WASHINGTON — Coincidence or not, the Rangers are now 3-7-2 when Kevin Klein is out of the lineup, as the right defenseman was for Sunday’s 5-2 defeat to the Caps.
Klein, who took warm-ups but did not participate in the pregame line rushes, was sidelined with a right-thumb injury he sustained when struck by an Evgeny Medvedev shot early in the third period of Saturday’s match in Philadelphia.
The defenseman, pronounced “day-to-day” by the club, previously missed 11 games from Dec. 2 through Dec. 22 with a strained oblique muscle.
Dylan McIlrath took Klein’s spot in the lineup and played with his normal partner Keith Yandle, who struggled throughout the match. Marc Staal skated with Dan Girardi while Ryan McDonagh was paired with Dan Boyle for the first time this season other than in situational use.
McIlrath played just 7:31 over the final two periods.
The Rangers had come within 3-2 of the Caps late in the second period, but J.T. Miller committed a ghastly turnover on a weak backhand pass across the defensive zone meant for a streaking Derick Brassard on which Washington feasted to score at 4:51 of the third when Evgeny Kuznetsov picked it off and spoon-fed Justin Williams.
“I was trying to make a play where we could come out of our end with speed and get up the ice quickly,” Miller said. “But I fumbled it; I pretty much fanned on it.
“It was bad execution [rather than a bad thought]. I tried to make the play and I didn’t. It set us back.”
Coach Alain Vigneault juggled his top six yet again, splitting the struggling Mats Zuccarello-Brassard duo for the first time in 11 games and only the second time in the last 35 contests. Brassard skated between Miller and Rick Nash (who played formidably but went scoreless for the seventh straight game) while Zuccarello skated right wing on the unit with Kreider and Derek Stepan.
Jayson Megna was a healthy scratch up front for the second straight game and could be on his way back to the AHL Wolf Pack for cap purposes.
The Rangers, 24-16-5, remained in a tie for second place in the Metropolitan Division with the Islanders while falling 18 points behind NHL-leading Washington.
The Blueshirts, 2-9-2 in their last 13 on the road, have the Canucks at the Garden on Tuesday before a two-game trip to Ottawa and Carolina.