In most years a Rangers-Capitals matchup would be one of the NHL’s must-watch games (it’s a playoff matchup seemingly every year), but on Wednesday it featured two struggling teams that are still trying to find their way in the early part of the season. In the end, the Rangers found a way to pick up a big win by blanking the Capitals behind Henrik Lundqvist’s 46th regular season shutout.
NHL Scores: Rangers blank Capitals, Ducks extend winning streak
The New York Rangers shut out the Washington Capitals again on Wednesday night, while the Anaheim Ducks pushed their winning streak to five games.
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Rangers had a bit of a scare in the third period when Derek Stepan was hit in the head by Troy Brouwer during a line change, but he was able to eventually return to the game.
Elsewhere, the Anaheim Ducks pushed their winning streak to five games with a 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames, handing them their first regulation loss of the season.
All the NHL Scores
Rangers 2, Capitals 0
Ducks 3, Flames 2
Five Questions
On Wednesday we asked you five questions about the day’s games. These are your cool, soothing answers.
1. Will Alex Ovechkin catch up to Sidney Crosby for the league points lead?
He did not. Ovechkin, and the rest of the Capitals, could not break through on Lundqvist. The Rangers goalie shut them out for a third straight time dating back to last year’s playoffs.
2. Will the New York Rangers snap their three-game losing streak?
They did, and they did so in impressive fashion. New York scored two goals less than two minutes apart in the second period and that was all the offense they needed as they completely shutdown the Capitals offense. It was perhaps the Rangers’ most complete effort of the season.
3. Will the Rangers hold the Capitals under five goals?
Not only did they hold them to under five goals, they held them to zero goals. Right now Lundqvist is simply in the zone against the Capitals, shutting them out for 180 consecutive minutes. He had a little help in the first period when Joel Ward missed the net on a five-on-three power play, but the rest of the night was the Rangers and Lundqvist simply shutting Washington down.
4. Will the Calgary Flames remain unbeaten (in regulation)?
The Flames have been one of the surprise teams in the NHL in the early going, but they suffered their first regulation loss of the season on Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks.
5. Will the Ducks keep their four-game winning streak alive?
The streak reaches five. Teemu Selanne scored what proved to be the game-winning goal while the Ducks also received tallies from Dustin Penner and Kyle Palmieri.
Impact Moment
The one play or moment from Wednesday’s games that will be making headlines over the next couple of days.
The Washington Capitals’ struggling offense. For the fourth time in five games the Capitals were held to fewer than two goals, and it’s probably no surprise that they also lost for the fourth time in five games, falling to 2-5-0 on the season. Wednesday’s game was particularly concerning given how badly they were outplayed by one of the few teams in the league that has actually looked words than they have this season.
Stat of the Night
Curtis Glencross had a rough night for the Flames, as he was on the ice for all three Anaheim goals and recorded just one shot on goal in nearly 20 minutes of ice time. In six games this season Glencross has managed to generate just eight shots on goal while playing more than 19 minutes per game. That’s not good.
Post to Post
- How many hits does it take to make a player a dirty player?
- Maxim Lapierre doesn’t seem to be a popular player in St. Louis.
- Trade speculation around the Edmonton Oilers seems to be picking up.
- Breaking news: Sidney Crosby is pretty good at hockey.
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