The Washington Capitals got to see a little bit of history made on the ice at Madison Square Garden, but sadly it wasn’t enough to beat the New York Rangers as the team fell by a score of 4-2 in NHL action on Thursday.
It was the Capitals Captain Alex Ovechkin who was involved in the historical moment, as he was able to tally his 709th career goal. In the end Washington just did not have the momentum that they needed to earn a victory against the Blueshirts.
For Ovechkin, his 709th goal now moves him one ahead of ex-Caps great and Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Gartner for seventh on the NHL all-time goals record.
The Capitals offense found themselves in an unusual position, which was chasing after the New York Rangers, who were able to build an early lead. This is the first time in 11 games that the Capitals were found chasing after a team, as normally they are able to get on the board pretty early in the game.
New York built a 1-0 lead in the second minute of the first, when Ryan Strome was able to find the back of the sage at the 1:41 mark. The Blueshirts were able to cash in on a power play opportunity three minutes later.
The Rangers continued to build on their lead when Anthony Bitetto was able to record a goal in his second game. For Bitetto, this was his first goal in more than three years, and just his third NHL goal in 185 games.
Washington was able to find a bit of momentum in the third period of play, but the Rangers were able to do a tremendous job of keeping them off the scoreboard and maintaining their lead.
Playing well in the cage for the Capitals was keeper Vitek Vanecek, who made 27 saves.
The Capitals will get a chance to return to friendly ice as they will host the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday at Capital One Arena, in a game that is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
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