The New York Rangers are off to a great start in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, winning their first two games against the Washington Capitals for a commanding 2-0 first-round series lead. Now, the series shifts to Washington D.C., for Games 3 and 4, and these games will be crucial for the Rangers. In their past two playoff series, New York has had a 2-0 series lead and went on to lose both of them – in 2022, they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning and in 2023 to the New Jersey Devils. Both experiences left a sour taste in the team’s mouth, and it should not happen again this season.
The Rangers need to learn from their mistakes and not be comfortable with a 2-0 lead. The Capitals won’t go away easily, and they made it very close in Game 2, with a final score of 4-3. If the Rangers want to take care of business and end this series as soon as Game 4, they need to keep playing with the same energy. Here are some keys to victory that will help them get the wins they need to move on in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Rangers Need Scoring From Across the Lineup
In this series, the Rangers have had eight different goal scorers. In Game 1, the fourth line’s Matt Rempe and Jimmy Vesey scored two goals. They have had depth scoring, and they’ve also had their top players find the back of the net, like Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck. If the Rangers want to win the next two games, they need scoring from across the lineup to continue.
The Capitals are not a high-scoring team, with four goals in this series scored by four different players. Their most dangerous goal scorer, Alex Ovechkin, has been held to just one shot on net. If the Rangers can continue to shut him down and keep the Capitals scoring to a minimum while getting scoring from up and down their lineup, they should have no problem ending this series in four games.
Take the Capitals Crowd Out of the Game
The crowd and the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden was electric. Since the Rangers were scoring and making big plays in the first two games, the crowd was in it, which was a big factor for the road team. With the Rangers heading to Washington, one of the keys to winning the next two games will be to silence the crowd early. Whether that means scoring first or laying the first big hit and keeping the Capitals in their zone, they need to try their best to be the team that has the jump out of the gate.
Related: Rangers Take Game 2 Against Washington
So far in this series, the Capitals haven’t had the best special teams. They are two for nine on the power play and have given up two power-play goals, both in Game 2. If the Rangers can get their power play going and keep the Capitals from scoring with the man advantage, that will take the crowd out of the game. The crowd will be buzzing at Capital One Arena, but the Rangers need to overcome the early noise and keep playing their game. If they can do that, the crowd will become a non-factor in this series.
Igor Shesterkin Continues His Fine Play
Heading into this series, some thought the Capitals had a chance to push this series because their goalie, Charlie Lindgren, had been the backbone of their playoff push and was the main reason they clinched a berth. However, he hasn’t played that well in the first two games, while the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin has done what is expected of him. While he hasn’t been tested much, he is still making key saves and is outplaying Lindgren by a wide margin.
Shesterkin has a 2.00 goals-against average (GAA) and a .913 save percentage (SV%), while Lindgren has a miserable 4.12 GAA and a .864 SV%. Could the Capitals turn to Darcy Kuemper at some point in the next two games? It is certainly a possibility, but all the Rangers need is for Shesterkin to remain at the top of this game to give them a chance of ending this series by Game 4.
The Rangers should not be looking past the Capitals, but they should try to end this series in four games. They are by far the better team, and if they can end this series early, they will have more time to prepare for much tougher opponents ahead. With these three keys to the series, the Rangers have a good chance to sweep the Capitals. These next two games are the most important to show that they have learned from their mistakes and they can become a true Stanley Cup favorite.
