New York Rangers Defeat Washington Capitals 4-1 for 5th Win in Six Games

The New York Rangers walked into the Verizon Center and left with a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals.

With 17 goals in their last five games, the Capitals' offense had been surging and they were riding a hot goaltender in Braden Holtby.

Instead, they went nearly 58 minutes without a goal and Holtby was yanked from goal in favor of Michal Neuvirth.

It looked like the Caps were going to continue their dominance after Steven Oleksy scored his first NHL goal 2:16 into the game to make it 1-0.

That was the first and only goal the Capitals would score.

After Derek Stepan scored by banking the puck off Holtby's skate, the Rangers took control of the game and didn't let up until the final horn sounded. Washington had been dominating board play, time of possession and shots until that moment, but that faded quickly.

The Capitals found chances, but Martin Biron stood firmly in their way each time. They kept up in shots, but they didn't have any luck lighting the lamp.

Their typically outstanding power play didn't bail them out. The Capitals couldn't score on any of their three man advantages—including a 5-on-3 near the end of the second period.

Captain Alexander Ovechkin had chances and looked good on offense, but his play was costly to the Capitals. "The Great Eight" took two penalties in one sequence, which ultimately gave the game away to the Rangers.

Brian Boyle scored his first goal of the season on a delayed penalty. New York captain Ryan Callahan followed up by scoring on the power play from Ovechkin's second penalty when he tipped in a shot by Rick Nash.

The Capitals have now lost two back-to-back games against two different New York opponents. They will meet the Carolina Hurricanes this week in an important home-and-home divisional series.

On the other hand, the Rangers have now won five of their last six outings and will travel to Buffalo on Tuesday to take on cross-state rival Sabres. 

Their win makes the Rangers a point ahead the New Jersey Devils—temporarily propelling them into 7th place in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals remain on the outside looking in.

Michael Prunka is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist. Stay up to date with him by liking his Facebook page and following him on Twitter.

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