Capitals vs. Rangers Recap: Late Goal by Connolly Lifts Caps past Rangers 5-3

It was a battle of the backup goalies tonight as the Capitals faced off against the Rangers in the second of back-to-back games. The Capitals battled back to take a 5-3 win in the matinee affair thanks to a strong effort by defenseman John Carlson.

Plus: After falling behind the Rangers 2-0, the Caps responded with three unanswered goals to take their first lead of the game. Talk about a second period surge, eh.

Minus: The Caps went 0 for 2 on the powerplay in the afternoon showdown and are 1 for 8 on the man advantage in their last three games. No doubt they are missing the presence of Evgeny Kuznetsov and TJ Oshie right now.

And now this…

Ten more notes from the game:

1. Bad news: the Caps did not score on the powerplay. Worse news: Jimmy Vesey gets the first goal of the game on a jailbreak feed from fellow Masshole Kevin Hayes (note: contributor is a fellow Masshole and is recognizing those of her own ilk).
2. The Capitals got to a slow start in the first period, likely thanks to playing the second of back-to-back games. Or maybe they’re still recovering from Thanksgiving stuffing – I certainly am.
3. Skjei it ain’t so! Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei notches his second of the season on a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it goal. Nic Dowd cuts the Rangers lead in half just 31 seconds later.
4. Jakub Vrana ties up the game on a speedy individual effort. Young V notched his sixth goal of the season with that beauty. Let’s take another look at that one:

1. Alex Ovechkin scores the go-ahead goal on a nice feed by John Carlson with 30 seconds left in the second period. With his 17th goal of the season, the Great Eight ties Boston’s David Pastrnak and Buffalo’s Jeff Skinner for league-lead in goals.
2. Erstwhile Oiler Ryan Strome gets his first goal as a Ranger on a wraparound midway through the third quarter. Bummer for Pheonix Copley, who stood tall in the crease when the Caps were sluggish early on.
3. John Carlson has three primary assists on the afternoon, including one on Brett Connolly game-winning goal in the third period.
4. Dmitrij Jaskin was a noticeable presence on the ice this afternoon, recording four shots on goal, including one dinger off the post.
5. Tom Wilson gets his fourth goal of the season with the empty netter, now with goals in three straight games and points in five straight. Neat!
6. Dads! Is there such thing as reverse dad strength? Son strength? Intangibles.

The Empire State road trip continues Monday with a visit to the Islanders... and old friend Barry Trotz.