Yes, this series was a mismatch that should’ve ended just as it did, in a four-game sweep. The Rangers are, stem to stern, better than the Washington Capitals — more skilled, certainly deeper with an elite goalie as well as a seemingly-endless reservoir of resiliency. One team won the Presidents’ Trophy; the other was the last one to clinch a playoff spot.
But give the Blueshirts credit for managing a business-like, first-round victory that got them to the second round. And got them some rest, which can be so valuable this time of year. Past Ranger teams know full well what it’s like to grind through the slog of a long series.
Heck, plenty of skaters on this year’s model went through that stretch in 2021-22 when the Blueshirts needed seven games to navigate each of the first two rounds of the playoffs. By the time they got to the Eastern Conference Finals against Tampa Bay, they were spent and they lost in six games. Maybe a break can help fuel a deep run.
While Peter Laviolette told reporters in Washington that time off “can go both ways,” the coach also acknowledged that the six days were valuable between the end of this regular season and the opener with Washington.
“We got rest and time to prepare and work on things on the ice,” Laviolette said. “There’s real value in that. … I do think the rest is important.”
Maybe it’ll work as the Rangers, who beat Washington, 4-2, Sunday night in Game 4, await their next opponent.
The Blueshirts were the first team in the NHL to advance and will play the winner of the series between the Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina has a 3-1 lead entering Game 5, but it had a chance to sweep and get a long break and lost Game 4. Florida, another conference foe that could loom in the Rangers’ way later, also failed in its sweep try and faces a fifth game against Tampa Bay.
So while teams like Carolina are skating against a team playing for its hockey life, the Rangers can go back to the ice lab. If the series against Washington is any indication, there’s not much to fix. The Rangers were terrific, thriving behind their strong power…