WASHINGTON — The Rangers' collapse in the third period lasted less than two minutes.
On the brink of their first win in a week and a half, the Blueshirts conceded two goals in a span of 1 minute, 53 seconds with 20 minutes remaining and handed Alex Ovechkin their fourth straight loss, 3-2. -less Capitals at Capital One Arena on Saturday afternoon.
With this loss, the Hurricanes will move within one point of the Rangers in the Metropolitan Division if they win against the Penguins on Saturday night.
The Rangers outplayed the Capitals in most areas of the game throughout the 40 minutes, but the Capitals found the visiting team's lingering weakness in defending the rush.
At the end of the Capitals' power play, Evgeny Kuznetsov bulldozed into the zone, dove around the Rangers goal, and backhanded the puck into the net where Nick Dowd tipped it in.
Washington center Dylan Strome then moved the puck past Adam Fox on an odd-man rush before feeding TJ Oshie at the side of the net for the winning goal.
The Capitals scored two tying goals throughout the game, but the Rangers were unable to tie the game.
Fox suffered the first serious injury of his hockey career, and while it may have taken him some time to get back into the game, the Rangers' number one defenseman has rediscovered his offensive touch.
Fox, who led the Rangers with two goals in the loss, increasing his total to four points in the past four contests, made his presence felt in this game.
The Rangers' game-winning goal 5:15 into the second period came on a one-timer from the top of Fox's zone, but the 2021 Norris Trophy winner couldn't do it all on his own.
The physical tone for the song was set by none other than Tom Wilson, the Capitals' infamous instigator.
Wilson, who briefly ejected Johnny Brodzinski from the game in the first period by slamming him into the corner boards, was making his season debut and hitting Brodzinki's Hartford teammate Anton, who was playing in the first game against the Rangers. This angered Bride.
The Rangers got a power play out of the scuffle and got another power play in the second half.
The second came after Ryan Lindgren slammed Martin Fehevary and had to answer to Dowd.
He blew both chances en route to going 0-for-3 on the day, marking the fourth time in the past eight games that the Rangers failed to score a power-play goal.
According to Natural Stat Trick, despite being down 4-0 with dangerous chances after the first 20 minutes, Rangers took the lead thanks to Fox's second straight opener. The score was tied at 1-1 until the break. .
Late in the period, Quandre Miller's keep-in at the blue line was deflected by Connor McMichael, Anthony Mantha rebounded a breakaway and the Capitals forward finished with a backhand.
However, it was in the third period that the Rangers held on.
There will be some time off before the rematch in New York on Sunday afternoon.
