Caps finish off Rangers
Blueshirt playoff hopes gone with loss & Bruin win
CAPITALS 6 RANGERS 3
Daniel Sprong’s tiebreaking goal in the third period propelled the Capitals to a 6-3 victory over the fading Rangers, who were knocked out of playoff contention Monday night at the Garden.
Nic Dowd, Conor Sheary, Garnet Hathaway, Niklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson also scored for the Capitals as they snapped a two-game skid. Rookie Vitek Vanecek stopped 23 shots to earn his 19th victory.
Mika Zibanejad scored twice and Kaapo Kakko also scored for the Rangers, who dropped their third consecutive game. Artemi Panarin added two assists and Igor Shesterkin stopped 34 shots, but the Rangers were eliminated from the postseason picture when Boston beat the Devils.
Alex Ovechkin returned to the lineup after missing four games with a lower-body injury but went to the locker room after playing 39 seconds in the first period and did not return. Washington’s captain remains one goal from tying Marcel Dionne for fifth on the NHL’s career list.
Sprong put the Capitals ahead, 4-3, at 4:37 of the third period. Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith misplayed a puck that set up Sprong for his 12th goal of the season.
Backstrom provided insurance when he flipped the puck over the glove of Shesterkin at 11:41 to make it 5-3.
BRUINS 3, DEVILS 0
Captain Patrice Bergeron scored his 20th goal of the season and the Bruins clinched their fifth straight playoff berth with a dominating victory over the Devils in Newark.
Tuukka Rask stopped 20 shots for his second shutout of the season and Nick Ritchie broke a scoreless tie in the second period as the Bruins won their fourth straight game and ended the Devils’ three-game winning streak.
SABRES 4, ISLANDERS 2
Michael Houser stopped 34 shots in his NHL debut, Sam Reinhart scored twice in Buffalo’s three-goal third period and the Sabres beat the playoff-bound Islanders.
Tage Thompson and Rasmund Asplund also scored for Buffalo, which trailed 2-0 early in the second period.
Houser spent the past 8 ½ seasons in the minor leagues. It was his first game since March 7, 2020, with Cincinnati of the ECHL.
Adam Pelech and Oliver Wahlstrom scored for the Islanders. Semyon Varlamov finished with 36 saves.