NY RANGERS @ WASHINGTON CAPITALS POST GAME RECAP

Raanta and Stepan Spark Rangers to 3-2 Win In Washington

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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

FINAL STATS

NY RANGERS 3 WSH CAPITALS 2
SOG: NYR 23 WSH 34
Scoring Summary
1st Period
05:47    NYR    Jesper Fast (9) Wrist shot - ASST: Dan Girardi (15), Ryan McDonagh (22)     1 - 0 NYR
16:37    NYR    PPG - Keith Yandle (5) Snap shot - ASST: Derick Brassard (25), Derek Stepan (18)     2 - 0 NYR
2nd Period
10:58    WSH    Jay Beagle (7) Wrist shot - ASST: NONE     2 - 1 NYR
19:20    WSH    PPG - T.J. Oshie (19) Wrist shot - ASST: NONE     2 - 2 Tie
3rd Period
00:17    NYR    Derek Stepan (15) Wrist shot - ASST: Ryan McDonagh (23)     3 - 2 NYR
Penalty Summary
1st Period
08:00    NYR    Marc Staal  Tripping  - 2 min against  Andre Burakovsky
11:02    WSH    Jay Beagle  Roughing  - 2 min against  J.T. Miller
11:02    NYR    J.T. Miller  Roughing  - 2 min against  Jay Beagle
15:33    WSH    Karl Alzner  Tripping  - 2 min against  Derek Stepan
2nd Period
18:19    NYR    Tanner Glass  Slashing  - 2 min against  Brooks Orpik
3rd Period
00:56    WSH    Justin Williams  Slashing  - 2 min against  Mats Zuccarello
Team Stats
Category    NYR    WSH
Power Plays    1/2    1/2
Hits    16    22
Faceoff Wins    16    29
Giveaways    7    13
Takeaways    6    6
Blocked Shots    18    12
Penalty Minutes    6    6

THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. DEREK STEPAN NYR
2. ANTTI RAANTA NYR
3. JAY BEAGLE WSH

THE NYR BROADWAY HAT GOES TO #93 KEITH YANDLE!

NEXT GAME:
The NY Rangers return to action Sunday March 6th at 5:00 PM as they host Division Rival NY Islanders