Rangers vs. Capitals: 3 things to watch for trying to shut down Alex Ovechkin, defeat division rival
After ending a four-game skid Thursday, the New York Rangers seek consecutive victories for the first time since Nov. 14-19, a three-game winning streak, when they visit the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena in a matinee Saturday afternoon.
The Rangers (17-19-1) opened 2025 with a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins on home ice, winning for just the fifth time in 20 games (5-15-0). Jonathan Quick was sensational, making 32 saves, and Mika Zibanejad and Brett Berard scored first-period goals to pace the victory.
Though a positive development, considering their terrible play the past two months, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette wasn’t one to dwell on the victory at practice Friday.
“Yeah, we’ve got to build off of it. It’s good. It’s last night. It’s a win. It’s over. And now we’re heading on the road to Washington,” he said. “We’ve got to follow it up.”
They’ll try do follow it up against the first-place team in the Metropolitan Division. A Capitals team that had its way with the Rangers down in DC in a 5-3 win on Oct. 29.
The Capitals (25-10-3) have an Eastern Conference-best plus-38 goal differential and are second in the NHL averaging 3.63 goals per game.
These aren’t the same Capitals the Rangers swept in the first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring. So, this will be a big test for the Blueshirts to open up a busy weekend, that concludes with a Sunday matinee in Chicago against the Blackhawks.
Related: Rangers notebook — improving defensemen, Matt Rempe ‘drops gloves’ in practice
3 things to watch for when Rangers visit Capitals
1. Jonathan Quick eyes milestone
Coming off a stellar outing, filling in for the injured Igor Shesterkin, Quick is expected to start against the Capitals. He enters the game with 399 wins, one shy of becoming only the 15th goalie in NHL history to win 400 games.
It’d be the second major milestone Quick’s reached in a Rangers uniform. Last season, he became the all-time winningest United States-born goalie in NHL history, when he won his 392nd game to pass Ryan Miller on March 30.
Quick’s been excellent again this season for the Rangers. The 38-year-old, who’s a three-time Stanley Cup champion, is 6-4-0 with a 2.54 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and two shutouts in 13 games (10 starts). For what it’s worth, he’s won nine of 17 career decisions against the Capitals, and allowed seven goals in 16 games to Alex Ovechkin.
2. The Great 8 chases The Great One
Speaking of Ovechkin and milestones, the 39-year-old is 24 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the most goals scored in NHL history. Ovechkin scored No. 871 in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, and has three goals in four games since returning from a fractured fibula.
Despite the five-week injury absence, Ovechkin has an astounding 18 goals in 22 games. He has a surreal 22.2 percent shooting percentage this season.
Ovechkin had two goals in the first seven games this season, but started to turn up the heat when he scored a pair against the Rangers on Oct. 29. That started a five-game goal streak for the Capitals captain and was the first of four multiple-goal games this season, so far. In 74 career games against the Rangers, Ovechkin’s lit the lamp 44 times.
3. Block party
One way to slow down Ovechkin and the high-scoring Capitals is to, well not let their shots reach the net. Not that it’s the most pleasant plan, but blocking shots — and passing lanes — should be a Rangers priority Saturday.
Based on their effort against the Bruins on Thursday, that won’t be a problem. The Rangers blocked 24 shots, including five by Ryan Lindgren and four by Adam Fox. Braden Schneider and Urho Vaakanainen each had three blocks.
Now that Jacob Trouba is no longer on the team, Schneider leads the Rangers with 60 blocks, and Lindgren has 58. Fox, who has 55, made a huge block late in the third period when David Pastrnak had an open net to shoot at from in tight.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere
Kreider – Zibanejad – Smith
Cuylle – Chytil – Berard
Edstrom – Carrick – Vesey
Lindgren – Fox
Miller – Borgen
Vaakanainen – Schneider
Quick
Domingue
Rangers vs. Capitals: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who:Â New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals
When:Â Saturday, Jan. 4 at 12 p.m. ET
Where:Â Capital One Arena
How to watch:Â ABC
Click here for New York Rangers complete 2024-25 schedule and game results
More About:New York Rangers News
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