Just a few minutes past the midway point at the Garden, Tom Wilson found himself filled with anger towards Matt Rempe, a sentiment sparked by Rempe’s treatment of Wilson’s teammate Alex Ovechkin. In the aftermath of the Caps’ 3-2 overtime victory against the Blueshirts, Rempe recounted Wilson’s displeasure, as Wilson had enquired vehemently about protecting Ovechkin from rough play on the ice.

Reflecting on the confrontation, Rempe shared, “He was yelling at me, ‘Don’t hit Ovie! Don’t do that to Ovie! Don’t hit Ovie!’ I told him I’d hit anyone I want.” Wilson’s own mood shifted to elation after clinching the game-winning goal in overtime at 4:07, following a misstep in a New York two-on-one opportunity.

Wilson’s goal not only secured the win but also brought forth smiles from Ovechkin, who had reason to celebrate after closing the gap to just nine goals from Wayne Gretzky’s revered all-time NHL career-record of 894. Ovechkin’s pivotal power-play goal at 10:28 of the third period had leveled the playing field and set the stage for the decisive overtime drama.

But though the Rangers lost an important point, they gained one as well, even while falling out of the second wild-card spot by percentage points to Ottawa. But they are firmly in the mix in going 7-3-1 over their last 11 contests, and even now lurking over the third-place Devils’ shoulders, five points back with a game in hand.