The Capitals finally begin their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night at Verizon Center.
The last time these two teams met, the Rangers were on the way to their first Stanley Cup championship in fifty years. But this time, it is the No. 2 seeded Caps who are the favorite against No. 7 seeded New York.
The two teams have met four times previously in the Stanley Cup playoffs and have split each of those meetings. The Caps’ last playoff win against New York came in 1990. Forward John Druce led a memorable run to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in franchise history.
Defenseman Mike Green, who has scored an NHL-best 31 goals for a blueliner, and the Caps have a higher goal this time around. Washington finished with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
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New York, while it has the best penalty-kill unit in the NHL, has struggled to score goals all season, but will play a far more aggressive offensive style this postseason under new coach John Tortorella.
He was only hired in late February after the two teams had already played four times. They have not met since.
Capitals
Game Changer
Caps F Alex Ovechkin could be on his way to a second consecutive Hart Trophy. Led the NHL with 56 goals and finished with 110 points. He scored four goals against New York in four games. Destroyed Rangers in a memorable 5-4 OT win on Dec. 23 with two goals, an assist and four crunching hits that changed the game.
Unsung Hero
F Brooks Laich is nowhere near the agitator that Sean Avery is. But he does the little things that the skilled Caps sometimes forget win games. Can park himself in front of the net and take a pounding, but is swift enough to skate with the speedy Rangers. Ranks fifth on Caps with 53 points — 23 goals and 30 assists.
In the Net
Caps G Jose Theodore isn’t getting much respect in the national media. Most pundits peg his play as the most likely reason the Caps will implode early this postseason. But while the 32-year-old has had his share of meltdowns in the past, he has also won four playoff series — something his predecessor, Cristobal Huet, had never done. When hot, few are better.
Troublemaker
Does any elite player get less attention than Caps F Nicklas Backstrom? Soft-spoken 21-year-old Swede is obviously overshadowed by Ovechkin. But he posted 88 points this season, tied for ninth in the NHL — after a slow start where he had six points through 14 games. Keeps the engine of the NHL’s third-best offense (272 goals) humming.
Rangers
Game Changer
New York only has one in-his-prime offensive player who can match the Caps’ big guns: F Nikolai Zherdev. The 24-year-old Ukrainian is tied for the team lead with 58 points — which would rank him fifth on Washington. But just based on pure skill he has the potential to explode in a short series — especially if given too many power-play chances.
Unsung Hero
Hard to say a team captain is unsung. But Rangers C Chris Drury offers far more than his modest 22 goals and 34 assists. The Connecticut kid — who pitched his team to the Little League World Series title before that was cool — will sacrifice his body to win a playoff game. No one on the ice plays harder.
In the Net
Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist can steal this series all by himself. The 27-year-old Swede is that good. He ranks 11th in both goals-against average (2.43) and save percentage (.916). But that’s in large part because he plays in front of an average defense. Lundqvist is really the biggest reason New York has the NHL’s top penalty-kill unit (87.8 percent).
Troublemaker
No one in the NHL is a bigger pest than Rangers F Sean Avery, back in New York now after a tumultuous stint in Dallas that ended with his suspension and ultimate release. One thing to remember: Avery isn’t just an instigator. He can actually play, scoring five goals with seven assists since returning to the NHL on March 5.
Examiner predicts …
This is a matchup of extremes. The Caps have scored the third-most goals in the NHL (272) and have the second-best power-play (25.2 percent). The Rangers, meanwhile, are offensively challenged (210 goals), but have the league’s top penalty-kill unit (87.8 percent) and an elite goaltender in his prime in Henrik Lundqvist. There are no easy outs in the Eastern Conference so the Caps are in for a rough two weeks. But in the end — when a team really needs a goal in a tight game — Washington just has too many options, even if Lundqvist is at the top of his game.
The Pick » Caps in 6
