Rangers collapse in third period for frustrating loss to Capitals

WASHINGTON — The Rangers’ collapse in the third period took less than two minutes. On the precipice of their first win in a week and a half, the Blueshirts gave it away in the final 20 minutes by surrendering two goals in the span of 1:53 to drop their fourth straight game, 3 2, to the Alex Ovechkin less Capitals on Saturday afternoon at Capital One Arena.

The loss sets the Hurricanes up to pull within one point of the Rangers in the Metropolitan Division if they win their matchup against the Penguins on Saturday night. The Rangers outworked the Capitals in most areas of the game through 40 minutes, but the Capitals found the visitors’ lingering weak point in defending the rush just in time.

As the Capitals’ power play expired, Evgeny Kuznetsov bulldozed into the zone, flew around the Rangers’ goal and backhanded the puck on net, where it was tipped in by Nic Dowd. Washington center Dylan Strome then worked the puck past Adam Fox on an odd man rush before feeding T.J. Oshie at the side of the net for the game winning goal.

The Capitals notched two equalizers throughout the game, but the Rangers couldn’t get theirs. Adam Fox may have taken some time to get back his game after sustaining the first significant injury of his hockey career, but the Rangers No. 1 defenseman has rediscovered his offensive touch. Leading the Rangers with two goals in the loss, which upped his total to four in the last four contests, Fox made his presence felt in this one.

The Rangers’ go ahead goal at the 5:15 mark of the second period came on Fox’s bullet one timer from the top of the zone, but the 2021 Norris Trophy winner couldn’t do it all on his own. The physical tone of this one was set by none other than the Capitals’ notorious agitator, Tom Wilson. Bodying Jonny Brodzinski into the corner boards and briefly knocking him out of the game in the first period, Wilson drew the ire of Brodzinki’s Hartford teammate, Anton Blidh, who was making his season debut and competing in his first game with the Rangers.

The Rangers earned a power play out of the scuffle and then another later in the period. The second one came after Ryan Lindgren lit up Martin Fehervary and had to answer to Dowd. Whiffing on both opportunities en route to an 0 for 3 showing on the day, it marked the fourth time in the past eight games that the Rangers failed to score a power play goal.

Despite being on the wrong end of a 4 0 edge in high danger chances after the first 20 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick, the Rangers took a 1 1 tie into the first intermission thanks to Fox’s second consecutive game opening goal. K’Andre Miller’s keep in at the blue line later in the period was then deflected right to Connor McMichael, who sprung Anthony Mantha for a breakaway that the Capitals forward finished on his backhand.

It was the third period in this one, however, that will stick with the Rangers. They’ll have some time to sit on it before the rematch Sunday afternoon in New York..