Indeed it was, as it resulted in Washington's fourth straight win and it also put the Caps back on top of the Metro Division standings for the first time in several weeks. It also served as a reminder that none of us, no matter how much hockey we've witnessed over the years, has ever seen it all.
Sluggish Starts - Sunday's matinee against the Rangers was the Caps' second in as many Sundays against New York; the Blueshirts were in Washington for a Sunday afternoon tilt on Feb. 24.
New York's Chris Kreider started the scoring at the 21-second mark of the first in that game in Washington, and he set up Ryan Strome's goal just 45 seconds after opening puck drop on Sunday in Manhattan.
Including those two contests against the Rangers, Washington has permitted the game's first goal inside the first four minutes of the first period in each of its last five games. While that hardly seems like a winning formula, the Caps have won four of those five games and their 15-13-7 record when surrendering the game's first goal is seventh best in the NHL. Washington's 15 wins when the opposition scores first is tied for fourth in the league.
How Sweep It Is - The Caps and the Rangers have been in the NHL together since 1974-75, and they've been denizens of the same division for a fair amount of that time, first in the Patrick Division, later in the Atlantic Division and now in the Metropolitan Division.
The Caps have gone through seasons without suffering regulation losses at the hands of the Rangers; they went 3-0-0-1 against the Blueshirts in 1999-00, they were 2-0-1-1 against them in 2002-03, and they went 3-0-1 against New York in 2008-09 and again in 2017-18.
But until Sunday's win left them with a 4-0-0 mark against the Rangers for this season, the Caps had never swept a season's series with the Blueshirts. And even this one must include an asterisk, as New York earned three points from the season's series via the overtime/loser's point route.
Simply put, this season is the first in which Washington has picked up the maximum number of points available to it in a season's series against the Rangers. The Caps now own a 107-90-18-7 mark all-time against New York. Washington is now 9-0-1 in its last 10 games against the Rangers, and its current six-game winning streak over the Blueshirts is the longest streak it has ever had against that franchise.
On The Board - Caps winger Carl Hagelin scored his first goal in a Washington sweater on Sunday, victimizing the Rangers, the team that drafted and developed him and gave him his start in the NHL.