WASHINGTON — Playing without Tom Wilson and Rasmus Sandin Washington Capitals looked well on their way to a victory through the first two periods of play. Then, things fell apart in the third.
Despite a strong showing from Ryan Leonard in his return, the Capitals couldn’t keep the momentum going all the way through the game, and the Rangers’ five-goal period led to a 7-3 loss before the holiday break.
Here are the takeaways as Washington dropped its third straight contest and sixth of the last seven.
The Capitals had a 3-2 lead going into the final 20 minutes of play, but ultimately, a handful of mistakes and five goals against in the third cost D.C. two points.
Taylor Raddysh, playing his first game back in Washington, ended a 23-game goal drought in the first, and later scored his second of the game to even the score midway through the final frame.
Just 1:08 later, Alexis Lafreniere tipped home Artemi Panarin’s point shot to make it 4-3 for New York, and later in the frame, as the Capitals attempted a comeback, Vincent Trocheck struck off a rebound off the draw to put the Rangers up by two late.
D.C. pulled Logan Thompson with 3:52 remaining to try and rally, but Artemi Panarin iced the game with an empty-netter, and then, to add onto the ambush, Trocheck got to the front and buried his second of the night to make it 7-3.
Lapses in coverage and errors proved costly, but ultimately, it was a lack of consistency that sunk Washington.
Missing Tom Wilson due to illness and struggling in this recent stretch, the Capitals offense needed a spark. Enter Ryan Leonard, who shined in his return from injury after missing the last seven games.
The 20-year-old was all over the ice, and playing on the second line with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas with Wilson out, provided speed and a notable jump. He helped set up John Carlson for the game-opening goal, and then drew a penalty before later setting up Strome for a power-play goal.
Leonard finished the game with two assists to hit the 20-point mark , moving him into sole possession of fourth place in scoring among all NHL rookies.
Coach Spencer Carbery called Dylan Strome one of the team’s top performers from last game, and he built on it again with another strong outing on Tuesday.
Strome not only ended an eight-game goal drought to extend his point streak to three games, but helped generate a lot of opportunity and control play.
The 28-year-old remains on pace for 60-plus points this season and appears to be getting his confidence back while generating chemistry on a new-look like.
After the Rangers evened the score on their own power-play chance, Aliaksei Protas stepped up, scoring his 13th of the season to restore the lead for D.C.
Protas has four points in his last four games and points in nine of the last 13 overall.
D.C. outshot New York 30-21, but the team also missed a number of chances that could’ve made the difference.