New York Rangers and Washington Capitals face off at Madison Square Garden - NHL Preview
New York Rangers and Washington Capitals face each other on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at the Madison Square Garden.
For both teams this could potentially become an early preview of the playoff rounds.
New York Rangers who have secured the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and home ice advantage will face the eighth seed currently Washington Capitals in the playoffs.
However, that scenario could change if the Capitals win the game on Saturday while Florida Panthers loses its game against Carolina Hurricanes in regulation time. That will propel the Capitals into third in the Eastern Conference leaving the Rangers to face
Florida in the playoffs.
The Rangers have remained top of the Eastern Conference for most of the year and with 109-points need a win to secure their first President’s Trophy since the 1993-94 season.
Washington on the other hand have struggled this year but will be looking to win the final game of the season to give themselves a chance at securing a fifth straight Southeast division title.
There is a lot on the line in this game and both teams will give it their all in what could turn into an explosive preview of the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs.
Rangers (51-23-7, 109 pts)
Remaining the best team in the Eastern Conference for the majority of the season, the Rangers will be looking to secure that achievement with a President’s Trophy.
They first have to defeat the Washington Capitals at home ice.
The last game between these two sides at Madison Square Garden was a close fought encounter but the Rangers emerged victorious by 3-2 on February 12, 2012.
New York will look for a much more comfortable victory this time around and end the season on a positive note after their humiliation at the hands of Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
Coach John Tortorella was visibly furious with what he considered was the Penguins dirty play and said after the game.
"It's a cheap, dirty hit. I wonder what would happen if we did it to their two whining stars over there. ... It's one of the most arrogant organizations in the league."
Capitals (41-32-8, 90 pts)
Washington finally secured a playoff spot on Thursday after defeating Southeast division rivals Florida Panthers and with the defeat of their closest challengers Buffalo Sabres by Philadelphia Flyers.
The Capitals now have their eyes set on the division title and will go all out for a win over the Rangers to secure a fifth straight Southeast division crown.
Capitals forward Jason Chimera said.
"It has been an up-and-down season, but now we can start fresh. We've got all our guys back healthy, and some goalies to heal up, but (Holtby) stood up and did a great job. This is just a great feeling."
Predictions
New York will be favourites for the game.
Sum of goals will be more than six.
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