Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers Prediction & Picks - NHL

Prediction published on 4/22/24, 3:12 AM  by Matthew Newman | Modified on 4/22/24 at 3:13 AM in NHL Picks

The New York Rangers got the better of the Washington Capitals with a 4-1 win in Game 1 on Sunday and the pair meet again for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday. The Rangers entered the playoffs off the back of a President's Trophy-winning campaign where they collected 114 points and were one of only two teams to win 30+ home games. There was an explosion of goals early in the second period, the Rangers scoring three in a span of just over two minutes to take control of the game in that middle frame. Matt Rempe showed that he can be more than just a physical presence when he opened the scoring which will give the youngster plenty of confidence. Artemi Panarin led the team in points in the regular season and he scored in game one as well.

A win in each of their last three regular season games saw the Caps make the playoffs in the second wildcard spot. They made it with the lowest points total in either conference and with the worst goal difference on offer. It will be interesting to see how they respond to the loss in the opening game as for large swathes of the game they were able to match the Rangers in intensity even if they lacked a bit of quality when it came to their scoring chances. When chasing the game in the third period they managed a total of six shots on goal, something that they need to address to have any hope in this series.