Takeaways: Capitals Rediscover Spark, Ovechkin Stays Hot In Bounce Back Win Over Rangers

WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin hasn't skipped a beat, and he delivered once again against the New York Rangers.

Ovechkin had the game-winner and an assist, and the Capitals rediscovered their spark in a 7-4 win over the Rangers.

Here are the takeaways for the win.

Alex Ovechkin Continues Great Chase, Moves Closer To Wayne Gretzky

Alex Ovechkin has been getting back in the swing of things since returning from a broken leg, and he's kept up his red-hot scoring pace.

Ovechkin drove to the net and hung on to the puck before backhanding a feed past a diving Jonathan Quick for the eventual game-winning goal.

It marked Ovechkin's 19th goal of the season and fourth goal in five games since returning. He is at 872 career goals, moving him 23 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time scoring record.

The captain then added an assist on Tom Wilson’s empty netter to make it 7-4 late and seal the deal.

Capitals Power Play Stays Hot, Penalty Kill Comes In Clutch

Though 5-on-5 scoring hasn't been what the Capitals have come to expect over the last handful of games, the power play has found its spark, and that continued on Saturday against the Rangers.

Down 1-0 in the first, the Capitals headed to a much-needed power play looking to find a spark late in the first, and they got just that thanks to Dylan Strome. After a chaotic flurry in front, Strome picked up a rebound and snuck it past Jonathan Quick to even the score going into the second.

Later, after the Rangers had pulled to 3-2 courtesy of Sam Carrick, Connor McMichael did what he does best, getting to the front and sneaking a feed from Strome past Jonathan Quick to make it 4-2.

Washington went 2-for-4 on the night and has power-play goals in six of the last seven games overall.

The penalty kill also came in clutch, going 4-for-4 to shut down Artemi Panarin and the Rangers' offense.

McMichael & Strome Rediscover Spark, Mangiapane Thrives On Fourth Line

After hot starts to the season, Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome had cooled off a bit in recent games. Both rediscovered their sparks on Saturday.

McMichael had his 17th goal of the season, which marked his first goal in six games. Meanwhile, Strome picked up a goal — his first in nine games — and added two assists, and how has points in three of his last four games.

Both were able to rediscover some confidence with strong showings.

Meanwhile, Andrew Mangiapane also had a strong showing, picking up a goal and assist while thriving on the fourth line with Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime. The 5-foot-10 winger was aggressive on the forecheck and hard on pucks, and he made the most of his opportunities while being reliable at both ends.

Thompson Has Early Mishap, Capitals Catch Breaks & Get Insurance Goals

Charlie Lindgren wasn't the only goalie to have to recover from a mishap while playing the puck; Logan Thompson did the same in the first period of Saturday's tilt, playing a puck that came all the way down and passing it right onto the tape of Chris Kreider, who buried the game-opening goal on what was practically an empty net.

Thompson recovered for the most part, coming up with some big saves over the course of the night, but the defense in front of him struggled from time to time.

Thompson and Washington also caught a break as a coach's challenge went in its favor; video coaches Brett Leonhardt and Emily Engel-Natzke caught Brett Berard offside before Will Cullye's goal, leading to it ultimately being waved off.

Still, the Rangers would pull back within one on two different occasions in the third period, with Filip Chytil and Mika Zibanejad beating Thompson.

Thanks to the top-6 though, Washington got insurance markers. Alex Ovechkin scored, and then just 56 seconds after Zibanejad's marker, Aliaksei Protas scored his third goal in four games, burying a rebound from Pierre-Luc Dubois, to restore the two-goal lead. Tom Wilson’s empty-netter secured the win.

Dubois now has points in eight of his last nine games, and Thompson finished with 28 saves.

Eller, Third Line Get Much-Needed Goal

The Capitals third line has been a revolving door over the course of the season, and coach Spencer Carbery shook things up for Saturday's game while revamping that trio.

He put Lars Eller on the wing and Connor McMichael back at center, while putting Jakub Vrana on the right side. Carbery had hoped the change would spark Eller, and that it did.

The Dane had a strong game and got on the scoresheet, picking up his seventh goal of the season and first since Nov. 25 (13 games).

While the third line didn't ultimately get much ice time (with the exception of McMichael, who played on the power play), that line did get some looks when it was on the ice.

Top Shelf Takes

- Nic Dowd and Tom Wilson picked up assists and both have points in four of their last five games.

- Martin Fehervary added a helper of his own and has found the scoresheet in back-to-back games.

- Jakob Chychrun had two assists.