Photo: Winnipeg Free Press
The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th time ever but first in nine seasons, when New York won Game 7 of the second round in overtime. New York has won six of the series and Washington last beat them in the postseason in 2011, a five-game victory in the first round. Game 1 from Madison Square Garden will be on Sunday afternoon (3 PM ET, Monumental Sports Network locally, ESPN nationally) but the full series schedule has yet to be announced.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
New York: 55-23-4 regular season (first in Eastern Conference)
Washington: 40-31-11 regular season (second wild-card in Eastern Conference)
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES
- 12/9/2023: Washington 4-0
- 1/13/2024: Washington 3-2
HOW EACH TEAM IS ENTERING THE POSTSEASON
New York: won five of past seven games and 15 of their final 20
Washington: won last three games and four of their final five after a six-game losing streak (0-4-2)
REGULAR-SEASON TEAM LEADERS
Panarin had at least 10 more goals, 15 more assists, and 43 more points than any other Ranger. New York had five players who eclipsed 70 points (Panarin, C Vincent Trocheck: 77, LW Chris Kreider: 75, Fox: 73, C Mika Zibanejad: 72) while Washington did not have one to hit the plateau.
REGULAR-SEASON TEAM STATISTICS
New York bested Washington in every stat during the regular season.
The two teams had similar shooting and save percentages, thus a close PDO. New York had better possession metrics but finished with an expected goals-for percentage below .500.
GOALTENDING MATCHUP
Lindgren and Shesterkin’s performances this season were identical. Head-to-head, Lindgren went 2-1-0 with a .955 save percentage, 1.35 goals-against average, and a shutout while Shesterkin posted a 2-1-0 record, .926 save percentage, and 2.00 goals-against average. Lindgren played at least 15 games in a season for just the second time in his career and 35 for the first.
INJURIES
Washington
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- D Ethan Bear (NHLPA players assistance program)
- C Nicklas Backstrom (hip)
- D Rasmus Sandin (upper-body)
- D Nick Jensen (upper-body)
New York
-
- RW Blake Wheeler (leg)
- C Filip Chytil (concussion)
WILL WIN IF…
Washington: Lindgren rises to the occasion in his first postseason series; young players like Connor McMichael, Aliaksei Protas, and Hendrix Lapierre take huge strides in their development; and they stick to a structured game consistently
New York: Their strength down the middle of the ice torches Washington’s lack of postseason experience in the area; they expose Washington’s defensive depth; their defense shuts down Ovechkin and Strome
X-FACTORS
Washington: D Martin Fehervary — Washington’s defense is depleted to start the postseason with Bear, Sandin, and Jensen’s statuses uncertain. The team knows what they are getting in John Carlson but it gets thin real quick after that. The 24-year-old earned a 47.27% Corsi-for percentage and 48.09% expected goals-for percentage at five-on-five and will have to step up against a lethal Rangers offense.
New York: Lafreniere — The Rangers will need more than just the big guns showing up to go deep in the postseason and he was the only other Ranger to hit 50 points besides the big five with 57. The 22-year-old finally started to show why he was taken first overall in 2020, scoring 28 goals in 82 games. With the possibility of Washington being shorthanded on defense and Strome and Ovechkin leading the pack comfortably, Lafreniere gives New York another weapon who may not get as much attention as Panarin or Zibanejad.
PROJECTED LINES
Washington
Ovechkin — McMichael — T.J. Oshie
Protas – Strome – Tom Wilson
Max Pacioretty — Lapierre — Sonny Milano
Beck Malenstyn — Nic Dowd — Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Fehervary — Carlson
Alexander Alexeyev — Dylan McIlrath
Trevor Van Riemsdyk – Vincent Iorio
Lindgren
Darcy Kuemper
Scratched: RW Ivan Miroshnichenko, C Mike Sgarbossa, D Lucas Johansen
New York
Kreider — Zibanejad — Jack Roslovic
Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere
Will Cuylle — Alexander Wennberg — Kaapo Kakko
Jimmy Vesey — Barclay Goodrow — Matt Rempe
Ryan Lindgren — Fox
K’Andre Miller — Braden Schneider
Erik Gustafsson – Jacob Trouba
Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Scratched: D Chad Ruhwedel, D Zac Jones
BETTING ODDS (BetMGM)
Washington: +280, New York: -375
By Harrison Brown
