Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren, injured as usual and soaked in blood, is uplifted and tougher than Alex Ovechkin. The Capitol star has probably been a hit in the last decade, beating him and his in the second period of Friday night’s game in Washington Broke the stick.
Ovechkin turned around and scored two goals in the second half of the third period, which alone would give his team a 2–1 win over the Rangers. The Blueshirts held a 1-0 lead until 13:18 of the final 20 minutes, but allowed Ovechink to score twice from the same spot in a 3:09 interval.
It was the first win over the Rangers in their three meetings this season.
Washington extended their winning rhythm to seven matches, but the toughest matchup in that period was the Blueshirts.
From top to bottom, the Rangers are beginning to figure out which way is difficult to play.
If the historic 9–0 win over the Flyers on Wednesday was a temporary one, the Rangers followed it up with a strong road effort against the first-place team in the East Division.
The Rangers are having an aggressive resurgence, and it can be ascertained that on March 13, star winger Artemi Panarin returned to the lineup after an extended leave of absence due to a political hit piece from Russia.
Panrin now has at least one point in every game since returning to the lineup, scoring a power-play goal in the first period on Friday night. He has scored three goals and four assists for seven points in the Rangers’ last four games.
The Rangers have done more than settle in an aggressive groove. He has new tenacity, spirit and will to win. They may have suffered disappointment from the sluggish start to the season, or their top guns getting their game in at the same time, but this is not the same team that appeared when the night opened back in January.
The Rangers, led by the Wolf Pack coaching crew for the second straight night with the Blueshirts’ coaching staff in the COVID-19 protocol, gave Washington fewer than 10 shots on goal each period. After facing just five shots in the first period, and then six in the middle frame, Ovchin’s two goals spoiled the Rangers’ efforts.
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