Near the top of a irritating loss in an agonizing season, Alex Ovechkin appeared to lastly snap. 

Perhaps upset with a noncall on the opposite finish, the rating or another variable, the Washington Capitals captain quickly began to cross-check the closest New York Ranger he might discover. And he threw an elbow or two, for good measure — incomes a two-minute minor penalty and a 10-minute recreation misconduct penalty that successfully served as an ejection. 

With solely 3:31 left in Washington’s 5-2 loss, Ovechkin’s day was achieved. But not earlier than two fights across the Russian broke out on the ice. 

“Those situations add up a little bit and you get frustrated,” Capitals coach Peter Laviolette stated of Ovechkin’s penalty. “It was probably to be expected.”

Sunday’s defeat to the Rangers didn’t technically remove the Capitals (34-34-9, 77 factors) from the NHL playoffs. That second might come as quickly as Tuesday, relying on how that night’s motion unfolds. But make no mistake, with 5 video games now left for Washington, that second is coming. The Capitals have been nonetheless eight factors behind the Florida Panthers for the East’s closing wild-card spot getting into Sunday’s matinee — placing their postseason possibilities at lower than 1%. 

The actuality of the scenario hasn’t been misplaced on the Capitals. They have reached the purpose of the common season through which they've little left to play for, aside from delight. 

And towards the Rangers (45-21-11, 101 factors), that was evident. Players nonetheless raced up and down the ice, attempting to chip away at New York’s lead. They bought into a number of fights, together with when Tom Wilson traded blows with New York’s Barclay Goodrow and Washington’s Martin Fehérváry tussled with Niko Mikkola after Ovechkin’s penalty. 

But these efforts weren’t met with a thunderous response from the house crowd.

Instead, Washington’s seats have been stuffed by blue-and-red-wearing New York followers who ceaselessly broke out in “Let’s go Rangers” chants and cheered each large, non-Capitals second. Washington’s followers arguably understood: There wasn’t a lot to cheer. 

“It’s difficult,” defenseman John Carlson stated of Washington’s fourth straight loss. “Nobody wanted this, no one expected this. … You got to work through the bad moments to get to those points and I think our effort was there. [But] our execution was really poor.”

Before the sport, Laviolette entered the afternoon hopeful that Washington would not less than ship a greater effort from Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Days later, Laviolette nonetheless stewed over how the Capitals failed to answer the adversity of that contest. Washington’s airplane landed in Tampa at 3 a.m., however Laviolette stated that was no excuse to play as poorly because the group did. “It’s almost like we were groggy,” he stated. 

This time round, the Capitals had a full two days of relaxation earlier than dealing with the Rangers. And but, Washington started the primary interval wanting in want of a spark. Both groups did not generate a lot offense over the primary 10-plus minutes, although it was the Rangers who lastly bought on the board when defenseman Okay’Andre Miller scored off the rebound from middle Vincent Trocheck’s shot at 13:17. 

Then, simply over two minutes later — earlier than Washington’s public deal with announcer even introduced Miller’s rating — winger Alexis Lafrenière helped make it 2-0 with a nifty backhand purpose through which he prevented Rasmus Sandin’s stick and shot the puck previous  Darcy Kuemper to land at the back of the online. 

The Rangers, who've clinched a playoff spot and sit third within the Metropolitan Division, have the type of firepower so as to add to the lead shortly. Beyond Lafrenière’s rating, New York wanted solely a minute into the second interval earlier than winger Kaapo Kakko scored so as to add to the Rangers’ lead. 

Generating offense for the Capitals, against this, has been a wrestle all season lengthy. Even with Ovechkin, Washington entered Sunday’s contest averaging simply 3.11 targets per recreation — the Thirteenth-worst mark within the NHL. 

Against the Rangers, middle Dylan Strome scored Washington’s first purpose when he fired off a shot that snuck by means of goaltender Igor Shesterkin’s legs with 6:37 left within the second. The Capitals, although, didn’t rating once more till there was 8:16 left within the recreation when Aliaksei Protas took benefit of a crowd in entrance of New York’s web to slide one by Shesterkin. 

The rating minimize New York’s result in 4-2, however the Rangers quickly answered with a Mika Zibanejad power-play purpose. New York bought on the benefit after Capitals winger Conor Sheary dedicated an interference penalty. 

According to Stat Muse, Sunday’s contest was the thirty fifth outing this season through which the Capitals failed to attain not more than two targets. 

They are 3-27-5 in such video games.

“You’re still trying to fight through every game,” Strome stated. “We’re proud guys in here and we obviously wanna win and mathematically, obviously, it doesn’t look great.”

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