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Rangers Run Capitals, 5-2; Aliaksei Protas Scores, Dylan Strome Scores 19th Goal Of The Season

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Photo: Twitter: @Capitals

The Washington Capitals fell to the New York Rangers, 5-2 Sunday afternoon at Capital One Arena. Dylan Strome scored his 19th goal of the season and Aliaksei Protas notched his 4th tally of the 2022-23 campaign in the loss. The defeat drops the Capitals record to 34-34-9 (77 points) on the season.

STARTERS

Darcy Kuemper (21-24-6, 2.75 GAA, .912 sv%) got the start in goal for the Capitals. Igor Shesterkin (34-13-7, 2.53 GAA, .914 sv%) got the nod for the visiting Rangers. The starting forward lines and defensive pairs for the Capitals:

Alex Ovechkin — Dylan Strome — Tom Wilson
Sonny Milano — Nicklas Backstrom — Aliaksei Protas
Conor Sheary — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Craig Smith
Anthony Mantha — Nic Dowd — Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Martin Fehervary — John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin — Nick Jensen
Alexander Alexeyev — Matt Irwin

Darcy Kuemper
Mitchell Gibson

Capitals goaltending prospect Mitchell Gibson was signed to an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) prior to today’s game. Charlie Lindgren was out due to illness. T.J. Oshie and Trevor van Riemsdyk were out due to injury.


FIRST PERIOD

The Rangers opened the scoring with 6:43 remaining in the first frame. K’Andre Miller (9) notched the tally on a rebound following a Kuemper save on Vincent Trocheck.

The Rangers quickly made it 2-0 just over two minutes later. Alexis Lafreniere added the Rangers second tally at 15:19 of the first period.

That was it for the first frame. The Rangers led in five-on-five shot attempts, 13-11. The Capitals led in high-danger chances, 4-3 and xGF .75 to .61.


SECOND PERIOD

The Rangers made it 3-0 early in the middle period on Kaapo Kakko‘s 16th goal of the season, 60 seconds into the second period.

The Capitals finally answered with a tally from Dylan Strome (19) at 13:23 of the second period. Alex Ovechkin (31) and John Carlson (16) had the helpers.

And that was it for the second period, with the Rangers holding a 3-1 lead. The Rangers led in five-on-five shot attempts 16-15 in the middle frame and led 29-26 after two periods. The Capitals continued to lead in high-danger chances, 9-7. The Rangers lead in xGF 1.58 to 1.4 and faceoffs, 55-45%.


THIRD PERIOD

The Rangers stretched their lead to 4-1 on Vladimir Tarasenko‘s 17th goal of the season just 5:53 into the final frame.

The Capitals cut the Rangers lead to 4-2 on Aliaksei Protas’ fourth goal of the season at 11:44 of the third period. John Carlson (17) and Nicklas Backstrom (12) had the assists.

But the Rangers quickly answered with a power play goal to restore their three-goal lead. Mika Zibanejad Notched the Rangers fifth marker at 14:14.

Alex Ovechkin was assessed a double minor and 10-minute misconduct for a series illegal hits with the stick late in the game. He was upset over a previous hit up high.

That would be the final.


SHAVINGS

  • Dylan Strome scored his 19th goal of the season to cut the deficit to 3-1. With the goal, Strome (19g-39a–58p in 76 GP) has established a new single-season career high in points (previously 2018-19: 20g-37a–57p in 78 GP w/ Arizona & Chicago).
  • Alex Ovechkin recorded the primary assist on Strome’s goal, his 31st assist of the season. Ovechkin has recorded 12 points (6g, 6a) in his last 10 games.
  • John Carlson recorded the secondary assist on Strome’s goal, his 16th assist of the season. Carlson has recorded four points (1g, 3a) in five games since returning to the Capitals’ lineup on March 23.
  • Aliaksei Protas scored his fourth goal of the season to make it 4-2. Protas, who scored three goals in his rookie season in 2021-22, has established a new single-season career high in goals.
  • John Carlson recorded the primary assist on the Capitals’ second goal, his second assist of the game. Carlson’s 26 points (9g, 17a) in 35 games this season rank tied for second among Washington defensemen.
  • Nicklas Backstrom was credited with the secondary assist on Protas’ goal. Backstrom has recorded three points (1g, 2a) in his last five games.

DEFENSIVE PAIRS

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.





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