WASHINGTON — Much of the series was lousy — really, it was — and it’s a compliment of the highest order to the Rangers that they were able to pull it off, one period after another , one game after another, to complete a first-round sweep of the Caps as they were penned into tight spaces for almost all 240 minutes of the series.
However, this was the hockey the Rangers were expected to play for from day one of training camp by new head coach Peter Laviolette. The club’s careful approach developed over the marathon six-month regular season was essential in allowing the Blueshirts to win 4-2 in Game 4 and advance to the second round.
Only one team has won the Stanley Cup after a first-round sweep during the 18-year era that began in 2006. It was Colorado two years ago, which swept Nashville before winning the title.
But do you know who else once won the Cup after a first-round sweep? Of course you do. Thirty years later, it is 1994.
The Blueshirts advance to the second round, where they will face either the Hurricanes or Islanders, with Carolina leading the series 3-1 with a second opportunity to wrap it up Tuesday in Raleigh, North Carolina. The next series probably wouldn’t start until the weekend. early, with the Rangers holding home ice advantage.
The Caps muddied the waters for the Rangers, who were never able to break away from their opponents 17th overall, outmatched in talent but who refused to leave. Alex Ovechkin, the 38-year-old Putinist, was terrible throughout the series and never played a role, going through a playoff year without a point for the first time in his career. It looked like the past.
The Rangers will need to be much sharper in the near future. They defended very well. They received exceptional goaltending in Igor Shesterkin. They came with a balanced attack, with 10 players scoring goals in the series. They dominated the specialist teams. They will have to bring more as the tournament evolves.
“We won the series, so that’s good, but we definitely have to prepare 100 percent for the next round,” said Artemi Panarin, whose power-play wrist shot from the left circle beat Charlie Lindgren at 3:21 of the third period. break a 2-2 draw. “We have to be better, for sure, in the second round. There are better teams in the second round.
“You don’t get a lot of chances, so when you get four or you go home. We can’t say we played badly because we played well. But I think we can play better.
The Rangers were responsible throughout the match, engaging in the 200-foot game. This was consistent throughout the series. They created and won battles. Even when stuck for extended periods of time, they never lost their balance. They gave as much as they received physically. Nobody bothered Matt Rempe in this one and Rempe didn’t destroy any of the Caps.
Vincent Trocheck dominated the series with and without the puck, finishing with three goals and three assists. Mika Zibanejad was at the top of his game, finishing with seven points for the series lead (1-6). After this round, at least, no one questions the Rangers’ strength in the middle.
While this was an unstylish series in which pleasing aesthetics weren’t a priority, the Blueshirts’ power play made the music a symphony. The Blueshirts finished third in the league on the season at 26.4%, but the unit has become more dynamic and creative in recent weeks and is 6 of 16 in this series after a Game 4 3 out of 4.
Bobby Rousseau at the point and Jaromir Jagr operating from the half-wall could not do better.
Trocheck’s PPG at 19:44 of the first was a work of art. All five players on the first unit – Zibanejad, Panarin, Trocheck, Chris Kreider and Adam Fox – touched the puck as the club moved to the line.
The team completed seven passes in the offensive zone before Trocheck received a central pass from Zibanejad and converted on a quick wrist shot. Panarin’s game-winner hit a spinning wrist shot from the left circle off a Zibanejad pass after a Trocheck faceoff win in the right circle.
“You’re always working to try to get better (on the power play) and we tried to incorporate more stuff and more movement,” Trocheck said. “If we get a little stale, we want to be able to move around and generate offense.
“The three guys at the top are as dynamic as they come. Every time we sit down, Bread, Foxy and Mika find a way to shake things up.
The Rangers might have won this series because of their advantage in high-end talent, but their focus and mindset were equal assets in this sweep. The Rangers didn’t necessarily dazzle anyone in this piggy bank series, they didn’t necessarily dazzle anyone throughout the regular season, but here they are.
First in the general classification, first to advance.
Thirty years later, first round.
Who’s next?
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