The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals are meeting up once again Friday night for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference First Round. The Caps are back on home ice, hoping for their first victory of this series. The Rangers are on fire so far, leading 2-0 in the series, but the Capitals have seen great improvement between Game 1 and Game 2.
Will Washington’s increasing momentum finally get them a win in the series?
Capitals Back On Home Ice For Game 3
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The Washington Capitals are bringing their 2-0 deficit to Capital One Arena for Game 3. The team has shown leaps and bounds of offensive zone improvement throughout the series so far, and they did quite well at maintaining their momentum during the previous game, despite it ending in a loss. The Caps and their fans are hoping that home ice will give them the extra push they need to take home a victory.
In the regular season, Washington did relatively well at home, with a record of 22-12-7. However, the passionate energy of the roaring home crowd will not be enough for the Capitals to grab a win in this series. They need the players on the ice to continue showing up like they did in Game 2, and one player stands out in particular.
Alex Ovechkin Needs His Spark Back
Alex Ovechkin has a combined 1 shot on goal through the first two games of their series 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/5kSTw8uRVR
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 24, 2024
Alex Ovechkin has been on everyone’s radar throughout this entire NHL season. The “will he/won’t he” storyline regarding surpassing Wayne Gretzky as the all-time leading goal scorer has put all eyes on him. However, he’s been quite absent in the playoffs. So absent that he did not record a single shot on goal during Game 1, and has not recorded any points for the Washington Capitals this first round.
Head coach Spencer Carbery has described his performance so far as “a little bit off.” He has not only lacked in producing good offense for the Caps but has made catastrophic plays.
In Game 2, Ovechkin turned over the puck during a Capitals power play that led to a shorthanded goal by Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller in the second period. This ended up being the game-winning goal for New York. Ovechkin commented on this play himself and said “It was a weird bounce” of the puck.
Coach Carbery still holds out hope for his performance during Game 3. Although he expressed concern about his performance in the first two games, he said, “I expect him to step up big time in Game 3.”
His performance so far marks the first time in Alex Ovechkin’s playoff career in which he did not register a single point in two games of a series. He is clearly struggling, and the Capitals need him back.
Rangers In The Home Stretch: Hoping Not To Repeat History
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Obviously, this season is much different than last year’s for the New York Rangers. However, it must be said that the Rangers held an easy 2-0 series lead against the New Jersey Devils during their first-round matchup this time last year, with pretty much the same personnel. People are justifiably nervous about this Capitals team striking back with full force in Game 3, especially now that they’re on home ice.
Nevertheless, as defenseman K’Andre Miller put it, “New year, new team.”
It would be very difficult for a team as put together as this year’s New York Rangers to fumble the series. As has been stated before, however, they cannot get too comfortable. We saw the progress being made by Washington between Games 1 and 2, and the Rangers must play Game 3 with full steam ahead, and brace for impact.
Where To Watch
The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals will meet again for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Round 1 playoff series on Friday, April 26 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST and will be streaming nationally on TNT. There will also be local streams on MSG Network for Rangers fans and Monumental Sports Network for Capitals fans.
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About the Author
River Caraballo (she/they) is a hockey writer for Total Apex Sports. She is a big fan of the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild, despite being based in Connecticut. They are the host of a weekly podcast and radio show, Round the Rink, where they talk hockey from the NHL to the PWHL and college hockey. You can follow River on Twitter/X to keep up with her sports content.
