The New York Rangers suffered a disappointing 5-3 defeat to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night, marking their least impressive performance of the season. They were significantly outplayed, being outshot 46-19, and the defense struggled notably against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, who jumped to a 3-1 lead just nine minutes into the game, leaving the Rangers unable to recover. Ovechkin scored two of those goals, continuing his long-standing dominance over New York.
When asked if his team was putting forth enough defensive effort to start the season, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette gave a blunt response: “Tonight, definitely not.” He emphasized the need for improved defensive attitudes and execution.
The Rangers were giving up numerous scoring opportunities, facing a 48-21 disparity in chances against the Capitals, including a staggering 25-10 disadvantage in high-danger situations. It was evident that the Capitals were more motivated.
In response to the poor performance, Laviolette made the decision to break up the top defensive pairing of Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller for the first time this season. Fox was on the ice for nine chances for and 12 against, while Miller’s numbers were worse, with five chances for and 16 against.
“It was off the mark,” Laviolette remarked about their performance.
To address the defensive shortcomings, he reverted to established pairings from previous seasons, reuniting Ryan Lindgren with Fox and Miller with Jacob Trouba. However, it was too late for the Rangers to even the score, with their only chance of staying competitive thanks to Igor Shesterkin’s impressive 41 saves, without which the game could have ended with a much larger margin.
