The Rangers and Capitals played a game reminiscent of their playoff series a year ago, highlighted by solid goaltending and physical play, with the Rangers prevailing 2-1. I thought there were a few interesting stories in the win:

- Michael Del Zotto. With the speculation surrounding his potential inclusion in a deal for Ryan O'Reilly and his downturn in play this year, MDZ played a game-high 24:17, including 4:25 on the PP. After seeing his minutes cut three games in a row, MDZ minutes' rose the past two games and he is now back as a fixture on the PP. He made a beautiful feed to Derek Stepan to complete the tic-tac-toe for the second and game-winning goal on the PP.

- Derek Stepan. He has been one of whipping boys for the Rangers' fans this year, with expectations raised beyond what should be realistic for a third-year, second line center. He has meshed unbelievably well with Rick Nash and Carl Hagelin, with that line the byest on the Blueshirts right now.

- Brad Richards. A bit better, not great, but a bit better. His highlight obviously was winning the draw and the starting the the three-way play that resulted in the goal by Stepan. Granted Rick Nash made the key play with the curl at the blueline and dish to Richards who was in the right place with the right amount of open space to help facilitate the play. He didn't seem to be fighting the puck as much as he had been lately but there is still lots of room for growth.

- Henrik Lundqvist. Early in the season, many of us were talking about how Hank was struggling. Well, those talks can officially end as Lundqvist is 7-3-0 with a 1.99 GAA and .927 save percentage in his last 10 games. His positioning has been phenomenal during this stretch.

- Rick Nash. It looks like the speculation that he had a concussion were either unfounded or he hid it well. He was engaged and physical throughout, playing his usual style of play. Nash's curl while holding off the defender and carrying the puck helped create the game-winning goal.

- Hagelin. We are running out of superlatives. He is going into the dirty areas while still using his speed to create chances and opportunities. On a total roll right now.

- Darroll Powe. Scary. That's the only way to describe to describe his head hitting the ice on a missed check of Matt Hendricks just under four minutes into the second period. Powe looked to be completely knocked out on the ice and needed help to get to the locker room. Given the Rangers' history with concussions - Mark Staal and Michael Sauer to name a few - along with how sever this one looked, I would expect them to be extra cautious here. Powe had solidified the fourth line with Jeff Halpern and Aaron Asham while also playing a key role on the PP. With him likely out, Chris Kreider, who was called up due to Nash's questionable status, and JT Miller, who played his sixth game and use year one of his ELC last night, both should remain on the roster.

- Miller. He seems to fit better at center than at wing and will likely bounce back between the two with Brian Boyle now active again. Miller has been more physical and better defensively than I thought he would be but he is not yet a scorer despite the two goals against the Islanders as Meanestoftimes said. That said, there is definitely some skill there and given the overall lack of depth, especially with Powe out, Miller should be a fixture going forward.

- Kreider. So Hartford made the decision after one game that he deserved to go back out. Is that an indictment of who is available in the minors or a show of how good Kreider is? With Powe out, I would expect Taylor Pyatt to shift down to the fourth line with Miller and Kreider bookending Boyle. That said, as Alex pointed out, Ferriero and Palmieri may be better suited to that role and would love Kreider to see consistent top-six minutes to help him grow. The other option could be a recently hot Christian Thomas, but I would keep him and let him build on his recent success. Of course, Powe's injury and Kreider's struggles will add to Ryan O'Reilly rumors, but I don't see that happening, especially if Colorado asked for MDZ and either Miller or Kreider, laughable.

- Boyle. Much more engaged. Finally used his size. Was big on the PK, on which the Rangers stopped all five of the chances by Capitals', who were fifth in the league coming in. This is the type of game he needs to bring nightly. If he does, he will be a perfect third line player or winger and should be productive with Miller and either Kreider or Pyatt.

- Callahan. As I tweeted and posted last night, those last two blocked shots were why he is the Rangers' captain and why his value can never ever be measured just by pure stats. A heart of a lion.

- Rangers hockey. Outhit Washington 34-22 and blocked 18 shots. This is what we have been hoping to see nightly from them. They generated chances and seemed to carry play most of the game, which was a welcome change from some of the other games we have seen them play.

- The D. Solid overall but have one pet peeve that drives me nuts nightly. When the D get the puck having come around the boards, rather than try and chip it out and regroup, especially under pressure, they turn their back and try and play the puck either back to the other D or the forward, creating turnovers while making it more difficult to move the puck. Ryan McDonagh is a major offender here and I always wonder why they don't just make the simple play? When it works, it can lead to a breakout pass, but too often, it causes more havoc and time spent in their own zone.

- Alexander Ovechkin. Filip Bondy covered this a bit today. Much of the focus has been the move of Ovi from the left to the right side. Granted he has just five goals and is a minus-six through 15 games, but that is only part of the story. Despite the move to the right side, he still spends much of the time on the left, especially on the PP. The Rangers did a good job of controlling him, blocking three shots, including the late one by Cally, but Ovi looks like a shell of the player he was when he was dominating the league. Maybe it's the move but that "decline" came a few years ago. Ovie seemed to have been snapping out of it but he no longer looks to be the player that scared the crap out of every defenseman and coach and fan when he got the puck and started up ice. That's not to say that he doesn't draw attention and didn't worry me on the PP, especially with the amount of room he had on it, but that fear level has dropped a notch or two.

Despite all the consternation and criticism of the Rangers, they are not 8-5-1, including 4-0-1 in their five, and look to be starting to find their game. We all believe, including each player on the team, that there is more to give and room to grow, which is even better news than the recent hot streak

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