By VIN A. CHERWOO
The New York Rangers had been the primary staff to clinch a playoff spot and completed with the NHL’s greatest report to earn the Presidents’ Trophy. The Washington Capitals had been the final staff to get within the postseason after profitable their closing recreation of the season.
Now, the Metropolitan Division foes meet within the first spherical for his or her first Stanley Cup playoff matchup in 9 years.
New York coach Peter Laviolette is accustomed to the Capitals as he spent three years in Washington earlier than parting methods final summer season and becoming a member of the Rangers. Nevertheless, he downplayed the importance because the groups cut up their 4 conferences this season, through which the house staff gained every time and each groups totaled 9 targets.
“That goes each methods,” he stated. “Additionally they have an perception to me and programs. … You bought to exit on the ice and the staff that may work out their recreation and play it the perfect can discover success.”
Sport 1 of the best-of-7 sequence is Sunday at Madison Sq. Backyard.
The Rangers, in search of their first title in 30 years, are tied with Colorado and Edmonton for the fourth-best odds to win the Stanley Cup, in accordance with Guess MGM Sportsbook, and the Capitals — who completed with a minus-37 scoring differential for the worst of any playoff staff since 1991 — have the bottom.
“All people’s going to say we’ve acquired no enterprise being right here and the objective differential, blah, blah, blah,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery stated. “I do know this group isn’t simply going to be content material displaying up within the Stanley Cup playoffs. We need to go and put our greatest foot ahead and present what we’re able to doing as a bunch.”
New York misplaced consecutive video games simply as soon as till early January. After dropping eight of 12 later within the month, the Rangers gained 10 straight and by no means regarded again. The Rangers led the league in comeback wins (28) and had been tied with playoff outsider Detroit for essentially the most third-period comebacks (14).
“A reasonably resilient group,” defenseman Adam Fox stated. “It’s been a full staff effort. After we wanted goaltending, we acquired it. We would have liked depth scoring, we acquired it. After we wanted our prime guys to step up. It’s form of been everybody chipping in.”
The Capitals, who’ve solely 4 gamers remaining from the staff that gained the Stanley Cup in 2018, had been sellers on the commerce deadline. Nevertheless, they acquired regular goaltending from Charlie Lindgren after he took aver because the starter, they usually gained 4 of the final 5 to beat out Detroit for the second wild card within the Japanese Convention.
Now, the Capitals solely must look again to final yr for inspiration because the Florida Panthers beat Presidents’ Trophy-winning Boston within the first spherical and went on a run to the Stanley Cup Ultimate.
“All of us perceive how we now have to play,” Capitals star ahead Alex Ovechkin stated. “We’re simply going to play it recreation by recreation and see what occurs.”
SCORING
The Rangers had been seventh in scoring at 3.39 targets per recreation, led by Artemi Panarin’s MVP-caliber season with 49 targets and 71 assists. Chris Kreider (39 targets, 36 assists), Mika Zibanejad (26 targets, 46 assists), Vincent Trocheck (25 targets, 52 assists) and Fox (17 targets, 56 assists) gave the staff 5 gamers topping 70 factors — tied with Tampa Bay for many within the NHL.
Ovechkin completed with 31 targets — together with 23 over his final 36 video games — to drag 41 behind Wayne Gretzky (894) for the NHL profession report. The Russian ahead is within the playoffs for the fifteenth time in his profession after a one-year hole when the Capitals missed final season. He’s tied for fifteenth in all-time playoff targets (72), one behind Joe Pavelski and Dino Ciccarelli and three behind Mario Lemieux.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Igor Shesterkin (36-17-2, 2.58 goals-against common, 4 SOs) endured a tough stretch through which he misplaced six of 12 begins across the center of the season, however rebounded to go 10-4-0 with a 2.34 GAA and three shutouts over his final 14 begins. Jonathan Fast (18-6-2, 2.62 GAA, 2 SOs) was a strong backup, and the 38-year-old was 9-2-0 with a 2.84 GAA over his final 11 begins.
Lindgren completed 25-16-7 with a 2.67 GAA and 6 shutouts whereas making a career-high 48 begins — reaching double digits for under the third time in eight seasons and almost doubling his earlier excessive a yr in the past.
SPECIAL TEAMS
New York was third within the league on each the facility play (26.4%) and penalty-kill (84.5%) — solely Carolina was higher in each. The Rangers had been 7 for 23 on the PP and 22 for 23 on the PK over their final eight video games.
Washington was 18th with the person benefit — ending forward of solely the New York Islanders and Vegas among the many playoff groups — and nineteenth on penalty-killing (79%).
PLAYOFF HISTORY
The Rangers have gained 5 of the 9 playoff matchups towards the Capitals, together with the final three — 2015 second spherical, 2013 first spherical, 2012 second spherical. In 2015, the Rangers got here again from a 3-1 sequence deficit to advance to their second straight convention finals. 4 of the groups’ final 5 postseason conferences went to a Sport 7.
