WASHINGTON — Alain Vigneault’s calculated risk failed, and now the Rangers coach presumably will turn back to Henrik Lundqvist after going with Cam Talbot for Friday night’s 3-2 defeat to the Capitals, in which the 26-year-old netminder did not hit the standard he had established through his first 10 NHL starts.
Vigneault sat Lundqvist for the third straight game (a first for the King since early 2006-07, his second NHL season) because, as the coach said following the morning skate, “I’m trying to do what permits us to win.”
That’s a debatable enough approach with which to begin, even allowing for Talbot’s 8-2 record that featured back-to-back victories at home on Sunday and Monday over the Wild and Maple Leafs, respectively, but the decision did not play out as the coach hoped when Talbot was beaten by a right wing wrist shot from Eric Fehr with 5:09 remaining in the third to snap a 2-2 tie.
“It was a quick release, but that’s a save I have to make, especially in a tie game with us pressing for the win,” said Talbot, who was beaten to the far, stick side. “It kind of took the wind out of our sails there.”
Talbot was also beaten far-side by Nicklas Backstrom’s right dot wrist shot with 1:05 to play in the second with the score 1-1 after getting a piece of the drive.
“I thought I got a better chunk of it than I did,” the goaltender said. “Again, that’s one I want to have back.”
The Rangers, who fell to 18-19-2, played one of their better games of the season, generating 40 shots against Philipp Grubauer. They competed well and played with snarl throughout, but were unable to record an even-strength goal, scoring once on a Benoit Pouliot power play deflection early in the second period and then on a Carl Hagelin shorthanded breakaway early in the third.
“I thought we probably deserved better,” Brad Richards said. “The winner, Cam gets that nine out of 10 times, or maybe 19 out of 20.”
The Rangers played with five defensemen for the final 47:11 after Anton Stralman left the match late in the first period with an undisclosed injury. Though Vigneault said he does not believe the issue is serious, the Blueshirts recalled Connor Allen from the AHL Wolf Pack. He will practice with the club on Saturday before traveling to Tampa for Sunday’s match against the Lightning.
Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi played 29:53 and 27:35, respectively. Michael Del Zotto, bumped up in Stralman’s absence, played his finest match of the year while getting a season-high 24:37 of ice time.
“The top three had to log a tremendous amount of minutes, so that might make it more challenging towards the end of the game as far as defending and attacking,” Vigneault said. “But that’s not an excuse.”
Chris Kreider, who had a forceful opening two periods, got just two shifts over the final 10:56, though he was on late when Talbot was pulled for the extra attacker with 1:28 remaining. Rick Nash, meanwhile, failed to score for the seventh consecutive match, though he did get to the front of the net more often than on the recent nine-game homestand.
“I thought I had better looks,” said Nash, who has scored once in the last 10 games. “When you’re struggling the way I am, you have to simplify your game.”
Girardi had hit the post from the slot before the Rangers lost the puck in the offensive zone, setting off the chain reaction on which the Caps swept down the ice for the winner.
“Our gap is a just a little bit loose and the goalie is a bit off,” Vigneault said.
“One or two more saves from me and we would have gotten two points instead of zero,” Talbot said. “That’s a game we probably should have won based on our effort.”
So now it’s on to Tampa, where Lundqvist presumably will be the goaltender, trying to do what permits the Rangers to win.