WASHINGTON — It is as if Barbra Streisand left "Funny Girl" because of an illness, and the show's run on Broadway became even hotter with an understudy in the lead role.
Because the Rangers roared into first place in both the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference in defeating the Capitals 3-1 Wednesday behind yet another superlative effort from Cam Talbot, who has surrendered five goals in the last five games and is 12-2-3 since taking over for the ailing Henrik Lundqvist.
Talbot was at his best in the third period under which the Blueshirts, playing their second game in two nights and third in the last four, were essentially under siege throughout the 20 minutes.
But the netminder stood tall in repelling everything the Capitals — and Alex Ovechkin — could throw at him, doggedly protecting a 2-1 lead until Martin St. Louis converted Chris Kreider's 2-on-0 feed with 2:27 to go.
So the Rangers, who have a couple of days off before a match in Buffalo on Saturday, are 8-1-1 in their last 10 on the road, 15-2-3 in their last 20 and a rather remarkable 31-7-3 since a Dec. 6 defeat in Detroit.
Emotions were charged throughout a first period in which the Capitals carried the play, taking the body at every opportunity but ended with the opportunistic Rangers leading 2-1, though facing an extended two-man disadvantage at the start of the second.
It was Washington's size and physical game that prompted Blueshirts' coach Alain Vigneault to keep Tanner Glass in the lineup for the second straight night while James Sheppard remained a healthy scratch.
"Having a deterrent on the ice sometimes helps," Vigneault said. "There's a lot of game within the game, sometimes there's a lot of chirping, and boys will be boys. We want to play whistle to whistle but [Glass] gives us an element we need against certain teams."
Glass — routinely vilified on social media by a segment of Rangerstown — did play effectively in a checking role in 8:48 of ice Tuesday, that much is true.
But the winger's presence hardly deterred Matt Martin from lining up and crushing Mats Zuccarello on a second-period left wing rush, and it didn't stop the Islanders' Hit King from delivering a late hit that drove Kevin Hayes into the post after the Blueshirts' rookie breakaway, power spin-and-stuff goal.
And Glass' presence in this one sure didn't discourage Tom Wilson from running around and targeting Blueshirts. But then, the notion of having a deterrent in the lineup seems oddly antiquated.
Actually, the only deterrent in this league these days is a power play that makes opponents pay for their transgressions. But the Blueshirts don't have that.
The Rangers didn't seem to have their legs in this second of a back-to-back and third game in four nights. Nevertheless, they took a 1-0 lead when Carl Hagelin got his 15th by slamming a Kevin Hayes rebound past Braden Holtby — making his 47th start in Washington's last 51 games — at 8:20.
Cam Talbot (right) protects the net as Troy Brouwer and Derek Stepan battle for the puck.Photo: NHLI via Getty Images
The Capitals got it back when Alexander Ovechkin's power play one-timer from his office at the left trigger position deflected in off a diving Jesper Fast at 11:43. It was Ovechkin's league-leading 45th of the year, as well as No. 8's NHL-best 21st power-play goal. For the sake of comparison, Chris Kreider leads the Rangers with seven power-play goals, tied for 30th in that category.
The Blueshirts didn't muster much in their lone man-advantage of the period, but took a 2-1 lead at 16:34 when J.T. Miller converted Hayes' pass by ripping a left wing drive past Holtby. It marked another encouraging step for Miller, who has assumed an important role after a stretch in late January and early February in which No. 10 was in and out of the lineup.
"I like his puck protection," Vigneault said of Miller, who was on the ice with a one-goal lead in the final two minutes Tuesday. "He's working real hard and being a good two-way player.
"If you notice, a lot of the times he's got the puck right near him, he's willing to take the check and make the play," the coach said. "Sometimes it's not always the right play, but that willingness to take that hit and buy the team a couple of those extra seconds to be in the right position.
"He's a young player going through the process. Some nights are better than others. Lately he's been having a lot of good nights."
It was 2-1 late when Dominic Moore was called for a retaliatory interference penalty at 19:04 after being drilled by Wilson. Ryan McDonagh was then cited for a retaliatory high stick against Marcus Johansson just 42 seconds later, giving the Capitals their lengthy two-man power play advantage.
The Blueshirts killed off the Capitals' advantage and carried that momentum through a strong second period in which the Rangers owned a 12-4 edge in shots while dominating in zone time.
The back-end of the kill was cemented by Talbot's catching glove theft of Nicklas Backstom's wide-open shot from the right porch 56 seconds into the period. That represented Washington's most glorious chance of the period.
The Rangers had a pair of second period power plays, the first when Tim Gleason retaliated against Dan Girardi for the defenseman's neutral zone hit that sent Jay Beagle flying, the second on an Ovechkin headshot that landed against Miller.
But the club came up empty, stretching their futility to 1-for-13 in five games since the acquisition of Keith Yandle, the latest promised salvation at power play quarterback. Where have you gone, Ales Kotalik? Or, for that matter, Dan Boyle?
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