There’s no shortage of levels in this first-round matchup between the Rangers and Capitals, who will face off in Game 1 at 3 p.m. Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
While this may be the first playoff meeting between the two clubs in nine years, after they faced each other five times in seven seasons between 2009 and 2015, the teams’ current relationship and recent history should give rise to an intense series.
It will be the mindset of New York against our nation’s capital.
Artemi Panarin vs. Alex Ovechkin.
The No. 1 seed in the middle of a championship window against the 17th-ranked club pressed for one last attempt before an inevitable rebuild.
Facing the Capitals at the start of arguably their most important playoff series in recent times could be an opportunity for the Rangers to exorcise a demon that may not be here yet.
Because this is the opponent who, a little less than three years ago, directly or indirectly influenced the Rangers organization to take the path it is on today.
The Post’s Mollie Walker analyzes the top 5 storylines to watch in the Rangers-Capitals series:
Tom Wilson’s test
One of the most prominent villains in recent Rangers history has been Tom Wilson, ever since the notorious Capitals agitator crunched ex-Blueshirt Pavel Buchnevich’s neck under his stick and ragdolled Panarin during a violent melee on May 3, 2021.
The incident, which the Rangers vehemently condemned by calling out the work of the head of the NHL’s department of player safety in a team statement after Wilson was not suspended but instead fined just $5,000, proved in part to serve as the catalyst for the dismissal of the club’s management and head coaching duo of John Davidson, Jeff Gorton and David Quinn.
There was this idea around the NHL that the Rangers were soft, and then-new president and general manager Chris Drury apparently took steps with that in mind.
All of this has had a lasting effect on how the Rangers now protect each other.
This series is in no way about Wilson, who will undoubtedly have more than just a physical impact on the game.
It will, however, be about showing how far Rangers have come since that famous two-game battle – the second of which featured a three-on-three brawl.
There will be a nasty element to this first round battle and the Rangers will want to be the ones to set the tone this time around.
Laviolette facing her Caps
There was additional underlying disappointment from Peter Laviolette following the Rangers’ 4-0 loss to the Capitals in their first meeting of the season on December 9, which was also the first time the he head coach was facing the team he coached for. the previous three seasons.
The shutout loss was bad enough, but Laviolette clearly wanted this first return to Washington after the Capitals ousted him after last season when they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
This is currently one of the least successful tenures in Laviolette’s 22-year NHL coaching career.
Much blame has been placed on Laviolette’s use of young players, while the club’s growing injuries have also been seen as too difficult to overcome. But the 59-year-old is not at all removed from this Capitals team.
It will be interesting to see how Laviolette approaches the series from a strategic standpoint.
He obviously has insight into the Capitals’ team dynamics and player tendencies, which could help him develop an even more detailed game plan and steer the Rangers in the right direction.
The Lindgren series
Brothers Ryan Lindgren and Charlie Lindgren will face each other in the playoffs for the first time in their NHL careers.
Although this will be Ryan’s fourth playoff appearance with the Rangers, Charlie will be participating in the NHL playoffs for the first time with the Capitals.
As important as Ryan was to the Rangers’ defense, Charlie was the Capitals’ most important player down the stretch.
From starting the season as a backup goaltender to leading Washington to the finish line – appearing in 17 of the final 18 games – Charlie’s rise to the NHL at age 30 has been remarkable .
He won two of the three games he played against the Rangers this season, including 31 saves in the shutout.
Chris Kreider, fourth timer
After Chris Kreider made his NHL debut in the first round of the 2012 playoffs against the Senators, the second team he faced was the Capitals, whom the Rangers beat in seven games before losing in the conference finals against the Devils.
This will now be Kreider’s fourth time seeing Washington in the postseason.
He has yet to lose, with the Blueshirts also winning in seven games in 2013 and 2015.
As the longest-tenured Ranger, assistant captain and crucial contributor, Kreider has a potentially career-defining postseason on deck. One that will have a lasting impact on his Rangers legacy.
Artemi Panarin vs. Alex Ovechkin
All eyes will be on Artemi Panarin in the playoffs, after the Rangers’ star winger obliterated his previous career highs in goals and points in the first 100-plus point campaign of his nine-year career in the NHL.
More than just a response to his regular season success, Panarin needs to prove he can be an impactful player at the most important time of the year after struggling in the previous two.
At the age of 38, Alex Ovechkin will enter the series 41 goals shy of tying Wayne Gretzky as the NHL’s all-time leading scorer.
He may be coming off one of the worst regular seasons of his 19-year career, but Ovechkin will be one of, if not the most seasoned playoff players on the ice.
New York Post
