Alain Vigneault’s Rangers won this season’s series with Washington, 3-1, outscoring the Capitals, 13-10, in those four games. The Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games, while it took Washington seven games to eliminate the Islanders.
But now it’s a clean slate, with a chance they could play seven more head-to-head.
Here are the matchups:
FORWARDS
Alex Ovechkin (five playoff points) and Niklas Backstrom (team-leading six points, three goals) are the straws that stir Washington’s drink. Ovechkin, 29, a three-time Hart Trophy winner now nominated for a fourth time, scored 53 goals this season to win the Maurice (Rocket) Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal scorer for the third straight year and the fifth time in his career.