Wednesday night saw a highly-anticipated match between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers, which resulted in a 5–1 Capitals win.

This season opener for both teams was a grudge match for the Rangers, after a brutal final two games against the Capitals in May of the shortened 2020-2021 season. Tom Wilson of the Capitals punched Pavel Buchnevich, a now-former Ranger, while he was defenseless on the ice and later threw Artemi Panarin into the ice after he tried to defend his teammate. 

That May 3 matchup ended in a 6–3 Capitals win. Two nights later, on May 5, the Rangers fell to the Capitals 4–2 in a game that saw 141 total penalty minutes after numerous brawls in retaliation. Wilson paid the maximum fine the league allows but served no suspension from the NHL. 

The Rangers were fined $250,000 for their accusation that Department of Player Safety head George Parros was no longer fit to serve his role after Wilson saw no suspension. Many Rangers players attempted to defend their honor in the second game, but they lacked a solid enforcer that could generate momentum for the team. They finished the season without their star, Panarin. 

In July, the Rangers traded for Ryan Reaves, a notable force in the NHL. Many were expecting a heavy-weight brawl between Reaves and Wilson in Wednesday’s game, but it never came. 

There was no shortage of physical play from Reaves, though, who racked up five hits in the game. Rangers forward Sammy Blais also contributed to the physicality off the bat, with a double minor roughing penalty alongside Capitals’ Trevor Van Riemsdyk within the game’s first two minutes. The referees were quick to step in during every scrum and not afraid to hand out penalties throughout the game. 

The Rangers had a strong first period, despite trailing 1–0 within the first five minutes. Reaves, Blais and Alexei Lafrenière recorded physical shifts for the Rangers and stifled the Caps’ notably strong offense during the period. Washington’s TJ Oshie recorded a power play goal at 4:39 to get the scoring started. Nick Jensen scored on a one-timer not five minutes later but the goal was overturned after the Capitals were caught offside. 

The Capitals generated momentum midway through the second period, with two goals in 24 seconds. Justin Schultz of the Caps scored the first on the power play, and 19-year-old Hendrix Lapierre scored the first of his career off of a beautiful pass by Oshie to make the score 3–0. 

The third period began with a powerplay goal scored by Alex Ovechkin, which tied him with Marcel Dionne for the fifth most goals in NHL history. His goal was later answered by the

Rangers’ Chris Kreider, who beautifully redirected a shot by Ryan Strome on the power play. This put the score at 4–1. Ovechkin scored once more while shorthanded, making the score 5–1 and also passing Marcel Dionne for sole possession of fifth most career goals. 

Ovechkin emerged as a top performer for the Caps, with two goals and as many assists. Adam Fox had the strongest performance in a disappointing showing for the Rangers with an assist and his usual high playing time. In 31 shifts, he led the Rangers with 23 minutes and 31 seconds on the ice. He remains an important presence for the Rangers, coming off a Norris Trophy win for best defenseman. 

Rangers’ goalie Alexander Georgiev came up with 22 saves on 27 shots, and Capitals’ goalie Vitek Vanecek stopped 23 of the Rangers’ 24 shots in a strong performance. 

The Rangers came up short in a Thursday night matchup against the Dallas Stars as the Capitals get set to take on the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, on Saturday. These two teams meet again on February 24. 

Goals: 

Capitals: TJ Oshie (1) Justin Schultz (1) Hendrix Lapierre (1) Alex Ovechkin (2)

Rangers: Chris Kreider (1) 

Assists: 

Capitals: Alex Ovechkin (2) Evgeny Kuznetsov (3) Conor Sheary (1) TJ Oshie (1) John Carlson (1) Anthony Mantha (1) Trevor Van Reimsdyk (1) 

Rangers: Adam Fox (1) Ryan Strome (1)