The Washington Capitals (19-13-5) played well for the first two periods. Then the third period happened, as they fell to the New York Rangers (19-16-4) 7-3 at home on Tuesday.
The Capitals had to roll without Tom Wilson and Rasmus Sandin. Thankfully, Ryan Leonard made his return to the ice after missing the last seven games.
Down 1-0 entering the middle frame, the Capitals went off for three goals in the period. John Carlson and Dylan Strome made it 2-1 before the Rangers tied it up and Aliaksei Protas scored.
However, with the Capitals leading 3-2 entering the third, things fell apart from there. The Rangers ended up scoring five goals to seal the game.
With this result, the Capitals have now lost three straight and six of their last seven (no funny jokes here). The team now enters the holiday break and will resume play at New Jersey on Saturday night.
Capitals Analysis
The Capitals were without Wilson due to an illness on Tuesday. The team’s offense needed a spark as they sure got one with Ryan Leonard’s return from the IR.
The 20-year-old made a huge impact playing on the second line alongside Strome and Protas, replacing the ailing Wilson.
Leonard recorded two assists, as he helped set up Carlson’s tally early in the second period. He later drew a penalty before setting up Strome for a goal on the man advantage.
After the Rangers scored a power-play goal of their own, Protas helped the Capitals retake the lead late in the middle frame.
The Capitals entered the final period up 3-2, but things quickly went south. The team made costly mistakes which led to the Rangers adding five more goals.
After giving up the first three, Logan Thompson was pulled with 3:52 remaining as the Capitals tried to rally. However, Artemi Panarin sealed it with an empty-netter before Vincent Trocheck scored his second of the night.
Former Capital Taylor Raddysh made his return to Capital One Arena as a member of the Rangers. It was a successful homecoming as he ended a 23-game goal drought by scoring twice on Tuesday night.
Capitals Report Card
Team: C+
The Capitals played well for the first 40 minutes, and then the third period happened. The team really needs to learn to finish games.
Ryan Leonard: A–
Leonard made his presence known after missing the last seven games. The 20-year-old finished with two assists to hit the 20-point mark.
Dylan Strome: A
Strome played very well alongside Leonard (in his return) and Protas on the second line. The 28-year-old ended an eight-game goal drought to extend his point streak to three games.
Aliaksei Protas: A
Protas also made an impression on the second line as he scored late in the middle frame for his 13th goal of the season.
Capitals Special Teams: B
The Capitals’ special teams wasn’t all too bad in this game. Leonard helped give the power play some spark again as Strome scored on the man advantage. The team also killed off a double minor early on, though they did give up a Rangers power-play goal in the middle frame.
