{"id":550917,"date":"2026-04-12T06:42:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T06:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/550917\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T06:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T06:42:19","slug":"will-cuylles-hat-trick-fuels-rangers-rout-of-capitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/550917\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Cuylle’s Hat Trick Fuels Rangers’ Rout of Capitals"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"AA cubist interpretation of the Rangers’ dominant performance, capturing the energy and intensity of the game through fragmented geometric shapes.NYC Today<\/p>\n

In a lopsided 8-1 win over the Washington Capitals, the New York Rangers were led by 21-year-old forward Will Cuylle’s first career NHL hat trick. The victory, which came despite the Rangers already being eliminated from playoff contention, showcased the team’s ability to stay motivated and develop young talent even with the postseason out of reach.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

The game highlighted the contrasting fortunes of the two teams – the Rangers, playing with freedom and confidence, versus the Capitals, who are struggling to maintain their playoff push as the season winds down. It raises questions about how teams manage late-season games when the stakes are lower, and the importance of cultivating a winning culture even in a losing season.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

Cuylle’s hat trick bookended a dominant performance by the Rangers, who also got goals from Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad, and others. The Capitals, meanwhile, were plagued by defensive lapses, undisciplined play, and an inability to generate consistent offense against a hungry Rangers squad.<\/p>\n

The Rangers scored four goals in the second period to blow the game open.Cuylle completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal in the final minute of the game.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Will Cuylle<\/p>\n

A 21-year-old forward for the New York Rangers who scored his first career NHL hat trick in the game.<\/p>\n

Adam Fox<\/p>\n

The Rangers’ star defenseman, who also scored a goal in the rout.<\/p>\n

Mika Zibanejad<\/p>\n

The Rangers’ top-line center, who contributed a goal and an assist.<\/p>\n

Igor Shesterkin<\/p>\n

The Rangers’ star goaltender, who made 27 saves in the win.<\/p>\n

Washington Capitals<\/p>\n

The Capitals are currently clinging to a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race, but this loss was a setback in their push to secure a postseason berth.<\/p>\n

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\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a big deal not just for Will, but for our whole team. When a young guy like that gets rewarded, it energizes the whole bench.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Gerard Gallant, Head Coach, New York Rangers<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just didn’t have the gas tonight. We’ve been fighting so hard to get back into this, and it’s frustrating to see it slip away like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Peter Laviolette, Head Coach, Washington Capitals<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The Capitals have four games remaining in the regular season as they try to hold onto their wild card spot. The Rangers, meanwhile, will look to finish the season strong and build momentum for next year.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

This game showcased the contrasting approaches of two teams in very different situations – the Rangers, playing with freedom and developing young talent, versus the Capitals, struggling to maintain their late-season playoff push. It underscores the importance of cultivating a winning culture and identity, even when the postseason is out of reach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a A cubist interpretation of the Rangers’ dominant performance, capturing the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":550918,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5111],"tags":[5,3328,35,5190,5193,4,36],"class_list":{"0":"post-550917","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-rangers","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-rangers","11":"tag-newyork","12":"tag-newyorkrangers","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-rangers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116390379837146986","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=550917"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550917\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/550918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=550917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=550917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=550917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}