Photo: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Capitals will face the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The series is reportedly set to open at Madison Square Garden at 3 PM ET on Sunday but a full schedule has yet to be released.
New York went 55-23-4 (.695 points percentage) in their first season under head coach Peter Laviolette, who parted ways with Washington last year after spending three seasons behind their bench.
Washington snuck into the postseason after going 40-31-11 (.573) during Spencer Carbery’s first season as an NHL head coach. They missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in nine years in 2022-23.
The teams split the regular-season series with the home team winning each game. Each team earned a four-goal victory in their first respective wins before edging the other in a one-goal affair during a back-to-back home-and-home set in mid-January. They have not played since January 14.
Washington goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who will face his brother, New York defenseman Ryan Lindgren, has gone 2-1-0 with a .955 save percentage, 1.35 goals-against average, and one shutout in three games against the Rangers this season.
This will be the 10th postseason series between the two teams but first in nine years, 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.
In addition to this series, the following first-round series have been confirmed: Winnipeg Jets (Central 2) vs. Colorado Avalanche (Central 3) … and Carolina Hurricanes (Metropolitan 2) vs. New York Islanders (Metropolitan 3). The Dallas Stars have also secured the top seed in the Western Conference.
The NHL regular-season will end after Thursday night’s games and the Stanley Cup Playoffs will open on Saturday.
PLAYOFF BOUND 🚨
Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals will face off against the New York Rangers for game 1 on Sunday afternoon #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/Rro0at1jYo
— bet365 US (@bet365_us) April 17, 2024
By Harrison Brown
