Rangers

Alex Ovechkin continued to make history on Thursday night in New York, but for the Capitals, their captain's 709th goal was one of too few highlights on the night. The Caps took too long to get started against the Rangers, falling behind early and staying behind all night in a 4-2 loss.

Washington was down 3-1 just past the midpoint of the third period as the Caps got set for a left dot draw in the offensive zone following the second television timeout of the frame. Nicklas Backstrom beat New York's Mika Zibanejad on the draw, and Ovechkin collected it and fired it past Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin on the short side at 11:01, two seconds after the puck was dropped.
The goal was the 709th of Ovechkin's illustrious NHL career, moving him one ahead of ex-Caps great and Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Gartner for seventh on the League's all-time goals ledger. In the process, Shesterkin became the 143rd different goaltender Ovechkin has victimized in climbing to seventh overall.
"It's great to move on," says Ovechkin of moving up another rung on the ladder. "I'm not done yet. I'm just trying to enjoy my time right now, trying to enjoy this moment with the team.
"Obviously it sucks we didn't get two points, but at the beginning of the year, we're just trying to find our game. I think for periods of time we played well, we played good. Other times, we stop playing and it costs us points and costs us games."

For the first time in 11 games this season, the Caps never led in Thursday's game. They were chasing the game and the Rangers and never caught up.
"Obviously it's better to get the lead and control the game," says Caps winger Richard Panik. "But it didn't happen tonight, and I think we were just chasing the game all night."
The Caps fell behind early, going down 1-0 in the second minute of the first frame when Ryan Strome tipped home an Adam Fox shot from center point at 1:41. The Rangers were benefactors of the game's first power play just over three minutes later, and although they put three pucks on Caps goalie Vitek Vanecek with the extra man, the Czech rookie kept them all out.
Midway through the second, New York doubled its lead on a goal from an unlikely source. Blueliner Anthony Bitetto, playing in his second game of the season and second as a Ranger, carried around the perimeter from the right half-wall to the left half-wall, cut to the middle and beat Vanecek with a backhand flip from the slot at 9:15. It was Bitetto's first goal in more than three years - since Nov. 18, 2017 - and just his third NHL tally in 185 games.
Late in the middle period, the Rangers were found guilty of having too many men on the ice. Washington was unable to solve Igor Shesterkin on the power play, but the Caps got a good bounce with 63 seconds left in the frame.
Hagelin drove the net looking for loose change on a Garnet Hathaway shot, and the rebound hit Hagelin, popped into the air and fell behind the Rangers goaltender, cutting the home team's lead in half.

When Hathaway drew a slashing call on New York's Brett Howden with 9.2 seconds left in the second, the Caps power play went to work for the fourth time on the night, seeking the equalizer. But Washington's extra-man unit was blanked on its four opportunities in Thursday's game, ending a streak of five straight games with at least one power-play goal.
The Caps were able to generate more heat in the attack zone in the third, but while pressing hard for the tying tally, they ended up digging the hole a little deeper.
When a Jakub Vrana-to-T.J. Oshie pass failed to click deep in New York ice, it gave the Rangers possession and left all three Washington forwards below the dots along with Zdeno Chara, who had pinched down the left half-wall. The result was a 2-on-1 rush with a trailer for the Rangers, and when Caps defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk -- the lone man back for Washington -- wasn't able to succeed in a desperate dive to knock the puck off Strome's stick, it left the New York center with an easy lay-up at 7:55, following a quick exchange with Artemi Panarin.
"For me, as the game pushed on, I thought we got better," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette. "But as you're starting to press, also you leave yourself a little bit vulnerable for what's coming against you as you try to score and tie things up."
Strome's second of the night proved to be the game-winner. The Caps pulled to within a goal on Ovechkin's marker, but weren't able to pull even. Pavel Buchnevich scored into an empty net to account for the 4-2 final.
The outcome leaves the Caps with consecutive losses and the Rangers with consecutive victories, each for the first time this season.