New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller scores two goals against the Washington Capitals on December 27, 2023. Photo via @NYRangers
With a record of 24-8-1, the New York Rangers once again are atop the NHL.
Last night’s thrilling 5-1 blowout against the Washington Capitals sealed the deal. Yet another home game at Madison Square Garden, and yet another win. That seems to be the theme of this year’s Rangers as they sit at 24-8-1, and possess 49 points, tied with the Vancouver Canucks for league-best. However, their win-loss record is better than the Canucks, so New York sits atop.
After losing 4-0 to the Capitals earlier in the season, the Rangers got their revenge this time around. Defenseman K’Andre Miller scored two goals and an assist, while Artemi Panarin also had a goal and an assist. Mika Zibanejad had two assists which extended his point streak to eight straight games. Alexis Lafrenière and Braden Schneider also scored two goals of their own to make it 5-1. And combined with Igor Shesterkin’s stellar performance, which featured 26 saves, the Rangers won their fifth out of six games.
“I don’t think I’ve been really playing my best hockey,” Miller said. “Went into the break with just some goals of coming out of the break and doing a little bit more. Luckily the puck found me tonight and I was able to capitalize.”
“It’s 800 more than I thought I was going to play when I was a kid,” Zibanejad said regarding the game being the 800th of his career. “It is something you only dream of, even just playing one game, and you get the opportunity to do so for that many years. It’s always fun to have those milestones, but it makes it more memorable when you win those games, too.”
Not A Pushover
The Capitals actually got on the board first, with a goal by Anthony Mantha, who has scored four goals in three straight games. However, they failed to score again after that point, and when the Rangers responded with two quick goals, it was all but over. The Capitals are not a pushover team, with a 17-10-5 record and 39 points. However, with this loss, they now sit at fifth in the Metropolitan Division.
“We just need some 5-on-5 production, and we haven’t gotten that yet this year,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said. “So, we’ll continue to work at it, we’ll continue to find answers, we’ll continue to look under every rock to find different ways to capitalize and produce and create offense.”
“That was a real big goal,” Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette said. “Real nice goal, too. There was a lot of small area play right at the blue line. Give-and-go and he popped into a hole. And really nice plays along the way to get it to him in the slot.”
What’s Next?
The Rangers will head down to Florida to play the Panthers and Lightning, their final two games of the year. Meanwhile, Washington will take on the Islanders and then head home to face the Nashville Predators.
