New York Rangers

Alexander Ovechkin posted two goals and two assists to lead the Washington Capitals to a 5-1 win over the visiting New York Rangers on Wednesday at Capital One Arena.

Ovechkin, who entered this season sixth in NHL history with 730 regular-season goals, is now all alone in fifth after passing ex-center Marcel Dionne.

The 36-year-old was a game-time decision because of a lower-body injury beforehand, but he took the ice and dominated en route to an emphatic victory.

Both of his goals came in the third period to cap Washington's scoring. His assists led to power-play goals from T.J. Oshie and Justin Schultz to start Washington's five-goal onslaught.

In the middle, Hendrix Lapierre netted a goal of his own for a 3-0 second-period lead.

Washington goalie Vitek Vanecek earned the win after amassing 23 saves. New York's lone goal was courtesy of Chris Kreider on the power play in the third to cut Washington's edge to 4-1.

The game served as the 2021-22 season opener for both teams.

Notable Performances

Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin: 2 G, 2 A

Capitals RW T.J. Oshie: 1 G, 1 A

Capitals C Evgeny Kuznetsov: 3 A

Ovechkin, Capitals Overwhelm Rangers

The Washington Capitals played like they're primed to win their second Stanley Cup in four seasons after a dominant performance.

Oshie got the Caps going after finding a loose puck in front of the net for a power-play goal. He was helped by Ovechkin, who passed in front of the net and benefitted from a deflection over to Oshie for the score:

Oshie is typically a stud on power-play efforts, and he's continued that into this season.

The Capitals somehow only had seven shots on goal through 32 minutes, so the Rangers still had some hope despite being down 1-0 in the latter half of the second period.

That was soon extinguished.

First, Schultz's laser from the blue line on yet another power play gave the Caps the 2-0 edge:

Twenty-four seconds later, the 19-year-old Lapierre made the most of his NHL debut to put the Caps up 3-0:

Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic set the scene:

That put the Rangers in a dire spot entering the third period, and that's when Ovechkin shut the door.

A fortuitous bounce led to Ovi's first goal, tying Dionne at fifth with 731 career scores. It also marked the Capitals' third power-play goal in six tries.

Ovechkin simply caught the Rangers sleeping in their own zone later on for the fifth and final Capitals goal:

And thus ended the Capitals' first game, which couldn't have gone much better as the team looks primed to contend for the Stanley Cup.

What's Next?

The Caps will stay in town to welcome the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday at 7 p.m.

The Rangers will host the Dallas Stars for their home opener Thursday at 7 p.m. ET in Madison Square Garden.

The New York Rangers are locking up their star player to a long-term deal.

On Sunday, the team announced it has agreed to terms with Mika Zibanejad on an eight-year contract extension. According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the extension is worth nearly $68 million with an average annual value "in the range" of $8.5 million.

Zibanejad led the Rangers with 24 goals in 56 games last season, adding 26 assists to rank second on the team with 50 points. The 28-year-old center also recorded a team-high seven game-winning goals.

Zibanejad was drafted sixth overall in 2011 by the Ottawa Senators. He was traded to New York in July 2016.

"Since joining the team in 2016, Mika has emerged as one of the premier players in the NHL," Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury said. "In addition to being a great player on the ice, Mika is an exemplary person off of the ice. We are fortunate to have him as part of our Rangers organization and are excited that he will continue his career in New York."

Zibanejad has recorded 200 goals and 234 assists for 434 points in his 10-year career, with the majority of his production coming for the Blueshirts. In five seasons in New York, he's registered 136 goals and 147 assists in 323 games.

Zibanejad is a native of Stockholm, Sweden, and was one of the first three players named to his country's roster for the 2022 Winter Olympics on Thursday.

Zibanejad and the Rangers will look to improve on last year's 27-23 record. New York has failed to qualify for the playoffs in three of the last four seasons.     

In 1971, Hank Aaron hit a career-high 47 home runs. Relative to the MLB elite, it's a pithy total that ranks tied for 80th on the all-time single-season list. Yet Aaron retired as the Home Run King and now sits comfortably second all-time behind only Barry Bonds. 

