Rangers look to reignite defense, get back on track after ending skid

NEW YORK -- It was not a must-win game for the New York Rangers against the Washington Capitals on Sunday.

It only felt that way, which is why closing out the 2-1 victory at Madison Square Garden felt so good for the home team playing its 42nd game of the season.

"It seems like our division is winning every night and it's amazing how many streaks are going on right now in the NHL," New York coach Peter Laviolette said. "Teams are winning and so you have to keep pace, you have to find the win column. I think there are peaks and valleys inside a season and I think you just have to maintain a course. Try to fix things, try to make things right, but everybody is going to deal with things at some point. I thought our guys stayed focused and fought through it today, got us a win to start the second half."

The Rangers (27-13-2) came into the day as losers of four straight and five of six, barely hanging onto first place in the Metropolitan Division, a seven-point lead on New Year's Day trimmed to one before the puck dropped for their second afternoon game against the Capitals in as many days.

Their biggest problem since the calendar flipped to 2024 has been rush chances against.

It was a growing problem in December, but the Rangers were getting through it, their goalies, Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick, coming up big, along with one of the NHL's best power plays that would connect for a goal at the right time, or times.

But then came a 6-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 2, a game New York felt it gave away with self-inflicted wounds such as turnovers and a lack of grind.

The Hurricanes, by the way, are the team that is three points behind the Rangers in the Metropolitan Division. To Laviolette's point, they're also one of the teams that is on a hot streak with points in eight straight games (7-0-1) and a 10-1-4 record since Dec. 12.

New York won 4-1 against the Chicago Blackhawks two nights after getting blown out by Carolina, but then came the need to come back from 3-0 down against the Montreal Canadiens simply to earn a point in a shootout loss on Jan. 6.

The Rangers followed that with a 6-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, 5-2 against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, and 3-2 against the Capitals on Saturday. They scored the first goal in each game, but it didn't matter.

"When we gave up chances, they're big chances, they're breakaways, they're 2-on-1s, and that's tough for a goalie," New York defenseman Ryan Lindgren said. "It doesn't seem like we were giving up a lot of shots, but when they were getting their opportunities, they're Grade A. I think we did a better job of that [Sunday]."

Shesterkin did a better job of locking things down too, in particular with some key saves in the third period, when he faced only seven shots but had to protect a 2-1 lead.

But the win Sunday looked more like the Rangers of the first two months of the season, when they were winning by playing tight defensively, doing a better job of limiting rush chances against, and allowing that to lead to their offense.

They self-corrected after a loss Saturday, something they had done so well before their recent slump. New York had lost as many as two games in a row once before the four-game losing streak it ended Sunday.

"It seemed like for the most part we weren't playing bad hockey," Lindgren said. "A couple of games we were kind of dominating and spend a lot of time in the O-zone, but we would get too aggressive at one point and, boom, it's a breakaway or an odd-man rush. That's tough for a goalie. They may not see a lot of shots and all of a sudden, they have a Grade A coming at them. Like I said, it was a lot better [Sunday] and we've got to keep that going."

The blueprint is obvious, and the Rangers know it works. They won 25 of their first 35 games before losing to Carolina on Jan. 2. There's the proof and the reason for confidence that a 2-1 win against the Capitals on Sunday could kickstart another strong stretch.

The upcoming challenge is daunting, though.

The Rangers play at home against the red-hot Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. The Kraken have won nine games in a row and have points in 13 straight (11-0-2) heading into their game at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.

The Rangers leave Wednesday for a West Coast road trip that starts at the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday and continues Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings, when they play the first of three games in four days in California.

New York plays seven games in 12 days from Tuesday through Jan. 27 before breaking for its bye week and All-Star Weekend.

If the Rangers are still in first place by then, they'll have done something right, especially with the Hurricanes giving them heat.

"I do think there is a belief inside the room with the players that they can win hockey games," Laviolette said. "We just have to make sure our mind is right, our energy is right and we're doing the right things out there. We certainly have a group that can do that."