K'Andre Miller, Rangers have many happy returns in victory over Capitals

The Rangers have made a point of getting payback against teams that have beaten them previously when they play those teams again later. The Washington Capitals got a taste of that Wednesday night, in the first game back after the NHL’s Christmas break.

The Rangers spotted the Capitals the first goal of the game and then rattled off five straight to beat Washington, 5-1 before a joyous crowd at Madison Square Garden.

"I think there's self-awareness in the room," coach Peter Laviolette said, of the Rangers' penchant for paying teams back after losing to them. "I don't think we played a very good game in Washington. I don't think the players probably thought that, either, and so that's a chance to play a better brand of hockey."

Defenseman K'Andre Miller had two goals, and goaltender Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves as the Rangers avenged their 4-0 loss to the Capitals in Washington Dec. 9, and improved their record to 24-8-1 on the season. The Caps fell to 17-10-5.

The victory came at a cost to the Rangers, however: Captain Jacob Trouba left the game early in the second period with an upper-body injury.

"Those minutes were there for [Miller], regardless of whether Jacob was in the game or not in the game," Laviolette said. "I thought that he started to look like he was owning the game, a little bit. I thought that [Braden] Schneider looked like he was owning the game a little bit. There was a few more minutes for everybody to cover up for the person missing, and it was noticeable in that sense."

"I don't think I've really been playing my best hockey," Miller said. "I went into the break with some goals of coming out of the break doing a little bit more. Luckily the puck found me tonight."

At the morning skate, Laviolette was asked about his message to the team, coming off the three-day break.

“What I’ve found about these breaks that you can say the same thing for 15 years in a row, and seven of them you'll like, and eight of them you won't like, or vice versa,’’ he said. “And so, there's no guarantee. We’ve got to be ready to play.’’

They were more ready than they were in the last game, when Sonny Milano’s first-minute goal for Washington started the Rangers off on the wrong track. Milano, the Massapequa native, was in street clothes Wednesday, as he remains on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, and neither team generated much in a scoreless first period.

Washington opened the scoring on a goal by Anthony Mantha at 4:12 of the second period, but Miller tied it with his first goal of the game, at 7:03, dancing his way through several defenders in the offensive zone and flipping a backhand shot past Washington goalie Darcy Kuemper (26 saves).

Miller’s defense partner, Trouba, was gone by that point, having left just 1:15 into the period, after the Rangers killed off a penalty to Ryan Lindgren. Trouba left after playing 7:23.

"You never want to see a guy like that, that means so much to your team, go down," Miller said of Trouba. "I think, luckily, he's OK, so hopefully we'll see him back next game."

Artemi Panarin scored his 19th goal of the season on a power play at 12:08 of the period, somehow squeezing a shot into a tiny space up over Kuemper’s left shoulder and under the crossbar to put the Rangers up, 2-1. And then, 40 seconds later, as public address announcer Joe Tolleson was announcing that goal, Braden Schneider scored his third goal of the season, and second in the last four games, to make it 3-1.

The Rangers’ roll continued in the third, as Miller’s second goal, a seeing-eye wrist shot from the left point that snaked its way through traffic and beat Kuemper at 6:54, made it 4-1. Alexis Lafreniere’s one-timer from the right wing circle made it 5-1 at 11:15.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.