Playing their second divisional game on the road in as many nights, and doing so without Henrik Lundqvist who was sidelined with neck spasms, the Rangers showed plenty of resolve in skating to a 3-2 victory over the league leading Washington Capitals Friday night at the Verizon Center.
Goaltender Antti Raanta was front and center in this victory, filling in for Lundqvist and finishing with 32 saves. He now has won each of his last three starts in goal and Friday provided the spark needed after Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
“Everybody put their body on the line, and it’s nice to be in the net with those guys playing like that in front of (me),” said Raanta after the game.
Derek Stepan scored a clutch goal just 17 seconds into the third period to snap a 2-2 tie–one that had been forged when Washington scored twice in the second period to wipe out an early 2-0 Rangers lead. Stepan’s 15th goal was scored off the skate of Washington’s Justin Williams and was assisted by Ryan McDonagh, who registered a pair of assists in Friday’s win. Stepan also added an assist for a two-point night.
“It’s a good pinch by Mac and I get a fortunate bounce off a defenseman,” Stepan said of his game-winning goal. “We find a way to beat the league’s best in their home barn. You don’t complain about those two points.”
That lead held up midway through the period when Raanta made a sensational sprawling save along the goal line in which he grabbed a loose puck with his blocker hand after it had bounced off of McDonagh’s skate in the paint following a wraparound try by T.J. Oshie.
Raanta stopped all 11 shots he faced in the third period when Washington held an 11-4 shots advantage.
“We got that early goal and then had 19 minutes to battle, and everyone did,” Raanta said of the third period. “They had a couple good chances there, but our guys were blocking so many shots. I felt comfortable and that last minute or so went really quickly.”
The Rangers had jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period after Raanta made a pair of solid early stops on Evgeny Kuznetsov and Marcus Johansson to hold the Capitals at bay. Jesper Fast ultimately opened the scoring at 5:47, potting his ninth goal, and first in ten games, off a scramble in the slot.
New York doubled its lead by scoring a power play goal at 16:37 of the first period. After Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard found iron with shots seconds apart earlier in the man advantage, Keith Yandle snaked a long shot through a Stepan screen in front to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead which they carried into the intermission.
Washington took over control of the game in the second period, taking the play to the Rangers who struggled at times just to work the puck cleanly out of their own end of the rink. Raanta was exceptionally sharp, battling through screens and traffic in front to make a series of saves, and also showing quick reflexes when challenged on several clean one on ones.
“He was great,” Stepan said of Raanta. “After that Toronto game (on February 18) he has relaxed and allowed himself to be the goalie he started the year. He’s been fantastic for us.”
The Capitals finally scored at 10:58 of the second, though no one on the ice–including the referees–ever saw the puck cross the goal line. A wild scramble in Raanta’s crease saw Kevin Klein clear the puck off the goal line before the disc got swatted back at the Rangers goalie who ended up with two-thirds of his body laying in his own net.
The on-ice officials signaled no call and blew their whistles; but after a lengthy video review, it was decided in Toronto that a goal–credited to Jay Beagle–had been scored.
“It was just a scramble and everyone is pushing each other there,” explained Raanta. “I still didn’t see that the puck went over the line, but they said it was a goal so what can you do? I just tried to forget it and keep fighting.”
Before the period was over Washington tied things up on an Oshie power play goal with just 38.9 seconds left on the clock. Oshie’s goal was unassisted, and came off a wicked rising snap shot after a dash up left wing.
However before the Capitals could carry over any of that momentum into the third period, Stepan scored in the final period’s first minute to put the Rangers back in the lead, one they carried to the finish line. The Rangers closed out their five-game season series against the Capitals with a 2-2-1 record.
New York was bolstered by the return of Marc Staal to the lineup. Staal, who had been scratched Thursday because of the flu, decided after warmups that he’d be able to play Friday. Though he didn’t play his usual allotment of minutes, Staal still played a smart defensive game and helped the Rangers shut down Washington’s loaded lineup.
After a day off Saturday the Rangers finish off a difficult three-games-in-four nights stretch when they host the Islanders Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
Jim Cerny
BlueshirtsUnited.com