It in some ways parallels the hockey career of a different "Hank." Henrik Lundqvist won just one Vezina Trophy in his career, in 2012, and was named to an end-of-year NHL All-Star team just twice in his 15 NHL seasons. To a large degree, this reflects the inadequate means—often heavily flawed stats such as wins and goals-against average—by which goaltenders have been historically evaluated. Lundqvist deserved to earn more individual accolades.

But that kind of analysis also misses what made Lundqvist great. Hank Aaron earned his 755 career home runs through incredible longevity and consistency. No player has more 30-home-run seasons to his name than Aaron. For Lundqvist, too, the ultimate measure of his mesmerizing ability is in how unwaveringly great he was not in any individual season but over many. From 2006-07 until 2009-10, Lundqvist started in 70-plus games each season while posting a robust .917 save percentage despite often facing a barrage of shots. 

From Lundqvist's first season as a 23-year-old in 2005-06 until he was in his mid-30s, Lundqvist was not only unquestionably the starting goaltender for the New York Rangers but also an inarguable All-Star. He would have just enough bad games to reassure everyone he was human, but by season's end, Lundqvist would always show straight A's on the final report card and would be the top reason the Rangers made the playoffs in 11 of his first 12 NHL campaigns, sometimes singlehandedly dragging mediocre rosters into the postseason.

Hockey followers can debate whether another goaltender outperformed Lundqvist in any individual season, but when it comes to analyzing which goaltender in recent history has the best three-, five- and 10-year runs? Lundqvist laps the competition. 

Standing at 6'1", Lundqvist was multiple inches short of what was thought of as the ideal goaltending height when he came into the league. Shorter goaltenders who did succeed tended to do so with tremendous mobility and an aggressive style aimed at cutting down angles. The man Lundqvist replaced as the Rangers' starting goaltender, Mike Richter, was a great example of that.

With help from goaltending coach Benoit Allaire, Lundqvist developed a style in which he would remain deep in his crease.

"Sometimes it's hard to stick to basics when you are not having the results you want. You try too much and you want to win so much," Lundqvist told InGoal Magazine in 2014. "And that's not really what I am looking for in my game. For me, it's about staying deep and just believing in my ability."

In doing so, he left more net exposed but had an extra split second to react to the shot before it reached him. This paid dividends in all situations, but particularly when there was a screen or deflection. Playing deep in the crease meant he would have less distance to travel laterally when the puck moved across the slot. 

Lundqvist was not the first goalie to employ elements of this technique, but he was the first to prove its efficacy in such a dramatic fashion. The secret to Lundqvist's durability is, in part, found in how he played; less movement in the crease means less wear and tear on the body over time. Aging goaltenders Carey Price and Mike Smith are among those who have revitalized their careers by staying deeper in the crease to compensate for lost athleticism.

So much of Lundqvist's success was achieved through nurturing his game. He did not have the freakish athleticism of Dominik Hasek or the size and power of Roberto Luongo. His superlative ability depended on a ruthless application of flawless mechanics which he diligently ingrained into his muscle memory over time. Ostensibly, that makes Lundqvist's style repeatable.

Yet there will never be another Henrik Lundqvist. For one, Lundqvist's deep positioning within the crease leaned into two unique strengths of his: an unmovable focus and incredible reflexes. Also integral to his success was a work ethic and perfectionist attitude that was other-worldly even by the elite standards of the NHL. He also had the endurance for practicing and film analysis that his goaltending partners notoriously struggled to keep up with.

"My view on Henrik was he was working on a level much greater than mine," former Rangers teammate Steve Valiquette told Newsday in 2017. "It wasn't just that he was just blessed with talent. Henrik has worked for it. His approach was more professional than anyone I'd seen to that point and since."

Regardless of playing style, the totality of Lundqvist's NHL resume will never be matched. As more NHL teams move toward rotating goaltenders more frequently, the days of a goaltender playing as many games as Lundqvist did every season are long gone—at least, not while performing well. Coaches and front offices around the NHL are now seeing the benefit of easing a goalie's workload during the regular season.

"As long as [goalie rotation] works, we're not going to change it," Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer said  during the 2020-21 NHL season. "It gives us the benefit of a fresh goaltender every night at the most important position.

Not only is the position too physically demanding, but it's mentally taxing too. To play that frequently over many seasons while maintaining the highest level play of possible requires an unfathomable level of concentration, discipline, self-motivation and endurance.

