Rangers edge Capitals on Derek Stepan goal early in third period

WASHINGTON — With an NHL-best 98 points, the Capitals have had the Rangers’ — and everybody’s — number this season.

But on Friday night, the Rangers, who had lost three of four to Alex Ovechkin & Co., turned the tables with a gutsy 3-2 win against heavy odds.

After the Capitals tied it at 2-2 with two goals in the second period — one on which a review reversed a no-goal call on the ice — Derek Stepan put the Rangers ahead 17 seconds into the third period, curling between the circles and firing a shot off Brooks Orpik’s skate past Braden Holtby.

Then Antti Raanta, who was lit up for five goals in the Rangers’ last visit here, helped lock it down. He made 32 saves while stepping in for Henrik Lundqvist, who sat out with neck spasms after Thursday night’s 4-1 loss in Pittsburgh.

“We had a discussion before the game that everybody needs to show up today, let’s play aggressive hockey, put our bodies on the line,” Raanta said.

After having few bodies in front of Marc-Andre Fleury in Pittsburgh, the Rangers had traffic galore in the first period. Determined plays finally led to a turnover, and Jesper Fast’s wrister zipped past Holtby’s stick at 5:47 for a 1-0 lead and his first goal in 10 games.

After Marc Staal went off for tripping Andre Burakovsky at the eight-minute mark, an aggressive penalty kill broke up Washington entries.

Karl Alzner stuck his leg out to upend Stepan, who had not scored in any of the four previous games with the Capitals, at 15:33, and the Rangers capitalized on the power play. Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard both struck iron before Keith Yandle’s point shot sailed through a screen at 16:37. It was his first goal in 13 games.

But the second period was a crusher for the Rangers, some of whom were battling the flu.

A scramble in front of Raanta, with the puck obscured under him, was determined to be no goal on the ice at 10:58, but a lengthy review by the war room in Toronto reversed the call, cutting the Rangers’ lead to 2-1.

“Watching the Jumbotron, we never saw the [disputed] goal,” Stepan said. “Toronto said they had a view; it’s a not a view that we saw.’’

Coach Alain Vigneault challenged, claiming goaltender interference, and lost that one, which was reviewed by game officials.

Jay Beagle, whose shot into a pile after Kevin Klein cleared the puck off the goal line, was awarded the goal.

When Tanner Glass went off for a slash with 1:41 left, Stepan tried a long lead pass that missed, and three Rangers were caught up ice. T.J. Oshie raced up the left side and beat Raanta top shelf from the circle with 40 seconds left, and the Verizon Center crowd went wild.

“I think we did a good job of responding and kind of survived the third period,’’ Stepan said. “The game’s never over with them. Listen, if you were to tell us before the night started that we would be tied 2-2 going into the third period, we would take it. We find a way to beat the league’s best in their own barn, so you don’t complain. ”

With 17 games left, the Rangers (38-21-6) return home for Sunday’s game with the Islanders (35-20-7), who are five points behind them for second place in the Metropolitan Division but have three games in hand.