Capitals at Rangers
The New York Rangers, who are bidding to make a return trip to the Stanley Cup final, will face a familiar foe when they host the Washington Capitals on Thursday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Rangers will be squaring off against the Capitals for the fifth time in seven postseasons, having eliminated them in seven games in each of the last two meetings - in 2012 and 2013.
New York, which won the Presidents' Trophy and dispatched Pittsburgh in five games in the first round, is not banking on recent history against Washington. "I can't see it resembling anything from two years ago," said Rick Nash, who led the Rangers during the regular season with a career-high 42 goals and 69 points. "New coaches, new systems, and the game evolves in two years." The Capitals are seeking back-to-back series wins against New York teams after ousting the Islanders in seven games. The Rangers won three of the four meetings between the Metropolitan Divison rivals during the regular season, including a pair of two-goal victories at Washington.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA
ABOUT THE CAPITALS: Despite the presence of superstar captain Alex Ovechkin and his league-best 53 goals, Washington has fostered a new identity under coach Barry Trotz, finishing third in the Eastern Conference - behind the Rangers and Montreal - in goals allowed while limiting the Islanders to 11 shots on net in Game 7. Nicklas Backstrom reached 60 assists for the second straight season while rookie Evgeny Kuznetsov tallied three times in the final three contests against the Islanders, including the series clincher on Monday. One concern is Braden Holtby, who matched franchise highs in wins (41) and appearances (73) but yielded 12 goals in four matchups versus the Rangers.
ABOUT THE RANGERS: Henrik Lundqvist - who is 18-8-3 with four career shutouts against Washington - missed nearly two months with a vascular injury, but all four of his victories against Pittsburgh came by 2-1 decisions. Forward Mats Zuccarello is sidelined indefinitely after taking a shot off the side of the head in Game 5 against Pittsburgh and will be replaced on the top line by veteran Martin St. Louis, who has registered at least one point in 11 consecutive games against the Capitals. Like Nash, Derick Brassard also set a career high with 19 goals for the Rangers, who expect to have defenseman Kevin Klein back in the lineup for the first time since he broke his arm on March 11.
OVERTIME
1. The Rangers hadn't won the Presidents' Trophy since 1994 - the last time they hoisted the Stanley Cup.
2. Washington, which was 14th in the league on the penalty kill during the regular season, was a perfect 14-for-14 against the Islanders in the first round.
3. Nash has scored 12 goals in 18 games against the Capitals while Ovechkin has netted 22 tallies in 39 contests versus the Rangers.
SERIES PREDICTION: Rangers in six