It also requires the bravery necessary to do it when the games matter the most. Lundqvist played in 130 playoff games with the Rangers, posting a career .921 save percentage and almost always rising to the occasion. In eight career Game 7s, Lundqvist won six times while backing the Rangers with an absurd .961 save percentage. Not to mention doing this all in the spotlight of New York City. When it comes to mental strength, Lundqvist is Hercules. His ability to remain focused in the biggest of situations is uncanny.

He explained his approach ahead of a Game 7 against the Washington Capitals in 2015, which the Rangers won 2-1 in overtime after Lundqvist saved 35 of 36 shots.

"The past is the past," he said. "You don't think about it. You just go in there, and you focus the same way you focused the game before. It's great memories to have to win important games."

Lundqvist played for more than a decade, during which he assumed a ridiculous physical and mental burden, suiting up for myriad games with few breaks and embracing a level of pressure few would be able to deal with for as long as he did.

Is Lundqvist the greatest goaltender of all time? No. Hasek was certainly better, and there's room for debate with Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur, among others. When it comes to consistency, though, Lundqvist stands at the peak of the mountain.

Former New York Rangers right winger and Hockey Hall of Famer Rod Gilbert died at the age of 80.

The Rangers announced Gilbert's death on Sunday and shared a statement from Madison Square Garden executive chairman James Dolan:

I am deeply saddened by the passing of Rod Gilbert—one of the greatest Rangers to ever play for our organization and one of the greatest ambassadors the game of hockey has ever had. While his on-ice achievements rightly made him a Hall of Famer, it was his love for the Rangers and the people of New York that endeared him to generations of fans and forever earned him the title, 'Mr. Ranger.' Our thoughts are with Rod's wife, Judy, and the entire Gilbert family during this difficult time. They will always be a part of the Rangers family.

Gilbert played in the NHL from 1960 to 1977, suiting up exclusively for the Rangers.

He was an eight-time All-Star who finished his career with 1,021 points behind 406 goals and 615 assists. He remains atop the Rangers' all-time goals and points lists and became the first player in franchise history to have his number retired.

The Rangers' announcement also highlighted Gilbert's contributions to the community, which included an integral role in the New York Rangers Alumni Association and his position as a goodwill ambassador for Madison Square Garden.

Gilbert and his wife Judy were also on the board of the Ronald McDonald House.

He is survived by Judy as well as his four children, seven grandchildren and three siblings.

Longtime New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist announced his retirement from the NHL on Friday.

Lundqvist signed with the Washington Capitals last October but missed the entire 2020-21 season after undergoing open-heart surgery.

The 39-year-old Sweden native won the 2011-12 Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender with the Rangers and led his home country to a gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Lundqvist was selected by the Rangers in the seventh round of the 2000 NHL draft, 137 picks after the Dallas Stars took his twin brother, forward Joel Lundqvist, in the third round.

The netminder spent the next five seasons playing for Frolunda in the Swedish Elite League, where he'd started as a youth player, winning the Honken Trophy as the SEL's top goalie three times and leading the franchise to championships in 2003 and 2005.

His long-awaited arrival to the Rangers finally happened for the 2005-06 campaign, and he wasted no time establishing himself as one of the NHL's top goalies with a 2.24 goals-against average and .922 save percentage as a rookie to finish third in Vezina voting.

Lundqvist spent a total of 15 years in the New York crease. He earned five All-Star selections and was named to the NHL's All-Decade Team for the 2010s.

The future Hockey Hall of Famer told Larry Brooks of the New York Post he entered the offseason with hope his career could continue, but he suffered "some setbacks" in his recovery from the heart surgery, which extended the timetable for his potential return.

"I was hoping I would be 100 percent by this time," Lundqvist said. "But I was told that inflammation takes a long time to correct and with medication I might be out of the woods, but it could be another full year before I would be 100 percent."

In turn, he concluded with his family there were "too many unknowns and too much risk" to continue his playing career.

"It's all still fresh," Lundqvist told Brooks. "I decided only a few days ago. But I am at peace. I look back at my career, and all I have is gratitude and pride. I am just so grateful."

He finishes his career with a 459-310-96 record, 2.43 GAA and .918 save percentage across 887 NHL appearances, all for the Rangers. He also posted a 2.30 GAA and .921 save percentage in 130 playoff games.

