#2 Washington Capitals vs. #7 New York Rangers – Series Preview
Reuters Pictures
Since the trade deadline, the Rangers are 11-6-1. Two of those losses were to the Hurricanes (who will beat the Devils), and one each to the Flyers, Penguins, and Bruins. All of these teams are formidable adversaries. We’ll call the losses to the Sens and Thrashers brainfarts. During the regular season, the Rangers went 1-3 against the Capitals but all four of those games came before the Rangers fired Tom Renney.
In the customary fashion, we have split the series into a few categories:
Rangers Offense since the trade deadline (NY Times Slapshot Blog)
Offense
There’s not much that Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy winner Alexander Ovechkin can’t do. Just ask Paul Mara. Not only do the Caps have OV but they have Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, and DEFENSEMAN Mike Green. Yes you’re still reading the offense section. The Sad truth is that if Mike Green suddenly became a Ranger today, he would lead the team in Goals, be tied for the lead with Scott Gomez in Assists, and lead the team in Points… by 15! At least Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival are +5 (!) since the trade deadline. And who knows. Maybe Nik Zherdev will pull a Jagr and score at 10 times his regular season pace during the playoffs.–Eric
Huge Advantage: Capitals
Defense
At first thought, you might think this is an advantage for the Capitals. The Caps have Vezina candidate Mike Green on the blueline, while the Rangers have overpaid sissy Wade Redden patrolling the zone looking to whack any intruder with his purse. But, when you look at team defense, the Rangers are in the top tier of defensive teams in the NHL, comparable to the Devils and Canucks. Much of the credit goes to Henrik Lundqvist, of course, but a lot of the credit should go go to solid defensemen like Paul Mara and Marc Staal, and great defensive fowards like Chris Drury, Blair Betts, Fred Sjostrom, Brandon Dubinsky, and Ryan Callahan. The Rangers work very hard on defense, while the same can not be said of the Capitals. Many consider the Capitals to be undisciplined in their own zone, which does not bode well against an aggressive forechecking team like the Rangers. One key for the Rangers: they need to avoid defensive zone and neutral zone turnovers because the Capitals’ talented forwards will jump on any mistake. The key matchup in this series will be Marc Staal against Alex Ovechkin. If the Rangers can contain Ovechkin, they will win the series. –Marc
Advantage: Rangers
Goaltending
One of the best things about the Rangers all season is and has been Henrik Lundqvist. He’s been their best player all season, and they’re going to need him to be even better in the playoffs. He’s been looking a little shaky the last few weeks, but recently has gotten his A-game back, and we all know what a beast he is in the playoffs. I think it goes without saying that the Rangers’ success rests on his shoulders: if he stands on his head and completely stonewalls the Caps’ offense, namely Alex Ovechkin, the Rangers can come out on top; if he’s less-than-great, they’re getting bounced. The offense is going to have to support him, but that’s been rare this season, so Hank has to go into every game ready not to make a mistake, as the case has been all season. Is that unfair to him? Absolutely. Is that the reality for this team? Yup.
From what I’ve seen of Jose Theodore, he’s not very good. He finished with a 2.87 Goals Against Average, 36th in the league. Not terrible, but not great, either. And that’s just what Theodore is: not terrible, but not great. He’s just ‘meh’. In the last 5 games of the season he gave up a total of 18 goals. Plus he looks just like my ex. All of these things add up to fail. –Rory
Advantage: Rangers
Penalty Kill
The other best thing about the Rangers all season has been the PK. Number 2 in the league for most of the season, and finished out at Number one, posting an 87.8% effectiveness rating, scoring a total of 9 short handed goals, this PK is a force to be reckoned with. Blair Betts and Freddie Shoe are penalty-killing machines, and I can only foresee them kicking up another notch in the playoffs, if that’s even possible.
The Caps’ PK finished the season at Number 17, with an 80.6% effectiveness rate, and 7 short handed goals to their credit. I can’t say a whole lot about how they looked on the ice, since I didn’t see nearly as much of them as compared to the Rangers, but finishing in the bottom half of the PKs says enough. –Rory
Advantage: Rangers
Power Play
Let’s face it, the Rangers’ Power Play is God awful. They finished the regular season with the second worst Power Play in the NHL scoring at a rate of a smidgen better than once every ten tries. The good news is that, as Rory just said, the Caps’ Penalty Kill was only working at an 80.6% effectiveness rate.
The Caps, on the other hand, have the second best PP in the NHL. They convert once every four chances. Hopefully the League’s best penalty kill can hold back OV and the Caps. –Eric
Huge Advantage: Capitals
Coaching
Bruce Boudreau and John Tortorella are both very good hockey coaches. Each have each won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s Coach of the Year. But Tortorella has his name etched on a slightly more important award, the Stanley Cup, and this is just Boudreau’s second time coaching in the playoffs after last year’s first-round exit. –Marc
Advantage: Rangers
Intangibles
Haven’t you kind of felt all season that the Rangers have another gear in the box that they just haven’t hit yet? I’m thinking that maybe this bunch of overpaid but talented players will turn it on now that it’s crunch time. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking –Marc
Predictions
Eric – Rangers in 6
Marc – Rangers in 6
Rory – Caps in 7
Credit: Allen Clark / Offwing Photo
Ovechkin Photo Source: OffWing Photo
About the author: Eric is an engineering student from Long Island, NY. His all-time favorite Rangers are Mike Richter and Petr Prucha. Currently, his favorite players are Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Callahan, and Marian Gaborik. Related posts:
Theodore might be the worst goalie out of the 8 teams in the East. The Rangers need to stay aggressive on the forecheck and get as many shots as possible on this guy. I don’t see him winning a cup, even if he is on a team with Ovechkin.