Recreation 4 takeaways: Rangers full sweep of Capitals, advance to second spherical – The Journal Information

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A lot for the Capitals breaking the Rangers.
Three years after Washington’s bully ways influenced a serious organizational shakeup in New York, the tiresome narrative was lastly put to mattress. The Rangers made fast work of the past-their-prime Caps, with Sunday’s 4-2 win in Recreation 4 at Capital One Area finishing the first-round sweep.
It marked the Blueshirts’ first playoff sweep since 2007, once they knocked out the Atlanta Thrashers with 4 straight first-round wins.
The Capitals had one final gasp within the second interval, the place they’d the Rangers on their heels and earned the tying objective from Hendrix Lapierre. However Artemi Panarin scored the winner on an influence play with 16:39 remaining within the third, dashing any hopes of Washington extending the sequence.
The Blueshirts weren’t clicking on all cylinders for a lot of this opening spherical and might want to step up in sure areas with a harder matchup on the horizon. (Seemingly in opposition to the menacing Carolina Hurricanes, who maintain a 3-1 lead of their first-round sequence in opposition to the New York Islanders.) However they had been a lot ok to dispatch of a Caps’ crew that is in want of a expertise infusion following over a decade as one of many NHL’s prime groups.
Toughness wasn’t a problem, with New York matching Washington’s physicality and declining to take the bait each time Tom Wilson and crew tried to stir the pot. That did not have an effect on the result as a lot because the Rangers’ benefit in depth and particular groups, with 14 completely different gamers contributing at the very least one level whereas the penalty kill went 15-for-17 (88.2%) with a pair of shorthanded, game-winning objectives and the ability play chipped in six extra, together with three of Sunday’s 4 tallies.
Additionally they restricted the Caps to solely seven objectives in 4 video games, with their defensive construction holding robust and goalie Igor Shesterkin bailing them out when wanted. They turned the primary crew to ever maintain Caps legend Alex Ovechkin with no level in a playoff sequence.
Step one among their postseason mission to finish the franchise’s 30-year Stanley Cup drought is full, with the Blueshirts incomes themselves an prolonged break to relaxation up and recuperate earlier than spherical two. This primary sequence served as a warmup, with the assessments solely rising in problem from right here.
Sweep motivation:Rangers have chance to conserve valuable energy
After permitting the primary objectives in earlier two video games, the Rangers made positive they would not be enjoying from behind in Recreation 4.
Kaapo Kakko turned New York’s tenth completely different goal-scorer of the sequence simply 57 seconds into the competition. His fast strike from the slot went down as unassisted, however credit score rookie Will Cuylle for a swarming forecheck that pressured a expensive turnover from Caps defenseman Nick Jensen, who was making his sequence debut after lacking the primary three video games as a consequence of harm.
Washington fought again and earned ample possession time within the interval, with Martin Fehervary capitalizing on a failed Rangers’ breakout try and tie the rating at 1-1 on the 14:54 mark. However the Blueshirts made a behavior on this sequence of shutting down any momentum for the Caps swiftly.
Jensen was whistled late within the interval for tripping Adam Fox, giving the Rangers’ their first energy play. They’ve had a definite benefit on particular groups in all 4 video games, with that pattern persevering with on Vincent Trocheck’s team-leading third objective of the sequence. It was setup by a powerful passing sequence, with Mika Zibanejad making the ultimate dish to tee up Trocheck’s one-timer from the slot.
That gave New York a 2-1 lead with 16 seconds remaining within the first interval, however the second was all Washington.
The determined Capitals had been on the assault for a lot of the interval, pinning the Rangers of their finish of lengthy chunks of time. That included an prolonged shift for the Chris Kreider-Zibanejad-Jack Roslovic line and defenseman Ryan Lindgren that ended with the tying objective from Lapierre.
The rookie heart blew by the gassed duo of Kreider and Lindgren for a backhanded end that made it 2-2 on the 7:48 mark.
That rating carried into the third interval, the place a 30-second sequence would seal Washington’s destiny. It started with Shesterkin simply getting a bit of T.J. Oshie’s breakaway shot for a clutch save, with the 37-year-old former champion getting whistled for a high-sticking penalty moments later. The following energy play ended with Panarin’s second objective of the sequence, a left-circle wrister that got here off Zibanejad’s second main help of the night time.
The Rangers locked it down from there, limiting the Caps to seven pictures within the ultimate interval whereas receiving 23 whole saves from Shesterkin. Roslovic added the of completion with an empty-netter.
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Community. Learn extra of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and comply with him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

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