NHL Playoffs First Round Preview: Rangers Look Poised to Stomp Capitals

(Photo : (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)) WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 13: Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers looks to pass the puck against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Capital One Arena on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to begin, and there are several high-profile matchups on tap for the most exciting postseason in professional sports, including a David-vs-Goliath caliber showdown between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers.

Over the next two months, we'll narrow the playing field down from 8 qualifying teams in each conference to just one left standing to hoist the Stanley Cup.

After a drama-filled race to the finish line of the regular season, the matchups are set, and it's time to break them down and give a series prediction.

The race for the final Eastern Wild Card spot was finally settled on Tuesday night, as the Washington Capitals made good on a win-and-in opportunity, beating the Flyers 2-1 in regulation on an empty-net goal with the game tied.

The Flyers needed to take the chance of winning in regulation, hence the goalie pulled in a tied game, but they didn't know at the time that the Red Wings had already eliminated them by forcing overtime against Montreal.

The Caps eliminated Detroit by scoring on the empty net, and now they earn a shot at the high-flying New York Rangers.

NHL Playoffs First Round Preview: Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers

This is a massive mismatch on paper, as the Rangers dominated for almost the entire season, ultimately winning the Presidents' Trophy as the league's top regular season team.

On the other side, the Washington Capitals are one of the worst teams to make the playoffs, with a goal differential that ranks 27th out of the league's 32 teams.

But do the Capitals have what it takes to make a series of this?

If they do, it will be because of a continuation of two trends since the team got hot after a brutal start: the goaltending of Charlie Lindgren and the goalscoring of Alex Ovechkin.

Lindgren has been a revelation for the Caps, stealing points in the standings with stellar play, but he might be outmatched in this series opposite Igor Shesterkin.

Ovechkin had a horrific start to the season, calling into question his ability to break the all-time goal record. He got hot in a hurry down the stretch, and was even able to top the 30-goal mark.

Can he keep doing it against a Rangers team that doesn't necessarily grade out at an elite level overall on defense, but has shown it can play flawless games on command and has a wicked penalty kill?

NHL Playoffs First Round Preview: Talent Gap too Large Between the Rangers and Capitals

I'm skeptical. While the Rangers have been done in at times by lack of concentration and spotty defense, those shouldn't be issues for them in a playoff environment against a clearly inferior opponent.

New York dominates on special teams and has good enough goaltending at 5-on-5 to win there too. Artemi Panarin just completed his best season yet, and he'll have plenty of scoring help from Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, and an improving Alexis Lafreniere.