WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Boone Jenner scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period, and the Washington Capitals beat the Rangers 3-1 on Friday after New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin was helped off the ice with a leg injury. Jenner picked off an errant pass and beat backup Dylan Garand with a wrist shot from the slot to make it 2-1 with 2:22 remaining in the second. Timothy Liljegren also scored for Washington, and Tom Wilson added an empty-netter with less than a second left. Logan Thompson made 21 saves for the Capitals in front of 17,992 at Capital One Arena.

The Rangers opened the scoring midway through the first period when Alexis Lafreniere finished a wrist shot for his fourth goal of the season. J.T. Miller and Pavel Dorofeyev assisted on the play at 10:17. The goal came after New York generated several early chances against Thompson, including a Tolvanen wrist shot and a Dorofeyev tip-in attempt. Washington had its own push before the goal, with Martin Fehervary and Vincent Desharnais delivering hits and Liljegren putting a slap shot on Shesterkin. The Capitals also had a Ryan Leonard tripping penalty and a Dylan McIlrath tripping penalty in the first, while New York’s Cole Beaudoin was called for hooking.

Shesterkin was busy before leaving. He stopped Liljegren on an early slap shot, turned away Cole Hutson and Justin Sourdif attempts, and denied Alex Ovechkin on a slap shot during Washington’s first-period pressure. He also made saves on Dylan Strome and Boone Jenner in the opening period. The Rangers’ goaltender remained in the game into the second period, but the Capitals eventually broke through. Liljegren tied the score with a slap shot in the second, with Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard assisting. The goal was Liljegren’s first of the season and came after Washington had spent several shifts cycling the puck in the offensive zone.

The game turned again when Shesterkin was injured and replaced by Garand. Washington kept pressing. Jenner intercepted a New York pass and fired from the slot past Garand to restore the Capitals’ lead. The unassisted goal was Jenner’s first of the season and gave Washington a 2-1 advantage. Jenner finished with three shots on goal, two penalty minutes and one hit. The Capitals protected the lead from there, leaning on Thompson, who improved his season record and continued a strong start. Washington’s defense limited New York’s best chances in the third, though Garand had to make saves on Cole Hutson, Justin Sourdif, Dylan Strome, Ryan Leonard and Jakob Chychrun after taking over.

Washington’s second-period surge included a stretch in which it pressured New York after Liljegren’s goal. The Capitals killed off a high-sticking penalty to J.T. Miller after Liljegren’s goal, then generated chances from Strome, Leonard and Jenner. Strome won faceoffs against Noah Laba and J.T. Miller, and Desharnais, Fehervary and Jenner added hits. New York’s best response came from Mika Zibanejad, who won faceoffs and put a slap shot on Thompson, but the Rangers could not regain the lead. Dorofeyev had a slap shot saved by Thompson and later put a slap shot wide right. Will Cuylle won a faceoff and tested Thompson, while Jenner was called for high-sticking against Adam Fox after putting Washington ahead.

In the third, Washington focused on protecting the lead. Garand saved a Chychrun wrist shot, a Strome slap shot and a Leonard wrist shot. Washington’s Fehervary and Desharnais delivered hits, and New York’s Adam Fox was called for hooking Tom Wilson, giving Washington a power play. Strome put a slap shot on Garand and later sent a wrist shot wide left. Wilson hit Pavel Dorofeyev, and Desharnais hit Tye Kartye. The Rangers pulled Garand for an extra attacker, but Wilson scored into the empty net from Vincent Desharnais with less than a second remaining.

Thompson’s performance was the backbone of the win. He stopped 21 of 22 shots and was named the game’s top star for Washington. In his previous two starts, Thompson had 27 saves in a win against Pittsburgh and 31 saves in a win at Carolina, and he carried that form into the game. The Capitals also received a goal and three shots from Jenner, a goal and two shots from Liljegren, and a goal and three shots from Wilson. Ryan Leonard added an assist, two shots and two penalty minutes, while Strome had an assist and four shots. Desharnais contributed an assist and three hits. Pierre-Luc Dubois recorded one shot and two hits, Fehervary delivered four hits, and Alex Tuch put two shots on net.

New York’s offense came in bursts but could not solve Thompson after Lafreniere’s early goal. Lafreniere finished with a goal and generated another chance when he took a wrist shot wide left in the first. Mika Zibanejad was active in the faceoff circle and delivered several hits, including two on Dubois and one on Tuch. Noah Laba won multiple faceoffs and delivered hits on Liljegren, Cole Hutson, Justin Sourdif and Alex Ovechkin. J.T. Miller won faceoffs, recorded an assist and was called for high-sticking against Fehervary in the second.

Washington improved to 3-1 with the victory. The Capitals had won two of their previous three games, including a 5-3 home win over Pittsburgh and a 5-2 road win at Carolina before a loss at Tampa Bay. New York dropped to 4-2. The Rangers had won four of their first six games, with victories over the New York Islanders, Utah, Detroit and Tampa Bay. New York’s most recent loss before Friday came at Boston. The Rangers will next host Vancouver before hosting Tampa Bay. Washington will host Seattle before visiting Carolina.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Washington 4, N.Y. Rangers 3. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Washington with a 58.4 percent probability to win. Washington had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 4 finished under the over/under line of 5.5.