The New York Rangers are hosting the Washington Capitals on Thursday, February 24th at 7 p.m. ET. Here is the Rangers vs Capitals pregame analysis.
Rangers vs Ottawa
The Rangers defeated the Ottawa Senators on Sunday by a score of 2-1. The Senators got the scoring going early in the first period on a wrist shot by Tim Stutzle. Adam Gaudette and Nikita Zaitsev assisted on the play.
The Rangers came right back tying it up on Ryan Strome’s wrist shot. Braden Schneider and Artemi Panarin got the assists. Panarin made it 2-1 on a PPG, making this the game-winning goal. Mika Zibanejad and Strome (26) assisted on the play.
Previous Matchup
Image Courtesy of Patrick Smith/Getty Images
The last time the Rangers faced the Capitals was on October 13, 2021. They lost badly 5-1, thanks to the Capitals going 3-for-6 on the power play.
T.J. Oshie scored a PPG, with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov assisted. Also, Justin Schultz got a PPG in the second period. Kuznetsov and Ovechkin assisted on the play.
Hendrix Lapierre scored his first NHL goal, with Oshie and Conor Sheary assisting. Ovechkin scored a PPG and a short-handed goal in the third period. Chris Kreider also scored a PPG and was the lone goal for the Rangers.
Thursday’s Matchup
There are a few players to watch for both teams. For the Capitals, they have John Carlson who has six points in his last five games. Five of those points are assists. Also, Joe Snively has four goals in his last five games. Carl Hagelin is +6.
For the Rangers, they have Zibanejad who has seven points, three of them goals, in his last five games. He is +2. Artemi Panarin has five assists in his last five games.
Both goalies have been great with Ilya Samsonov having a 17-7-3 record, a 2.84 goals against average (GAA) and a save percentage of .906. He also has three shutouts. Igor Shesterkin is 24-5-3 with a 2.01 GAA and a .939 save percentage. He has three shutouts as well.
Rangers vs Capitals Comparison
The Rangers, although they had a minimal amount of games, have played great in February at 3-0-1. Their only loss was in a shootout on February 17th against the Detroit Red Wings, losing 3-2.
The Rangers are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, while the Capitals are 5-5-0. The Rangers are third in the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals are fourth. First is the Carolina Hurricanes and second are the Pittsburgh Penguins. There is only a nine point difference between the Hurricanes and the Capitals. Any one of these teams can make the playoffs.
The Capitals are looking to play a little catch-up if they want be one of the top three in the division. However, they do hold the first spot in the Wild Card. The Boston Bruins have the second spot.
When looking at the Rangers and the Capitals, the Rangers have a slight edge, playing two games less. Since these two teams play each other again on the last day of season, April 29th, these games are of extreme importance.
The Rangers hope to win this time against the Capitals. They need to forget about their past matchup and just look at the game at hand. In order for them to succeed, they need to be physical, which Caps/Rangers games usually are. The Rangers need to do their best to take advantage of their power play and penalty kill.
Will the Rangers rebound from their 5-1 loss? Or will the Rangers sink again? Watch the Rangers face off against the Capitals on Thursday, February 24th at 7 p.m. ET.
Featured Image Courtesy of statementgames.com
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