"I didn't like our first period," Vigneault said. "We didn't play well at all, but I thought we responded and had a much better second period. We had some good looks. The goaltender made some big saves."
Braden Holtby made 27 saves for Washington, including a pad stop on wide-open Mats Zuccarello 57 seconds into the second period with the score 1-0. Holtby has stopped 91 of 99 shots in his past five games.
"It was the Henrik Lundqvist show for a little bit. Then in the second period, it was the Braden Holtby show for a bit," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "It just tells you the parity of the teams. They're both very good hockey teams. You have to weather some storms, and I thought both goaltenders were outstanding tonight."
Five points separates the first-place Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets from the sixth-place Rangers in the Metropolitan Division.
"You don't know how tight it's going to be around the first of April," Niskanen said. "Every point matters. That was a big win at home for us, especially against a division rival like the Rangers."