The New York Rangers were the first team to clinch a playoff berth last month and finished first in the regular season. Now, they’re the first squad in the NHL to move on to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Rangers eliminated the Washington Capitals from the post-season with a 4-2 road win at Capital One Arena on Sunday night. They are the fifth team since 1994 to win the Presidents’ Trophy and sweep their opening round of the playoffs, and it was just the fourth time the Rangers swept a best-of-seven series in franchise history. The last time was in 2007, in the first round against the Atlanta Thrashers.
Winger Kappo Kakko started the scoring for the Rangers with his first goal of the playoffs less than a minute into the game. Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary tied the game, but New York forward Vincent Trocheck gave the Rangers a lead after the first period.
Capitals rookie Hendrix Lapierre had an impressive individual effort to tie the game in the second period, taking a backhand shot on Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin before burying the rebound.
HENDRIX LAPIERRE TIES IT WITH A BEAUTY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xAbcKombe9
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 29, 2024
But early in the third period, Artemi Panarin took back the lead once again for the Rangers. Mika Zibenajad assisted on the go-ahead goal, getting a point in every game of the first round.
A Breadman SNIPE, you love to see it. pic.twitter.com/IujTU3OrIX
— x – New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 29, 2024
From there, the Rangers held on as Washington tried to stay alive, and Jack Roslovic potted the empty-netter to put the game out of reach.
Igor Shesterkin stopped 22 of 24 shots for the Blueshirts, while Charlie Lindgren stopped 19 of 22.
The Capitals pushed hard just to make the post-season, winning four of the last five games to beat out the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. In fact, an empty-net goal during a tied game against Philadelphia helped them clinch the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference in their final game of the season.
Related: How the Capitals Clinched the Final Wild-Card Spot over Red Wings, Penguins and Flyers
It was a chance for Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals to build on their momentum after missing the post-season last year. But that win against the Flyers on April 16 proved to be their last win of the 2023-24 season.
Ovechkin, 38, did not register a point in all four games. His coach, Spencer Carbery, said he looked “a little bit off” during the first two games and added that he’s struggling. After the call-out, Ovechkin played a season-high 24:06 of ice time and recorded four shots in Game 3, but he was limited to just 15:26 on Sunday and failed to record a shot.
The Capitals season has come to an end, as the Rangers pulled off a 4-2 win as special teams and a lack of discipline proved to be the difference maker again.
All the takeaways as the #ALLCAPS are swept:https://t.co/W1ADB9mRh4
— Sammi Silber 🏒 (@sammisilber) April 29, 2024
As for the Rangers, they received strong contributions throughout the lineup. Zibanejad finished the first round with seven points in four games, and Trocheck had six points. Roslovic and Alexis Lafreniere provided effective scoring depth, each having four points in the series. And Shesterkin only allowed seven goals in the round, standing tall as needed.
#NYR defeat #ALLCAPS 4-2 in Game 4 for the series 🧹, becoming the first team to advance to the second round @TheHockeyNews @matthewpage24 https://t.co/DLWXjUvSyj
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) April 29, 2024
New York now awaits its second-round opponent. The Carolina Hurricanes had a chance to sweep the New York Islanders on Saturday, but the Isles hung on with a win in double overtime. The winner of that series will face the Rangers, with Game 5 taking place on Tuesday.
For more reaction, post-game analysis and team coverage, visit The Hockey News’ Washington Capitals and New York Rangers sites.
Related: Alex Ovechkin Is Back in the Playoffs, But it Won’t Last Long
News Summary:
- New York Rangers Sweep the Washington Capitals, First Team to Advance to Round 2
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.