Rangers pick up point, blow 3rd-period lead in frustrating 3-2 overtime loss to Capitals

The New York Rangers picked up one point in the tight Eastern Conference standings, but let a second slip away in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

The Rangers were nine minutes and change away from securing an inspiring victory over the first-place Capitals. But leading 2-1 midway through the third period, the Rangers allowed Alex Ovechkin to tie the score with a power-play goal. Then with 53 seconds remaining in overtime, Tom Wilson finished off another Capitals comeback victory, beating Igor Shesterkin for his 28th goal of the season.

With the loss, the Rangers (31-26-5) again failed to win a third consecutive game after back-to-back shutout victories over the Nashville Predators and New York Islanders on Sunday and Monday. New York last won three games in a row Nov. 14-19.

The overtime loss, coupled with a 4-3 overtime win by the Ottawa Senators over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, dropped the Rangers to ninth place in the conference. They are tied with the Senators in points (67) but have played one more game. The Rangers visit the Senators in their next game, Saturday afternoon at Canadian Tire Centre.

Shesterkin finished with 23 saves for the Rangers, including a beauty with his glove to rob Ovechkin on a wicked snap shot 2:02 into overtime. His counterpart, Charlie Lindgren of the Capitals, made 16 saves, including a one-on-one stop to rob Zac Jones point blank 54 seconds into OT.

Artemi Panarin and Sam Carrick scored for the Rangers, who have points in eight of their past 11 games (7-3-1).

Ovechkin moved within 10 goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL record of 894, when he tied the game at 10:28 of the third period. It was also the 1,599th point of his illustrious career.

Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored for Washington, which is now 6-10-5 when trailing after two periods this season. Wilson, who relishes playing the role of heel at Madison Square Garden, added an assist for a two-point night.

The Rangers were swept in the season series against the Capitals (0-2-1).

Washington Capitals 3 – New York Rangers 2 (OT)

Though the Rangers allowed a goal just 64 seconds into the game, they rebounded quickly and gave as good as they got in an evenly-played spirited game, where emotions ran high with a playoff-type feel.

Dubois opened the scoring, giving the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 1:04 of the first period, when he whipped a pass from Wilson past Shesterkin for his 16th goal of the season. The goal came after a face-off to Shesterkin’s right and and good work by Wilson down low.

Washington nearly coughed up the lead at 8:30 following a turnover in its own end. But Lindgren took Vincent Trocheck’s wide-open look in the midsection and then lunged to his right to make a toe save on Panarin’s rebound attempt.

Two minutes later it was Shesterkin’s time to shine. No one picked up Lars Eller flying down the center, accepting a pass and driving to the net, but the Rangers goalie stretched to his left for the pad save.

Panarin’s deflection of a pretty feed into the middle by Jones tied the game 1-1 at 13:37. It was Panarin’s team-high 26th goal and extended his goal-scoring streak to three games.

Shortly before picking up the secondary assist on Panarin’s goal, Alexis Lafreniere leveled Washington’s Nic Dowd with a reverse check, one of his three hits in the first period and one of 16 credited to the Rangers in the first 20 minutes.

The Rangers added 12 more hits in the second period, one that saw an uptick in physical and chippy play on both sides and featured a pair of fights. Plus the Rangers scored the only goal in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.

Carrick scored the go-ahead goal at 8:05, though it came with a hint of mild controversy. On a Rangers zone entry, Carrick collided with Connor McMichael in the neutral zone, knocking the Washington forward down, creating a 5-on-4 for a bit in the offensive zone. Carrick could’ve been called for interference, but instead scored seconds later.

K’Andre Miller made an excellent keep at the left point on a Capitals clearing attempt. The Rangers defenseman then made a heads-up pass into the slot to Carrick, who skated around Matt Rempe in front before sending a backhand shot just out of the reach of Lindgren. It was Carrick’s sixth goal of the season, which extended his point streak to three games.

That 2-1 lead carried to the second intermission after Shesterkin made one really sharp save against Rasmus Sandin, and Lindgren had a pair of beauties on open looks for Panarin and Trocheck. That latter chance came on a rare power-play scoring chance; the Rangers were 0-for-4 on the power play, including a failed four-minute advantage late in the first period following a double minor high-sticking penalty when Brett Berard was clipped by Ethen Frank.

Carrick and Brandon Duhaime squared off for a fight at 12:54 of the second period, one that was more wrestling match than boxing. Then at 14:58, Juuso Parssinen got into a scrap with Matt Roy, and after missing with a pair of wild swings, the recently-acquired Rangers center was sent to the ice by the Capitals defenseman.

That second fight broke out when Roy roughed Brennan Othmann — who had five hits through two periods in limited ice time — from behind by the boards. Roy received an extra minor penalty, but the Capitals killed that one off, too.

The Rangers had to like their start to a low-event third period. But with Jones in the penalty box serving a hooking minor, the Capitals tied the game 2-2 when Ovechkin buried a power-play goal from in tight at 10:28. It was his 32nd goal in 46 games played this season, and fourth in three games against the Rangers.

To make matters worse for the home team, Will Borgen was assessed a hooking penalty as Ovechkin was shooting the puck into the net, and Washington went right back to the power play. Shesterkin had to make a sharp glove save on Ovechkin’s patented one-timer from the left circle at 12:10 but the Rangers killed off the rest of the penalty.

Playing with extra jump after tying the game, the Capitals nearly took the lead at 14:51, but a left-wing shot by Taylor Raddysh off a 2-on-1 rush kissed the near post.

There were five shots combined in overtime, with, first Jones then Ovechkin, getting Grade-A looks. But Washington scored on its third shot of the extra session, after Dylan Strome carried the puck in on a 2-on-1, slowed to let a diving Braden Schneider slide by, before zipping a pass to Wilson, who chipped it past Shesterkin.

This was New York’s fifth loss (22-2-3) when leading after two periods, dropping the Rangers to 2-5 in OT this season.

They’ll have two days to sit on this one — including the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday — before playing that crucial games in Ottawa on Saturday and then an equally as important home game Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hold the top wild card in the East.