WASHINGTON — The personnel juggling and the experimenting continues as Rangers coach David Quinn tries to find some traction in this strange schedule to start the season.
Quinn broke up his top line before the game, switched two defensive pairs, inserted Brendan Lemieux after a healthy scratch, demoted “tired” rookie Kaapo Kakko during the game and benched defenseman Tony DeAngelo for all but two shifts after the first period.
All this as his team lost their third straight game, a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Capitals here on Friday night.
Having played just three games in the first 13 days since opening night, Quinn’s team was jarred by this back-to-back that started with a 5-2 loss to the Devils in Newark on Thursday.