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Series Preview, Round 2: Rangers vs. Capitals
Bobby Bevilacqua
For the fourth time in five years, the Rangers and Capitals will faceoff in the playoffs again. The Rangers won the last meeting in seven games back in 2013. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
For the fourth time in the last five seasons, the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals will face off in the playoffs. If the past matchups are indicative of this year’s playoff series, Rangers and Capitals fans are in for a treat.
After a grueling seven game series with the New York Islanders, the Capitals were able to come away with a 2-1 win in the final game of the series, limiting the Islanders to just 11 shots on goal and advancing to face the New York Rangers.
The last time that the Rangers and Capitals met in the postseason was back in 2013, with the Rangers coming away with the series win in seven games. With the Capitals up 3-2 heading into Game 6, Henrik Lundqvist came through in the clutch, delivering back-to-back shutouts to give New York the series win. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Practice Report; Zuccarello out indefinitely, Klein in, Hartford Call Up
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers will be without Mats Zuccarello for the time being, sidelined with what seems to be a concussion. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mats Zuccarello was struck in the head by Ryan McDonagh’s slap shot. Play continued, and Zuccarello seemed a bit woozy getting back to the bench. A few minutes later, he headed to the locker room.
This afternoon, the Rangers announced that Zuccarello would be out “indefinitely” with an upper body injury, not specifying any type of injury or the length that he would be sidelined.
While it’s probably not smart to jump to conclusions, Zuccarello could be dealing with a concussion. It would answer the question of why he didn’t return to Game 5, and is a logical possibility when someone is struck in the head by a piece of vulcanized rubber traveling at 85+ miles per hour. He also had no visible injuries, so a concussion seems to be the only logical explanation for an “upper-body injury.” Read the rest of this entry
Rangers finish historic season with 4-2 win in DC; Hayes and Moore impress
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers and the Capitals battled it out in the final game of the season, with the Rangers coming away with their 53rd win of the season, breaking some franchise records along the way. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rangers (53-22-7) closed out their remarkable season on a positive note, taking down the Washington Capitals (45-26-11) on the road, setting new franchise records in the process.
The victory established new franchise records in wins (53) and points (113) in a season, eclipsing the 52 wins and 112 points set by the 1993-94 Rangers team, a team that ultimately went on to win the Stanley Cup. This Rangers team knows that despite the fantastic regular season, they will ultimately be judged on what they do in the playoffs.
This marked the Rangers 28th road win of the season, also a franchise record, and tying an NHL record for most road wins an Eastern Conference team has earned in one season. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers close out season in Washington; Zuccarello a game time decision
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers and the Capitals have always had a bit of bad blood, and they will close out the regular season together this afternoon at the Verizon Center. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
In the final game of the regular season, the Rangers (52-22-7) are in Washington D.C. to take on the Capitals (45-25-11) in what could potentially be a playoff matchup if both teams advance to the second round.
Although this game has no playoff implications for the Rangers, the Capitals could really use the two points here. They’ve already clinched a playoff spot, but a win would clinch home ice in their first round matchup against the New York Islanders. The Islanders are just one point behind them, so there are other scenarios that would give the Capitals home ice in the first round, but they’ll want to win to make it guaranteed, and render the Islanders game at 7 PM meaningless.
This game does have some meaning for the Rangers. One more win would set a new franchise record for wins in a season, and two points would set a new franchise record for points in a season. Henrik Lundqvist, who will be in net for the Rangers today, is just one win shy of 30 for the season. If he gets the win, that means that Henrik Lundqvist would have a 30 win season for every full season that he participated in. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers shutout by Ottawa at the Garden; Ryan Bourque makes NHL Debut
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers fell short in a battle against the Ottawa Senators, snapping their five game win streak. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
In the last regular season home game, the Rangers (52-22-7) were shutout by the desperate Ottawa Senators (42-26-13), dropping just their 22nd regulation loss by a final score of 3-0. Ottawa’s win wound up being huge, propelling them into the first wild card spot with, ahead of the Penguins and Bruins. Boston lost tonight, putting them in a lot of danger of missing the playoffs.
The Rangers really used this as a rest game, giving Rick Nash, Marc Staal, and Mats Zuccarello the night off. Zuccarello missed his second straight game with “general body soreness,” and Nash and Staal are day-to-day with undisclosed injuries.
That meant that Ryan Bourque and Chris Summers were recalled from the Hartford wolf pack, with Bourque making his NHL debut. Both played relatively well tonight in what was an otherwise meaningless game for the Rangers. Read the rest of this entry
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