3 reasons the Washington Capitals will shock the NHL and make quick work of the Rangers

The season series didn’t go as planned for the Rangers

Even teams who win the Presidents’ Trophy will struggle against an opponent that may not have fared exceptionally well in the regular season. While the Capitals are in the playoffs, nobody, even in hindsight, is looking fondly at them as a great hockey team, but they played well against New York.

Washington managed four points in a 2-2-0 split with the Blueshirts, and they were one of 10 playoff teams New York finished with a 0.500 points total against or worse. This implies the Rangers haven’t fared well against playoff-bound teams, having won just five season series against those playing in the postseason. 

It also means there won’t be an easy path forward for New York. While they won the Presidents’ Trophy for a reason, the fact that the Caps were one of those 10 teams to give them a tough time between October and April shows that they, like many other teams that led the league in points, won games they were supposed to win, but were so-so against some of the NHL’s better units. 

It’s a point that goes back to looking at everything superficially to digging deep, and when you consider the latter, you get a different story for both the Rangers and Capitals. New York may be an outstanding team, and perhaps the Caps are nothing more than above average. But the Blueshirts had a tough time figuring them out this year, especially when Charlie Lindgren was playing goaltender.