The New York Rangers left behind the offense that scored
only once in two games and exploded for six goals to lead the Rangers to a 6-3
win over the Washington Capitals Friday afternoon. Ruslan Fedotenko paced the attack with two
goals while Brian Boyle, Artem Anisimov, Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik all
added one.
The Rangers were scoreless in the first period, but a 4:18
span in the second saw them go from struggling to flying offensively. Marian Gaborik got it started at 3:37 when he
took a beautiful feed from Derek Stepan and sniped Michal Neuvirth under the
bar. Artem Anisimov extended the lead
with a power play goal off the far post when he took a feed from Ryan McDonagh
and blasted it from the left circle.
Ruslan Fedotenko capped the three goal outburst when he Ryan Callahan’s
pressure cause a turnover to give Fedotenko his first of the game and second of
the season.
The Capitals struck back with two of their own from Brouwer
and Carlson before Brian Boyle scored a critical goal late in the period to
give the Rangers the crucial 4-2 lead heading into the locker room. The goal for Boyle was created by excellent
work from Carl Hagelin in the corner letting Boyle work out front and his extra
effort lead to him finally netting his second of the year.
Richards finished off a beautiful feed from Callahan to
extend the lead back to three and following Alex Ovechkin’s goal, Ruslan
Fedotenko capped the scoring.
- Hagelin and Mitchell both played very well in their debuts this season. Hagelin showcased his speed and strength along the boards.
- Fedotenko played his most effective game of the year, not just because he scored two goals, but because he got back to being a factor on the forecheck.
