Caps Overcome Rangers, 4-2

Two nights after its first-period flurry of goals helped do in the Chicago Blackhawks, Washington's top forward line combined for a pair of quick tallies late in the game to help the Caps take a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers.

Matt Niskanen broke a 2-2 tie with his first goal of the season at 16:28 of the third period on Friday at Capital One Arena, a goal that was started and set up by the tenacity of Tom Wilson.

Exactly two minutes later, Wilson sealed the deal with a goal of his own, his third tally and his sixth point in the last two games. Combined with Nicklas Backstrom's unassisted goal earlier in the game, the trio of Alex Ovechkin, Backstrom and Wilson has now totaled 13 goals and 30 points in the eight games since Caps coach Barry Trotz put them together just over two weeks ago.

The Capitals have won seven of those eight games, and Friday's win over the Rangers gives Washington a four-game winning streak, its longest of the season to date.

"That line is big, it's heavy, it's got some skill, it can play any game you want, and they've been very productive for us," says Trotz.

Wilson set off the Caps' late fireworks several minutes after New York's Jesper Fast tied the game at 2-2 in the middle of the third period, ensuring that the Rangers would leave town with no points. Until Niskanen scored, it was beginning to look a lot like overtime in Washington.

Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk sent a clearing feed up the wall for Boo Nieves from deep in his own end, but Wilson reached out and hauled it in just outside the New York line, and he barreled right back into New York ice. Wilson went around Fast and Shattenkirk and tried to feed Ovechkin for a back door opportunity.

The Rangers quelled that attempt, but the Caps retrieved the puck and began working it around the perimeter of the New York zone, rotating their way around the outer edges of the zone. From center point, Ovechkin floated a shot toward the net, where Wilson and Niskanen were both parked above the paint. Lundqvist stopped the Ovechkin shot, but Wilson picked the puck out of Shattenkirk's skates and tapped it to Niskanen, who chipped it home to restore Washington's lead with just 3:32 left.

"It's disappointing, extremely disappointing," says Lundqvist. "I have to look at that third goal. It's right there, we're two-on-two in front of the net, but we just can't get a hold of the puck."

Two minutes later, Backstrom's feed sprung Wilson into New York territory with speed, and he burned right around Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh and powered to the net, rolling the puck through Lundqvist at 18:28 to give the Caps a two-goal lead once again.

"I think I got a little bit lucky," says Wilson. "I actually kind of felt a stick on my hand, which caused me to kind of lose the puck. Sometimes I guess the move you don't make, you get lucky and it's unexpected and it went in."

Washington got off to a splendid start, taking a 1-0 lead on the first shift of the game as all three members of the Caps' fourth line combined to stake the team to an early advantage.

Seconds after the opening face-off, Chandler Stephenson gained the New York zone. As Shattenkirk appeared to be lining him up for a bodycheck, Stephenson left it for Devante Smith-Pelly, who in turn fed Jay Beagle. From the inside of the right circle, Beagle beat New York netminder Henrik Lundqvist through the five-hole at the 14-second mark of the first.

"A great play by Steve-O," recounts Beagle, "and then Devo gives me a backhand, and I knew I just had to put it on net quick and get it going."

Beagle's goal marked the ninth time in the last 10 games that Washington has starting the scoring.

Caps goaltender Braden Holtby was solid between the pipes once again on Friday, making 27 saves to earn his 16th victory. He denied Shattenkirk from the slot a couple of minutes into the game, and he had to make a couple of other key stops in the first to protect the Caps' one-goal cushion.

Holtby's best stop came early in the second, when he thwarted Mats Zuccarello off a fine feed from J.T. Miller. Holtby came out and challenged the dangerous Zuccarello, cutting down the angle and getting a piece of the shot.

New York began to take control of the contest in the second, but Holtby continued to keep the Rangers at bay. Eventually the Blueshirts made a mistake in their own end, enabling the Caps to double their lead on a gift goal midway through the middle period.

Attempting to break the puck out of their zone, the Rangers weren't firm enough. With Wilson and Ovechkin bearing down on him along the half wall in New York ice, Rangers forward Michael Grabner tried to feed Zuccarello for the exit. But the pass was rushed, and it went into Zuccarello's skates and bounded in the direction of the New York net. Zuccarello dove to try to sweep it out of the slot, but to no avail. Backstrom got there first, and the caps center pivoted and snapped a shot that went bar down behind Lundqvist for a 2-0 Washington lead at 11:07 of the second.

New York halved the Caps' lead in the final minute of the frame, making it a 2-1 game when Grabner beat Holtby with 56.9 seconds left in the second.

Fast's goal could have been a backbreaker for the Capitals; it came just 14 seconds after Washington won an offensive-zone draw. Ex-Caps forward Paul Carey made a good play behind the Washington net, winning the puck and feeding Fast in front. Fast beat Holtby high to the far side, tying the game at 2-2 at 9:37.

That was as good as it would get for the Rangers, though.

"We got that goal at the end of the second period and were able to tie it in the third," says Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, "then we've got a controlled breakout, a controlled situation. We know what their controlled forecheck is going to be. One of our guys doesn't do the right route. [There is a] turnover, and the turnover ends up in the back of our net. Unfortunately, it's something that we didn't do as well as we should have and it cost us. After that, we couldn't get it tied up."