Blue Line Station
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Outstanding defensive effort as Rangers beat Capitals 4-1

By Steve Paulus

Feb 20, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) celebrates with teammates after their game against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) celebrates with teammates after their game against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) battles for the puck i Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) battles for the puck i Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Notes on the game

For Zibanejad the goal ended a 12 game goal-less streak.  It wasn’t his longest as a Ranger. as he went 15 games without a goal in his 2016-17, his first in New York.

Coach Quinn really went with four lines in this game.  The forward with the most ice time was Zibanejad with 18:18 minutes.  It was the first time a forward didn’t play as many as 19 minutes in a game this season.

Zibanejad had an excellent day on faceoffs, winning 15 of 23 for a 65.2%. As a team, the Rangers won 57% of the draws, only the fourth time this season they have been over 50%.

Adam Fox led all Rangers with 24:20 minutes of ice time, a far cry from the 30 plus minutes he played in the Flyers game (though that game went to overtime).

The Rangers did a good job shutting down the Kuznetsov-Ovechkin-Oshie line. They ended up with six shots on goal and was on the ice for one Ranger goal.

Ryan Lindgren had a very visible game with four blocked shot, two shots on goal and a plus/minus of +2.

Igor Shesterkin had 26 saves and won his fifth game in seven games. He has allowed only 13 goals in those seven games.

The penalty kill was perfect for the eighth time in their last nine games.  They have killed 31 of their last 32 penalties, a 97% success rate. They have improved their overall record to 85.7% and are tied for fourth best in the NHL.

After not scoring a power play goal in five straight games, the Rangers have scored in two straight. The Rangers are 4-2-1 when scoring a power play goal. When they don’t they are 2-6-1.

This was the first day game of the season for the Rangers and they haven’t fared well in the past.

Kaapo Kakko was  late scratch due to the NHL’s COVID protocols.  It’s the second time he is one the list. The last time he missed one game and was on the list for two days.

Julien Gauthier replaced Kakko in the lineup and was fine. He drew two penalties, made on awful pass and took a bad penalty as a result of the pass. He played 9:03, fewest minutes of any player and had one shot on goal.

This was the eighth time that the Rangers have held a team to only one period of shots in double figures.  Washington had 11 shots in the second period and was held to only eight shots in the first and third period. All last season, the Rangers were able to do that only ten times in 70 games.

The Capitals are the only team the Rangers have beaten twice this season.  They have yet to win against the Bruins or Devils.

The Rangers now have a road winning record (3-2-1) compared to a 3-5-2 record at home.

If you haven’t been watching, the outdoor game in Lake Tahoe was suspended after one period with the Avalanche leading the Golden Knights 1-0.  The game will resume at 6pm PST, meaning a midnight time frame on the east coast.   The ice was deemed unplayable because of the sun.

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