The halfway point of the NHL season has passed and the Rangers just stopped the bleeding of their longest losing streak to date.
A 2-1 win in the second game of a back-to-back matinee slate against the Capitals Sunday at Madison Square Garden was necessary for the Rangers to preserve sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division, as well as the team’s morale.
The weak points in the Rangers game, however, have never been clearer than they were in this stretch.
Puck bounces went the Rangers’ way in this win over a Washington team that sits in third-to-last place in the division.
Goalie Igor Shesterkin turned in arguably one of his best performances of the season, stopping 24 of the 25 shots he faced. And the Rangers’ second line struck twice, and early, to give the club just enough to squeeze out the win and snap a four-game skid.
Kaapo Kakko’s presence was also felt in his return to the lineup after a 21-game absence on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
The Rangers, no doubt fueled by mounting disappointment after falling 3-2 to the Capitals the day before, shot out of a cannon to start this one.
Passes were crisp. Zone entries were forceful. They moved the puck with purpose.
It allowed the home team to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, which ultimately proved to be enough.
To the surprise of no one, members of the second line ensured that the Rangers’ strong first period play reflected on the scoreboard. The team has struggled to do so during this past losing streak, over which the Rangers have racked up 40-plus shots in three of four games and have still been outscored 17-10 in regulation.
Artemi Panarin converted a feed from Vincent Trocheck on the rush just 48 seconds after puck drop, which counted as the star Russian wing’s 400th point with the Rangers. It came in his 310th game, making Panarin the fastest player to hit the mark in franchise history.
And with 49 seconds left in the opening frame, Alexis Lafreniere received the puck well behind the Capitals defensemen and buried his second shot on Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren.
Lindgren, the brother of Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren, continued to come up big against the Rangers. After shutting the Rangers out in early December, Lindgren backstopped the Capitals to their 3-2 victory in Washington on Saturday before Sunday’s loss.
Helping thwart the Rangers’ 37-second 5-on-3 advantage in the second period, Lindgren recorded 11 saves in the middle frame alone on the way to 29 on the day.
The Capitals put up much more of a fight in the second, in which they cut the Rangers’ lead in half after Erik Gustafsson’s failed clearing attempt lead to T.J. Oshie’s 2-1 score at the 11:03 mark. Holding a 5-0 edge in high-danger chances, Washington could’ve capitalized on a number of quality opportunities to change the trajectory of the game if not for Shesterkin.
Such has been a recurring issue for the Rangers, who have simply given up way more than they’ve been able to keep up with.
The areas of the Rangers’ game that need work have become abundantly clear.
It’s not the first half of the season that matters, it’s the second.
And it started on Sunday.