WASHINGTON — It wasn't as fast paced a game as the Washington Capitals were used to, but ultimately, they adapted, and were able to shut down the New York Rangers.
Boone Jenner and Timothy Liljegren scored their first goals with Washington, Tom Wilson had an empty netter and Logan Thompson shined as the Capitals topped the Rangers 3-1.
Here are the takeaways:
Though they were down 1-0 after the first, the Capitals were doing all the right things offensively, and it was just a matter of time before they found the net. And ultimately, two new members stepped up to get the team on the board.
First, after a strong shift and pressure aplenty from the fourth line of Boone Jenner, Justin Sourdif and Ryan Leonard, Dylan Strome came off the bench and fed Timothy Liljegren , who fired a shot through traffic past Igor Shesterkin to even the score at one.
It marked Liljegren's first goal with Washington since joining the team at the trade deadline last March.
Then, late in the third, the Alex Tuch-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Tom Wilson trio, which displayed domiannce once again, wore down the Rangers defense, and Vincent Desharnais ultimately tied up a clearing attempt that landed right on Jenner's stick as he buried his first in D.C.
While the Capitals were bale to play strong at 5-on-5, the power play presented some issues, as they failed generate a lot of momentum on the man advantage.
Washington went 0-for-3 and managed four shots, and also had a potential 5-on-3 taken off the board after Igor Shesterkin went down with an apparent leg injury when returning to his net after a point-blank chance for Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Shesterkin lay on the ice in visible pain and had to be helped off by training staff and his teammates before being practically carried down the tunnel. he was not putting any pressure or weight on his right leg.
Logan Thompson said last game that the Capitals had to work on playing with the lead, and Friday proved to be a significant improvement and step in the right direction.
Thompson and Washington were able to shut things down in the third, keeping the Rangers from rallying and coming back.
Wilson and his line played a big part in securing the win, and Wilson struck on the empty net at the buzzer, securing the 3-1 victory.
Thompson stopped 22 of 23 shots for a .957 save percentage.
