The Washington Capitals’ (39-30-9) playoff chances took a major hit on Sunday night. They completely fell flat against the last-place New York Rangers (33-36-9) 8-1 at Madison Square Garden.
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The Capitals looked to be in good shape after upsetting red-hot Buffalo on Saturday. However, a second-period collapse and lack of coverage led to a crucial loss on the road.
After the Rangers took a 1-0 lead early on, Connor McMichael scored the Capitals’ only goal to tie it up at 1-1. The first period seemed to be a sign of a more competitive matchup.
Unfortunately, the second period is when the wheels completely fell off for the Capitals. The defense fell apart and surrendered five goals from the Rangers.
It was also a tough night for Charlie Lindgren, who had sat the last 10 games and was playing the second half of a back-to-back. The 32-year-old netminder finished the night stopping 24 of 32 shots.
With the loss, the Capitals now sit three points behind the second Wild Card spot in the East and third in the Metropolitan Division. Next up, Washington will look to bounce back as they visit Toronto on Wednesday night.
Capitals Analysis
After Conor Sheary opened the scoring, Tom Wilson made a nice pass to McMichael for a breakaway goal to tie it at 1-1. Unfortunately, that first-period tally was really the only highlight for Washington’s offense all night.
The middle frame is when the Capitals completely fell apart. First, the Rangers went on the power play as J.T. Miller deflected a rebound in. Then, Will Cuylle scored on a similar play by going backdoor and redirecting the puck past Lindgren.
Cuylle struck again for his second tally to beat Lindgren from the right circle and make it 4-1 Rangers. Adam Sykora then added on to the blowout with a one-timer in front, and Adam Fox’s shot through traffic resulted in a power-play goal.
The Rangers led 6-1 heading into the second intermission, as the Capitals just didn’t have an answer. The defense looked sloppy and Lindgren struggled in his first game since March 12.
Early in the third, Vincent Trocheck beat Lindgren five-hole to extend the Rangers’ lead to 7-1. Then, with 31.5 seconds left, Cuylle fired away from the slot to finish the night with a hat trick.
The Capitals grew frustrated with the results so much that three players dropped the gloves with opposing players. Jakob Chychrun, Brandon Duhaime, and Hendrix Lapierre were all given five-minute majors.
While the Capitals had succeeded on the man advantage recently, their struggles made a sudden return. The team went 0-for-3 on the power play, as they failed to generate chances.
Capitals Report Card
Team: F
Absolutely abysmal performance by the Capitals trying to keep their playoff hopes alive. That second period is further proof of that.
Charlie Lindgren: D
It didn’t help that Lindgren sat out the last 10 games for Logan Thompson. The netminder just looked lost in net as he gave up eight goals.
Capitals Special Teams: F
Somehow, the Capitals’ special teams struggles returned in the worst way. The team went 0-for-3 on the power play and gave up two goals on the penalty kill.
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