Capitals McIlrath vs. Rangers Rempe WASHINGTON — Just six months and a day ago, Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals found themselves swept at the hands of the New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers], ousted from the Stanley Cup Playoffs amid ongoing struggles on offense. On Tuesday, it was a much different result for a much different-looking Capitals team en route to a big win. Ovechkin struck twice, and Aliaksei Protas had a three-point night en route to an impressive 5-3 victory over the Rangers, a powerhouse in their own right. Here are all the takeaways: ALEX OVECHKIN GETS CAPITALS OFF TO BEST START OF SEASON Going back to last April's playoff series, Alex Ovechkin was held without a point for the first time in his postseason career. He was hungry going into Washington's first meeting of the season with New York, and he got to work right away. Ovechkin was a force to be reckoned with, moving his feet, winning puck battles and making good plays. His first goal came after he kept the puck in the offensive zone and then got to the front, where he sniped a quick shot past Igor Shesterkin to make it a 1-0 game. Less than three minutes later, after the Rangers tied it up 1-1, Ovechkin scored again after a beautiful feed in front courtesy of Aliaksei Protas. The Capitals captain is now up to 857 career goals, putting him 39 away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the most in NHL history. He also passed Jaromir Jagr for the third-most even-strength goals of all time. ALIAKSEI PROTAS STAYS HOT & LEADS THE WAY FOR BIG WIN Since being drafted in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft, Protas has been held in high regard by the organization, and Tuesday was a great example as to why the Capitals are so impressed by him. Protas, from start to finish, was an absolute workhorse, using his improved speed and skating to get to pucks, leaning into his 6-6 frame to win battles and getting to the high-danger areas to generate chances and offense aplenty. After helping set up Ovechkin's back-to-back goals in the first, Protas got on the board with a goal of his own, tipping him a shot from Rasmus Sandin for the game-winning goal after powering to the front. Not only did he impress with the puck, but without it, too. He continues to log key time on the penalty kill, and after breaking his stick and still coming up big on the PK, showed just how dangerous he was by sprinting for a loose puck after a clear, picking up a new stick from the bench on the way and then winning the race to get a shorthanded look on Shesterkin. Protas now has six points in his last six games and seven points in eight games to open the season. He continues to fit in seamlessly on the top line. CONNOR MCMICHAEL ADDS TO IMPRESSIVE START AS CAPITALS OFFENSE KEEPS HUMMING In addition to Protas, Connor McMichael has also been enjoying a strong start to the season, and he stayed red-hot with some more new dad strength with a nice deflection goal to add to D.C.'s total. He also led his team with 10 shots on goal. McMichael has eight points in his last six games and points in five of his last six outings overall, as he's only been held off the scoresheet in two contests this season. His stellar play, along with Protas and company, has contributed to the Capitals' ever-consistent offense to open the season. Washington has managed at least three goals in all but one game — the shutout loss at the hands of Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning back on Saturday — this season, as the team continues to prove critics wrong as a top competitor in the NHL. The Capitals also dominated in shots, outshooting New York 46-19. DYLAN MCILRATH TAKES CARE OF MATT REMPE TO SPARK CAPITALS Before Ovechkin's goal, Dylan McIlrath proved a much-needed spark and energy for the Capitals bench, as he went toe-to-toe with Matt Rempe, who was recalled and dressed to bring some grit against D.C. It was quite the heavyweight bout between McIlrath (6-foot-5) and Rempe (6-foot-9), and McIlrath easily won the scrap to fire up his bench as the veteran took Rempe's helmet off (cutting him in the process) and forced him down to the ice. Capitals McIlrath vs. Rangers Rempe The energy McIlrath has brought to the table is undeniable as he continues to make an impact after making an NHL roster for the first time in eight years. CAPITALS LOSE JAKOB CHYCHRUN TO INJURY AS POWER PLAY WOES CONTINUE; DEFENSE STEPS UP TO FILL IN Despite a lot of positives in Tuesday's game, there were some negatives to take away, too, as the Capitals lost a key player to injury early on. Jakob Chychrun left Tuesday's game with an upper-body injury after skating just 1:50 minutes in the first period. It's unclear what happened to the 26-year-old, but after circling the net, he appeared to be in discomfort while holding his back/hip before heading down the tunnel and not returning. Chychrun's loss didn't help as Washington had just five defensemen for the rest of the night, and it also left D.C. without a key catalyst on the power play, which continues to struggle. The Capitals went 0-for-4 on the man advantage, and now, they have gone 0-for-21 over the last six games. With Chychrun out, though, Sandin stepped up to help provide some offense, along with Trevor van Riemsdyk, who has four assists in his last five games. Though some miscues led to goals against, the defense did step up in Chychrun's absence, with Sandin, van Riemsdyk, Martin Fehervary and more logging bigger minutes. Together, they limited several chances for New York to help preserve the win, especially in the last minute with the New York net empty. TOP SHELF TAKES - Dylan Strome picked up two assists and has points in seven of eight games to open the season. His 11 points lead Washington. - Logan Thompson stopped 16 of 19 shots. - Nic Dowd iced the game with an empty-netter, his third goal in four games.
