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3 things that went wrong for Washington Capitals in Game 3 vs New York Rangers

Modified Apr 27, 2024 15:36 GMT

The Washington Capitals are now in the worst possible hole a team can find itself in the Stanley Cup playoffs, trailing 3-0 to the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in a best-of-seven series.

After losing 3-1 on Friday night, Washington has mustered up just five goals through three games while surrendering 11 in three consecutive defeats.

As a wild-card team that snuck into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, it is unsurprising that Washington is struggling to keep pace with the mighty Rangers.

Considering that the Capitals finished with a goal differential of minus-37, the worst figure of any playoff team, they are already minus-six in this series. They are on the verge of elimination in the next game.

How did they get to this point, especially after blowing a 1-0 lead on Friday?

3 things that went wrong for Washington Capitals in Game 3 vs. New York Rangers

#3 Too little, too late

The Capitals jumped out to their first lead of the series with a goal from John Carlsson at 5:34. It was their third shot of the first period and would be their only shot for almost ten minutes.

In the first 13 minutes of the game, the Rangers outshot the Capitals 7-3, and despite the shot clock reading 10-8 at the buzzer, New York held a significant advantage for most of the frame until Washington came on strong at the tail end.

Meanwhile, the Rangers out-blocked Washington 8-3, meaning they were getting some chances but could not penetrate their opponent's defensive setup and get pucks on the net to make Igor Shesterkin work.

#2 Shesterkin continues to outplay Lindgren

Shesterkin was named the game's first star, finishing the evening with a .966 save percentage, giving up just one goal while making 28 saves.

Shesterkin's outstanding performance is critical to the Rangers' comfortable 3-0 series lead. His ability to keep the opposition at bay is evident, as he has only conceded five goals in three games.

His save total translates to an impressive .933 save percentage over 180 minutes of play.

As a Veniza Trophy-caliber netminder, he's made the necessary stops, whether they are highlight reel-type or routine.

On the other end, Capitals goalie Charlie has struggled in his first three playoff games. With 11 goals against, he's compiled a .864 save percentage, which isn't good enough to win games, let alone a series.

Whether the Rangers are scoring on special teams, deflecting pucks or just finding time and space to make players, Lindgren isn't the sole reason for the series deficit, but he has yet to be as sharp to keep his team in it.

#1 Special teams killed any Capitals' momentum

On Friday night, Washington had six powerplay opportunities but failed to score on their man advantage. Even though they tallied two powerplay goals in Game 2, they are 2-for-15 in the series with a shorthanded goal against.

Meanwhile, the Rangers, who many wonder if they could survive a playoff series without success on the powerplay, are 3-for-12 on the man advantage.

With Washington boasting the services of Alex Ovechkin, the game's greatest powerplay goal scorer of all time, the team's power outage in the first round becomes even more significant, contributing to its 3-0 series deficit.

Although no series is over until someone wins a fourth game, the Capitals' inability to score, build upon leads and keep momentum on their side is why they could be eliminated on Sunday.