After one of the most consistent seasons in recent years, the President’s Trophy-winning New York Rangers begin yet another playoff run: this time, looking to go all the way. Two years ago, the Blueshirts made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals but fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. Last season’s knockout was a heartbreaking seven-game effort against the New Jersey Devils in the first round. This year, they find themselves in a battle against the Washington Capitals, who snuck into the playoffs through a wild card bid after a season of exceeding expectations. The Rangers hope to translate a strong season into a long playoff run.
The Caps are always a tough matchup for the Rangers and this series will be no exception. Blood still boils from the incident at the end of the 2021 season, in which Tom Wilson slammed Artemi Panarin down into the ice during a skirmish. The two teams have a storied history of playoff matchups against each other, especially within the last 15 years. The Rangers teams that stayed relatively the same throughout 2011-15 beat Alex Ovechkin-led Capitals in 2012, 2013 and 2015, the last of which was a series win after going down 3-1. Former Ranger Derek Stepan’s famous overtime goal to seal the win is widely recognized as one of the best goals scored in recent history, and Henrik Lundqvist’s back-to-back shutouts in 2013 to lift the Rangers into the second round was his best stretch in a host of legendary playoff performances. In their first playoff meeting in almost a decade, the series will be as entertaining as years past.
The road to the playoffs this season was not necessarily a tumultuous one. Through the second half of the season, the Rangers rarely gave up their spot at the top of the division and clinched the President’s Trophy for the best record with one game yet to be played.
Many players on the Rangers took huge steps forward to lift the team to the top, including Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. Igor Shesterkin was less dominant than he was in the last two years, but backup goalie Jonathan Quick held his own and put the team on his back when necessary. Vincent Trocheck reached a career-high in points with 77, and Panarin smashed his previous high of 96 with an astounding 120 points. Lafreniere was the final player on that line all season, who also recorded a career-high in points with 57.
With these major performances, the Rangers had little need to rely on the trade deadline market as they had in past years. It keeps the core group together and sends a message from management to the team: we like who we have and we’re confident that we can go all the way. There were no splashy pickups like Patrick Kane or Vladimir Tarasenko, but small-depth trades to fill in the gaps. Alex Wennberg and Jack Roslovic have played their roles well
and stepped up when they needed to, which is all the Rangers could ask for when there was already an established momentum.
While the matchup against the Capitals seems uneven in favor of the Rangers, there is rarely an easy game in the playoff environment. The Capitals will also be playing against their former coach, Peter Laviolette, now the Rangers coach. If Laviolette decides that he’ll play, adding Matt Rempe to the lineup will give the Rangers an edge against Wilson and the heavy hitters of the Capitals. No matter how you spin it, the Caps are always tricky and never easy to play against. They’ll be the first obstacle in the Blueshirts’ hopes for the Stanley Cup this season. Sunday’s game resulted in a 4-1 win for the Rangers at home, but it’s a long series that will surely bring ups and downs.
