The Rangers have been playing all season without any problems. In February, they even won 11 times in a row. Before the playoffs, unlike last season, they did not strengthen with the biggest stars (Kane, Tarasenko), but they filled the posts where they had problems (Wennberg, Roslovic, Ruhwedel).
The Capitals did not do very well at the beginning of the season and Alexander Ovechkin experienced an unprecedentedly long period without a goal. After the All Star Game break, Ovechkin came alive and Washington was back in playoff contention. There were 4 teams (Washington, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Pittsburgh) in play for the final week before the end of the regular season. The final match, in which Washington only had to win, decided the advance. The match was tied 1:1 for a long time, but Philadelphia needed to win without overtime to advance, so they called off the goalkeeper and TJ Oshie decided into an empty net (At the time of the goal, Philadeplhia no longer had a chance to advance. But their coach did not know that).
Head-to-head matches this season
Artemi Panarin vs Alexander Ovechkin
Panarin reached over 100 points for the first time in his career. For 49 goals and 71 assists. He had 2 goals and 1 assist in 4 games against the Capitals.
Ovechkin struggled early in the season. After the All Star Game (for which he was not nominated), he revived and finally finished the season with 31 goals in 79 games. He played 2 games against the Rangers and did not score in either.
Other key players:
Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Alexis Lafreniere
TJ Oshie, Tom Wilson, Rasmus Sandin, Dylan Strome
Offense: Rangers 8/10 Washington 6/10
Defense: Rangers 8/10 Washington 6.5/10
Goalies: Rangers 8/10 Washington 7/10
The Rangers offense should be led by Panarin, but the team is full of other great forwards. Even if Panarin’s series doesn’t work out, the Rangers should easily advance
In the playoffs, Washington will rely primarily on the pair of Ovechkin and Strome. If they are to at least torment Rangers, other attackers must join
Rangers have a tough defense led by captain Jacob Trouba who doesn’t go far for a shot. Washington should have problems with their precise defense.
The Capitals defense is not that good, but the defenders Carlson and Sandin stand out.
Playoff Igor Shesterkin, who has not had the best season this year, will start in goal for the Rangers. The experienced Jonathan Quick will cover his back
Charlie Lindgren will probably start in goal for the Capitals (his younger brother Ryan plays for the Rangers). He has not yet caught a game in the playoffs. His back will be covered by Darcy Kuemper, whose second season in Washington was not very successful either. He won the Stanley Cup with Colorado 2 years ago
Rangers will be heavy favourites, but they must not underestimate their opponent. It will probably be an unequivocal series. A Capitals advance would be the biggest surprise of the 1st round.
https://nhl.cz/sezona/player-stats/detailni?stats-menu-section=info&stats-filter-season=2023&stats-filter-competition=7101&stats-filter-team=2384&stats-view-order=ga&stats-view- direction=desc
https://nhl.cz/sezona/player-stats/detailni?stats-menu-section=info&stats-filter-season=2023&stats-filter-competition=7101&stats-filter-team=2378&stats-view-order=ga&stats-view- direction=desc
Tags: Preview York Rangers Washington Capitals
