Here lies the end of the Rangers’ most successful regular season in franchise history, which also marks the beginning of the most important playoff run in recent memory.
The Capitals are the first team the Blueshirts will have to go through in their pursuit of capturing their first Stanley Cup in three decades.
And to say the Rangers are the favorite in this first-round series would be a colossal understatement.
In a complete role reversal of the 2011 series between the clubs, when the No. 1-seeded Capitals beat the Rangers in five games after the Blueshirts squeezed into the postseason at the last minute, the outcome is expected to be much of the same with the teams under flip-flopped circumstances coming in.
But no team is to be underestimated when Lord Stanley is on the line, so the Rangers will need to take care of business as quickly as possible.
The Post’s Mollie Walker takes a look at how the teams match up:
Goaltending
There are only a few teams whose goaltending rivals the Rangers, and the Capitals are not one of them. Igor Shesterkin has been near the top of his game for about a month now, which no doubt helped the Blueshirts have the strong finish to the regular season that they did.
The Russian netminder is going to be a key component in every series, as he has been since his first legitimate playoff run with the Rangers in 2021-22. Having future Hall of Famer Jonathan Quick waiting in the wings is also hardly a fallback option.
Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren — the brother of Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren — will be experiencing the NHL playoffs for the first time in his career at age 30 after a breakout season. He’s given the Rangers problems before, like when he shut them out 4-0 on Dec. 9, but they should be able to elevate their game offensively and figure him out.
Edge: Rangers
Defense
The Rangers have a D core that has played together for years now, and that always counts for something. Aside from a weak spot in defending odd-man rushes, the Blueshirts finished with the fifth-lowest goals-against average (2.76) and received the fourth-most points (201) from their defensemen this season.
Adam Fox has been in top form recently alongside his longtime D partner, Ryan Lindgren, while the newly forged duo of K’Andre Miller and Braden Schneider has looked strong in their sample size of games. Bumped to the bottom pair with Erik Gustafsson, temporarily or not, captain Jacob Trouba sees it as more of a new role than a demotion.
According to NHL Edge, the Capitals spent just under 4 percent more time in the defensive zone than the Rangers this season. John Carlson is a notable offensive-minded defenseman, finishing third on the team with 52 points, while Nick Jensen and Rasmus Sandin have been working their way back from respective upper-body injuries.
Edge: Rangers
Forwards
There’s no question the Rangers have more star power among their forward group, but their Capitals counterparts are not to be overlooked.
Led by a 120-point campaign from the most dynamic version of Artemi Panarin this season, along with his linemates Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere, the Rangers enjoyed relatively steady production from their top six forwards and finished with the seventh-highest goals per game average of 3.39. Who knows if Filip Chytil is going to be available after being medically cleared recently, but it would add to an already deep group that includes deadline-acquisitions Alex Wennberg and Jack Roslovic, as well as Kaapo Kakko and Jimmy Vesey.
Alex Ovechkin is still one of the greatest goal scorers in the league at age 38, while T.J. Oshie still has a great shot and can be an offensive force at age 37. The Capitals may be better in low-scoring games, but players like Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson and offseason pickup Max Pacioretty can make an offensive impact.
Edge: Rangers
Special Teams
The Rangers have been dominant on special teams all season, finishing with top-3 numbers in both categories. Several Blueshirts contribute on both ends, such as Chris Kreider, who continues his reign as one of the deadliest net-front presences in the league on the power play. As well as Mika Zibanejad, a consistently steady contributor on the penalty kill and a one-timer killer with the man-advantage.
Finishing in the middle of the pack in both special teams, the Capitals may have a tough time against the Rangers here.
Edge: Rangers
Coaching
Experience isn’t always everything, but in this case it could be.
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery earned his first NHL head-coaching gig this season, while Rangers coach Peter Laviolette began his 22nd. Both bench bosses may be in their first years with their respective teams, but Laviolette will come into the series with 154 games of playoff experience and a 78-76 record.
Edge: Rangers
The Post’s Prediction
The Rangers should beat the Capitals handily. There’s no reason it should take more than five or six games. Considering the run they hope to go on, the shorter the series the better.
Rangers in 5
