New York Rangers start their Stanley Cup Playoffs with game one against the Capitals
By Conor Power
It's a momentous day for the New York Rangers. They're kicking off the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Washington Capitals tonight. The Blueshirts are hungry for a deep playoff run, starting strong at Madison Square Garden. This game is crucial—a win tonight could set the tone for the entire series. The Presidents Trophy winners aim to take an early lead against a team with the worst goal differential to make the playoffs in four decades. The stakes are high, and the excitement is palpable.
The Rangers have remained the same despite Filip Chytil's recent return to practice. New York will deploy the same lines they put out in the season finale against Ottawa to clinch the President's Trophy. It will be the same 20 players that have brought this roster to regular season greatness that will be asked to overcome the Washington Capitals tonight to start with a win. Can they start the postseason with a good performance and the series lead against an inferior opponent?
Get ready for a historic showdown tonight. The Lindgren brothers are about to make NHL history. They will be the fourth set of brothers to face off against each other in a playoff series, a feat that hasn't happened in 40 years. This isn't just a game; it's a battle for family pride. With both Lindgrens playing pivotal roles in their teams, their performance will shape this series.
Projected Lineups
Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin - Connor McMichael - T.J. Oshie
Aliaksei Protas - Dylan Strome - Tom Wilson
Max Pacioretty - Hendrix Lapierre - Sonny Milano
Beck Malenstyn - Nic Dowd - Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary - John Carlson
Trevor van Riemsdyk - Vincent Iorio
Alexander Alexeyev - Dylan McIlRath
Charlie Lindgren
Darcy Kuemper
New York Rangers
Chris Kreider - Mika Zibanejad - Jack Roslovic
Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle - Alex Wennberg - Kaapo Kakko
Jimmy Vesey - Barclay Goodrow - Matt Rempe
Ryan Lindgren - Adam Fox
Braden Schneider - K'Andre Miller
Erik Gustafsson - Jacob Trouba
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Puck Drop
Game one is a matinee from the Garden, as a 3 p.m. puck drop will see the Rangers and Capitals collide from the most storied area in the world. We will see if the Rangers can start the postseason on the right foot or if they stumble out of the gates as they have sometimes done this season. Those sloppy starts that have plagued the team as of late need to become a thing of the past quickly if the Rangers are going to be decisive in this round-one matchup.