The New York Rangers take on their Metropolitan Division rivals, the Washington Capitals tonight at 7:30 PM on ESPN. On primetime, all eyes are gonna be on the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners keeping up their early winning ways.
To get the upper hand on the Capitals, they need to continue putting the puck in the back of the net. As the third-best team in the NHL in goals-per-game average at 4.25, Washington is close behind them at a seventh-best 3.71 goals-per-game average.
So, without further ado, which Blueshirt is going to help keep the Rangers in the win column?
Matt Rempe / Adam Edström
To start this off, we are going to go with a pick ‘em. Either one of the socially branded “New York Giants” may get one past Washington goaltender Logan Thompson. Those Giants are Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom.
Edstrom has consistently been on the ice in his limited fourth-line role this season. He has fought, banged bodies, and kept the pressure on the opposition for all eight games this year.
Rempe has returned to the Rangers after serving some time down in Hartford this past week. He scored against the Caps in last season’s first-round matchup, so it is not impossible to bet against him. Can he reclaim the magic, and play well enough to keep him up in the NHL long-term?
Mika Zibanejad
Mika Zibanejad has been notoriously good against the Capitals in his career. He has found the back of the net 18 times in 44 games, the second-most goals against a single team in his career, behind the Philadelphia Flyers at 19 goals in 45 games.
In 2024-25, he has amassed a total of two goals and four assists in the first eight games of the year. Zibanejad could really use this game to start a streak and get back to the same old Z-Bad we are used to seeing.
Adam Fox
The final player that should score tonight for the Rangers is defenseman Adam Fox. He has also been solid when playing against the Capitals, with three goals against them in 22 games over his career. he has only scored four goals against the New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, and Pittsburgh Penguins. It is safe to say that even though three goals are not a ton, he does have their number.
Additionally, with being goalless so far this year, he is due for one. Fox has been great offensively, as per usual, but his only contribution has been through assists, of which he has eight of them in eight games. This would be a great game for him to break his silence, and get back into the goal column.