We have our first sweep of the postseason. The New York Rangers eliminated the Washington Capitals in four games during the Eastern Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Game 4 took place on Sunday night at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. While it was a hard-fought game for both teams, the Rangers ultimately denied the Caps their first win of the series, outscoring them 4-2.
Was the road to the second round that simple for the Blueshirts?
Return of Capitals Defensemen Change the Game
The Washington Capitals saw the return of two of their previously injured defensemen — Rasmus Sandin and Nick Jensen — and their presence did not go unnoticed. The Caps were anticipating their return, particularly to their special team units, places in which both players excel defensively. Sandin and Jensen also deliver a level of physicality that is on par with the rest of the team and contributed to their improvement during Game 4.
Nevertheless, while their special teams looked stronger and produced higher-quality chances for Washington, they were unable to overcome the Rangers and their special team units. To Washington’s credit, they were still the dominant team at even strength.
Offensively, however, the return of Sandin and Jensen opened up some weak spots for the Capitals, some of which may have just cost them the game.
Defensemen Struggle In Return
Less than a minute into the first period of Game 4, Jensen turned over the puck to Rangers third-liner Kaapo Kakko, who rushed to the net and scored the game’s first goal.
Both players took tripping penalties throughout the game. Nick Jensen tripped Rangers defenseman Adam Fox late in the second period, leading to Vincent Trocheck scoring yet another power-play goal in this series for the Blueshirts. Sandin tripped Artemi Panarin late with a little less than three minutes left in the game.
Jack Roslovic sealed the deal for the Rangers, scoring an empty net goal after Spencer Carbery pulled Lindgren in an attempt to get the game back to even strength.
It’s quite a struggle for recently injured players to get their game back; they’re bound to make mistakes. This is especially unfortunate when it’s the playoffs and your team is facing elimination. Sadly, the follies committed by Sandin and Jensen put an end to any momentum the Capitals were building up near the end and, thus, their hopes of keeping their season alive.
The Score Sheet Escapes Ovechkin
The Great 8 was held off the score sheet in the postseason for the first time in his almost two-decade-long career. That’s all thanks to the President’s Trophy winners. He did not record a single point this entire series and did not record a single shot on goal in Game 4 — same as in the series opener. Ovechkin recorded only six shots on goal throughout four games and mostly faded to the background.
However, Alex Ovechkin remains optimistic about future playoff runs despite contributing to the Capitals’ downfall this time around. “I hope I’m still going to get a couple of chances,” he told the Associated Press. He reflected on his poor performance in this series: “I didn’t play well. I don’t have that kind of touch. I try to find a different way to put the puck in.”
The Rangers had been monitoring Ovechkin since before the beginning of the series. After all, he is the second all-time regular season goal scorer behind Wayne Gretzky. However, despite just shy of 150 playoff appearances, he was not a threat to New York in the slightest.
Ovechkin had a slow start to the 2023-24 regular season, and talks were emerging about his skill level and ability declining due to age. Should this conversation be raised once again, or should we be more hopeful about next season like Ovechkin himself is?
Rangers Party Like It’s 1994
Rangers in 1994:
– 50+ wins, sweep first round, won Stanley Cup
Knicks in 1994:
– 50+ wins, 3-1 in first round, made NBA FinalsRangers in 2024:
– 50+ wins, sweep first round, TBD
Knicks in 2024:
– 50+ wins, 3-1 in first round, TBDIs history repeating itself in New York? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/7DemaHP5hm
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) April 29, 2024
The New York Rangers had a hell of a series. Triumphing over the Capitals in almost every aspect of the game displayed how much this team deserves the recognition it’s been getting throughout the season, through the President’s Trophy and beyond.
While the Colorado Avalanche, back in 2022, was the only team in recent years to win the Cup after a first-round series sweep, the Rangers did it as well. What year, one may ask? Thirty years ago, in 1994.
1994 is a special number for Rangers fans, especially this season. There have been several coincidences between events that happened in 1994 and in the present year, both hockey-related and not. For instance, both the Rangers and the New York Knicks had stellar regular seasons, with both teams boasting over 50 wins. The last time that happened was in 1994.
Apart from sports, the New York Metropolitan Area had a major earthquake in early April. They also experienced viewing a total solar eclipse. The last time these two events were witnessed was back in 1994.
Fans are rightfully making as many connections to that glory year as they can, despite some of them being a bit of a stretch. Either way, it’s interesting to see just how many parallels there are.
Will history repeat itself thirty years later? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Looking Forward
The Washington Capitals have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The New York Rangers will advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference, where they will face off against either the Carolina Hurricanes or the New York Islanders, depending on the outcome of that first-round series.
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About the Author
River Caraballo (she/they) is a hockey writer for Total Apex Sports. Despite being based in Connecticut, she is a big fan of the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild. They host a weekly podcast and radio show, Round the Rink, where they discuss hockey from the NHL to the PWHL and college hockey. You can follow River on Twitter/X to keep up with her sports content.
