Justin Williams flipped the puck into the offensive zone, and it was just good fortunate that it ricocheted off the skate of a New York Rangers player and into an empty net. Hats blanketed the ice, and Williams’s hat trick became the highlight of what had been an uneasy 5-2 Capitals win. It was his first hat trick in nine-plus years.
As sweet as the third straight win against the division foe was, complete with three goals from the team’s new veteran winger, a nervous energy had radiated through Verizon Center over the odd exit of goaltender Braden Holtby, arguably the chief reason for the Capitals’ success this season.