Boone Jenner scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period and the host Washington Capitals won 3-1 on Friday, cooling off the New York Rangers, who lost star goaltender Igor Shesterkin to a lower-body injury.
Timothy Liljegren also scored, Tom Wilson added an empty-netter and Logan Thompson made 22 saves for Washington, which has won three of its first four on the season. The Capitals also snapped the Rangers’ four-game winning streak.
Shesterkin, who entered with a 3-1-0 record, a 1.75 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage this season, appeared to awkwardly jam his right skate into the goalpost while sliding into position to make a save with 11:40 remaining in the second period of a 1-1 contest.
The former Vezina Trophy winner, who stopped 13 of the 14 shots he saw on Friday, remained down on the ice for several minutes and had to be helped to the bench by a pair of teammates. Backup Dylan Garand, who made 22 saves in New York’s 2-0 win at Detroit on Oct. 2, replaced Shesterkin and stopped 11 of 12 shots.
As Garand manned the Rangers’ net, Washington took the lead with 2:22 left in the middle frame via a turnover in the New York zone. Jenner intercepted the ill-advised pass from Rangers star Adam Fox in the slot, and he converted a snap shot for his first goal as a Capital.
After recording a hat trick in the Rangers’ 5-2 win over the rival New York Islanders on Tuesday, Alexis Lafreniere opened the scoring with 9:43 remaining in the first period on a power play. Skating into the high slot, Lafreniere worked for enough of an opening to beat a seemingly off-balance Thompson.
Washington tied it 6:08 into the second period. Liljegren hammered a point shot that found its way past a screened Shesterkin.
Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, the league’s all-time leader with 929 goals and playing in his 22nd and final NHL season, recorded two shots on goal but remained goalless on the campaign.