Along with the future call from the Hall of Fame, Lundqvist will also likely have his No. 30 jersey number retired by the Rangers.

It only took one year for the New York Rangers to find a replacement in net for Henrik Lundqvist. Now the franchise is making sure that solution is locked in for the next few years. 

According to The Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli, Igor Shesterkin is re-upping with the Rangers for four years, $22.67 million—a record deal for a goaltender's second contract. 

Shesterkin signed a two-year entry-level deal with New York in 2019 and quickly outplayed his contract. In 35 games last season, the Russian allowed 2.62 goals per game with a 91.6 save percentage. Still just 25 years old, there's plenty of reason to believe Shesterkin will continue to improve over the duration of his new deal as the Rangers continue to rebuild.

For the Rangers to find their goaltender of the future so quickly after the departure of Lundqvist will certainly help speed that process up. 

Lundqvist manned the crease in Madison Square Garden for 15 years, winning the Vezina Trophy for the 2011-12 season and making the All-Star Game five times. He left the Rangers with a career 91.8 save percentage and 2.43 goals-against average. 

Now Shesterkin gets a chance to make his own mark on Broadway. 

The Rangers have not advanced past the first round of the postseason since 2016-17—a streak that could come to an end rather quickly as the franchise locks up its new core. Chris Kreider and Barclay Goodrow are under contract through 2027, Artemi Panarin is signed through 2026 alongside Jacob Trouba and the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, Alexis Lafreniere, is still on a rookie deal until he becomes a restricted free agent in 2023. 

In a Metropolitan Division that features other rebuilding clubs like the New Jersey Devils, Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers, that may be more than enough to contend for a postseason spot in the near future. 

All that's left for Shesterkin to prove is that he can be the playoff goaltender who leads the Rangers to a Stanley Cup for the first time since 1994—something Lundqvist was unable to do over his 15 years in New York. 

The New York Rangers have already made some notable moves this offseason. And with free agency set to begin Wednesday at noon ET, there may be even more changes to the team's roster on the horizon.

It appears the Rangers have already lined up one free-agent deal. On Tuesday, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported that the team is expected to sign defenseman Patrik Nemeth when free agency opens. The deal will "likely be for two or three years, worth between $2.25 million-$2.75 million per season," per Brooks.

The 29-year-old has played for three teams over eight NHL seasons. He spent his first four seasons with the Dallas Stars, then played for the Colorado Avalanche for two seasons. After signing a free-agent deal with the Detroit Red Wings prior to the 2019-20 season, he was traded back to Colorado earlier this year.

This past season, Nemeth had three goals, seven assists and a plus-minus rating of plus-five over 52 games (39 with Detroit and 13 with Colorado). The Avalanche gave other teams permission to negotiate with him prior to the start of free agency, per Brooks, which is how the Rangers have already worked out a deal.

The Swede is likely going to provide a boost to the Rangers' defense. Now, perhaps they'll look to add an offensive player, especially after they traded forward Pavel Buchnevich to the St. Louis Blues last Friday.

Apparently, that move was one that may not have been popular with New York players, though. The Athletic's Rick Carpiniello reported forward Artemi Panarin and goaltender Igor Shesterkin are "livid" about the Buchnevich trade. And they may not be the only ones.

"It’s tough to imagine there aren't at least a few other players who feel the same way," Carpiniello wrote.

Buchnevich was a restricted free agent, so the Rangers could have re-signed him. Instead, the 26-year-old is now in St. Louis, marking the first time he's switched teams after spending his first five NHL seasons with New York.

On Tuesday, the Blues announced they had signed the Russian to a four-year, $23.2 million deal. So he won't be hitting free agency anytime soon, either.

Buchnevich has tallied at least 38 points in each of the past four seasons. He had a career-high 48 points (20 goals and 28 assists) in 54 games for the Rangers during the 2020-21 campaign.

There were rumors earlier in the offseason that New York may be in the mix to trade for Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel. But Carpiniello reported that Sabres owner Terry Pegula would prefer the 24-year-old to be dealt to a Western Conference team. So it's possible the Rangers won't pull off a trade there.

Perhaps New York will acquire another offensive player, though, in order to replace some of the production it lost when trading away Buchnevich.

