Rangers 4 Capitals 0
The Rangers did what needed to be done. With every stat advantage going into the playoffs against the Capitals, New York wiped Washington off the ice.
The Rangers outscored the Caps 15-7. Washington held the lead for less than 4 minutes in the series. Alex Ovechkin, one of the best players in the history of the sport, had zero points and 5 shots on goal. With 50% of their offensive power just standing around the Caps had close to no offensive pressure. The fourth game was the only one that was competitive and even then it didn’t look like the Rangers were ever concerned. When they were down by a goal, they scored almost immediately. Tie games weren’t tied for long. The Rangers’ special teams were nearly unstoppable.
While a sweep was possible, most people thought the series would likely go five games. Ryan’s brother, Charlie Lindgren, did everything he could to give his team a chance but the guys in front of him didn’t do much to help him. Since winning the Cup in 2018, the Caps have made it to the playoffs five times and have been eliminated in the first round every time. They’ll keep Ovechkin around for his final two seasons to try and pass Gretzkey’s goal record and to play his entire career as a Washington Capital. The way he looked this week I have my doubts he’ll get the record. He did manage to rally for 31 goals this season which is impressive but it seems like doing so completely drained him. They’ll probably try and build around him until he retires, but this is likely the last playoff run for the Capitals for a few seasons.
The Rangers put in the work they needed to. Stayed focused, avoided most of the bait to take penalties, and worked their game to pretty easy wins. Coach Laviolette made smart changes on the fly and the team showed why they should be feared. Shesterkin played so well in every game, that I can recall only one meatball of a goal last night. Everyone is healthy and with this time off they’ll be able to get well rested and the fantastic coaching staff will get them ready for the next round of the gauntlet. They need to be more careful of penalties and turnovers. Washington was so bad that these repeated errors didn’t cost them games. The teams coming up are much more capable.
The Rangers have finished before anyone else. Florida knocked out Tampa tonight 4-1. It looks like the changing of the Florida guard is official. Almost all of the remaining series are 3-1 except for Oilers/Kings at 2-1 (Oilers). Carolina can finish their series against the Islanders tomorrow. It’d be great for the Isles to push Carolina to more games to help the Rangers out but it’s not likely to happen. Odds are Round 2 won’t start until Sunday, May 5th.