Igor Shesterkin leads Rangers to skid-stopping win over Capitals

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The halfway point of the NHL season has passed and the Rangers just stopped the bleeding of their longest losing streak to date.

A 2-1 win in the second game of a back-to-back matinee slate against the Capitals on Sunday at Madison Square Garden was necessary for the Rangers to preserve sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division, as well as the teams morale.

The weak points in the Rangers game, however, have never been clearer than they were in this stretch.

So the two points they managed to pick up on Sunday carried a little more weight than usual.

Theyre all important, even if theyre not division, head coach Peter Laviolette said. It seems like our division is winning every night. Its amazing how many streaks are going on in the NHL right now. Teams are winning and so youve got to keep pace. You have to find the win column.

Igor_Shesterkin_leads_Rangers_to_skid_stopping_win_over_Capitals 3Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin makes a save against the Capitals on Jan. 14, 2024. Jason Szenes for the NY PostPuck bounces went the Rangers way in this win over a Washington team that sits in third-to-last place in the division.

Goalie Igor Shesterkin turned in arguably one of his best performances of the season, stopping 24 of the 25 shots he faced.

And the Rangers second line struck twice, and early, to give the club just enough to squeeze out the win and snap a four-game skid.

Kaapo Kakkos presence was also felt in his return to the lineup after a 21-game absence on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

Its never easy, the Finnish wing said of his recovery. I want to play. Its been a long time. A lot of recovery, working out. Never fun, but good to be back.

The Rangers, no doubt fueled by mounting disappointment after falling 3-2 to the Capitals the day before, shot out of a cannon to start this one.

Passes were crisp.

Igor_Shesterkin_leads_Rangers_to_skid_stopping_win_over_Capitals 3Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin stopped 24 of 25 shots against the Capitals on Jan. 14, 2024. Jason Szenes for the NY PostZone entries were forceful.

They moved the puck with purpose.

It allowed the home team to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, which ultimately proved to be enough.

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Check out more newslettersTo the surprise of no one, members of the second line ensured that the Rangers strong first-period play reflected on the scoreboard.

The team struggled to do so during the losing streak, over which the Rangers racked up 40-plus shots in three of four games and still were outscored 17-10 in regulation.

Artemi Panarin converted a feed from Vincent Trocheck on the rush just 48 seconds into the game before Alexis Lafreniere received the puck well behind the Capitals defensemen and buried his second shot on Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren with 49 seconds left in the opening frame.

Lindgren, the brother of Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren, continued to come up big against the Rangers.

After shutting the Rangers out in early December, Lindgren backstopped the Capitals to their victory Saturday before Sundays loss.

Helping thwart the Rangers 37-second five-on-three advantage in the second period, Lindgren recorded 11 saves in the middle frame alone on the way to 29 on the day.

Igor_Shesterkin_leads_Rangers_to_skid_stopping_win_over_Capitals 3Rangers wing Artemi Panarin celebrates his goal with Vincent Trocheck on Jan. 14, 2024. Jason Szenes for the NY PostAfter Saturdays game, I was in no mood to talk to him, Ryan Lindgren quipped about his brother.

The Capitals put up much more of a fight in the second period when they cut the Rangers lead in half after Erik Gustafssons failed clearing attempt led to T.J. Oshies 2-1 score at the 11:03 mark.

Holding a 5-0 edge in high-danger chances, Washington couldve capitalized on a number of quality opportunities to change the trajectory of the game if not for Shesterkin.

Such has been a recurring issue for the Rangers, who have simply given up way more than theyve been able to keep up with.

The areas of the Rangers game that need work have become abundantly clear.

Its not the first half of the season that matters, its the second.

And it started on Sunday.

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