New York Rangers blueliner Adam Fox has won the 2020-21 James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman.

The 23-year-old beat out some stiff competition for the honor, getting chosen over Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning's Victor Hedman, who won the Norris in 2018.

In just his second NHL season, Fox quickly established himself as a premier player at both ends of the ice.

In 55 regular-season games, he registered five goals and 42 assists for 47 points. He also posted a plus-19 rating and averaged 24:42 of ice time per game.

Among defensemen, Fox ranked first in assists, second in points behind only Edmonton Oilers defenseman Tyson Barrie's 48 and 11th in average time on ice.

Fox was also a star on the power play, finishing with 23 power-play points, which was tied with Barrie for second among defensemen, just one behind Hedman's 24.

Fox was a third-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames in 2016, but his rights were traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018. Carolina then flipped his rights to the Rangers in 2019 for a second-round pick.

The former Harvard standout quickly established himself as the Rangers' top defenseman, racking up 42 points and a plus-22 rating during his rookie campaign in 2019-20.

Fox finished fourth in the Calder Trophy voting as rookie of the year behind a pair of defensemen in Makar and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks as well as Chicago Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik.

Just one year later, the Jericho, New York, native overtook both Makar and Hughes, and he was recognized as the top defenseman in the NHL.

Fox is the youngest Norris winner since then-Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban won it at the age of 23 in 2013, and he is the first Rangers player to receive the honor since Brian Leetch in 1997.

The Buffalo Sabres are reportedly seeking "at least four pieces that would be equivalent of first-rounders" in order to move star center Jack Eichel in a blockbuster trade.

Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported the asking price Monday, and noted the New York Rangers are among the interested NHL teams and have had "preliminary talks" with the Sabres about Eichel, but they're awaiting further medical information after he missed the end of the 2020-21 season with a neck injury.

In his season-ending press conference, Eichel expressed frustration about how the organization handled the treatment of the herniated disk in his neck. His side preferred a surgical procedure, while the Sabres wanted to take the more conservative route of rest and rehabilitation.

"My No. 1 interest and my No. 1 goal is Jack Eichel,” he told reporters. "... You've got to look after yourself, you've got to look after what you think is best for yourself, and the organization has a similar job to do, but it's to look after what's best for the Buffalo Sabres."

He added his main goal was "just trying to get healthy and figure out a way to be available to play hockey next year...wherever that might be."

In turn, the trade rumors that had already started to circulate during the Sabres' struggles en route to their 10th straight playoff-less season kicked into overdrive following the three-time All-Star's comments.

Trying to determine fair value for Eichel could prove difficult for Buffalo and interested teams, though.

The 24-year-old Boston University product is one of the NHL's best centers when healthy. He's tallied 355 points (139 goals and 216 assists) across 375 games since the Sabres selected him with the second overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft.

Eichel has compiled those numbers despite playing on some lackluster Buffalo teams, and there's a real chance he could take his game to an MVP level alongside more talented teammates.

On the flip side, he's coming off an injury that caused him to miss the final two months of the 2020-21 campaign and still doesn't have a definitive treatment plan or timetable for a return to full strength. Opposing general managers will probably also point toward his own remarks to suggest he may want out of Buffalo.

The other factor is his eight-year, $80 million contract. The Sabres will argue teams are acquiring an elite center under team control through 2025-26. Interested front offices will say his $10 million cap hit each season is difficult to navigate in the NHL's uncertain financial waters coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eichel is the Sabres' most valuable asset by a considerable margin. If the team ultimately moves him, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams' opportunity to turn the struggling franchise around will likely hinge almost entirely on the return he gets for the team's current captain.

The equivalent of four first-round picks—the same compensation as the maximum possible via a contract offer sheet to a restricted free agent—is a fair baseline value for a player of Eichel's caliber, but the surrounding circumstances make it unclear whether teams will meet that asking price.

If not, the Sabres may have to grapple with the question of lowering their expectations or asking a clearly disgruntled player to return for the 2021-22 season with no guarantee the team as a whole will be prepared to take a significant step forward.

A resolution figures to come before the 2021 NHL draft on July 23, where Buffalo will make the No. 1 overall pick in a year without a consensus top prospect.