Behind the glass: Caps tell Rangers not in our house

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- From my seats behind the glass at another sold-out Capital One Arena, I'll say it plainly: the Rangers are better than advertised. They rolled into town having won four straight, with Alexis Lafreniere playing like a man possessed. This is not the team that finished dead last in the East a year ago. Read more: Caps tell Rangers not in our house

But so are we. And Friday night the Caps sent the Broadway Blueshirts a message: not in our house. Washington 3, New York 1.

Let's be honest: this one was personal.

The last time these two met, back on April 5, the Rangers hung an 8-1 beating on us. Plenty of us in the building remembered. Payback tasted sweet.

The great

Boone Jenner. The new guy introduced himself to Washington the right way. Tie game, 2:22 left in the second, Jenner jumps on an errant Rangers pass, steps into the slot and snaps a wrister past Dylan Garand. Unassisted. His first goal in a Caps sweater, and it stood up as the game-winner.

That's the wily veteran, heads-up hockey we brought him here for.

The good

Logan Thompson. Twenty-one saves on 22 shots, and the only puck that beat him came on a power play. Calm, square, never rattled. After the first period, the Rangers got nothing.

Timothy Liljegren tied it at 6:08 of the second with his first goal as a Cap, set up by Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard. Leonard was buzzing all night and drew a hooking call on Cole Beaudoin. The kid gets better every game.

Related: Capitals end Rangers' four-game win streak

And Tom Wilson sealed it with an empty-netter with one tick left on the clock. Willy now has nine points in his last six games against New York. He owns the Rangers.

And for once we tilted the ice. The Caps outshot the Rangers 27-22, the first time in four games this season they've outshot an opponent. More pucks on net, more pressure, more nights like this one.

The bad

Special teams. A Dylan McIlrath tripping call in the first gave the Rangers a power play, and Lafreniere made us pay, his fourth goal in two games. Then on our own man advantage, we let a backup goalie who came in cold make big saves to keep New York alive. Against a hot team, you have to cash those chances.

The faceoff dot was no friend either. The Rangers won the draw battle, about 54 percent to 46. Washington actually won 59 percent of the faceoffs in the first period before New York took over the dot.

That won't work as we grind through road games. Lose the draws in somebody else's building and you spend the night chasing the puck.

The ugly

Igor Shesterkin going down at 8:20 of the second. He lay on the ice holding his right knee for several minutes and couldn't put any weight on the leg as his teammates helped him off. Nobody wants to see that. Shesterkin is one of the best goalies in the world and a rival worth beating at full strength. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Who's hot, who's not

Hot: Jenner, Thompson, Wilson and Leonard. The Caps are now 3-1-0, a perfect 3-0-0 against the Metropolitan Division, and 13-1-2 in their last 16 games at Capital One Arena dating back to last season. Our building is becoming a fortress.

Not: the power play. It has to start finishing.

The fan meter

Excited. Four games in, this team has struck an identity: grind, defend and make you pay for every mistake.

The Rangers came in red hot and had not trailed since opening night. We put them behind, kept them there and sent them packing with their first loss in five. Fans walked out onto F Street with a little extra swagger. And bling. Lots of it.

Next up

No rest for the weary. The Seattle Kraken visit Capital One Arena at 5 p.m. Sunday before the Caps head to Carolina on Tuesday. Keep the home streak rolling, clean up the power play and let's bank two more points. See you behind the glass.

Note: Caps good-luck charms Jack and Stacey came down to our seats again. Now they can't leave! Ever!

For all Caps recaps, go to DisruptorSportsNation.com.