What that means in the Eastern Conference playoff race is that the Rangers slipped out of a postseason berth, but just barely. They’re percentage points behind the Ottawa Senators, who secured two points Wednesday with an overtime win over he Chicago Blackhawks. The Rangers and Senators each have 67 points, but Ottawa is in the second wild card because it’s played one less game than New York.

We’ll have plenty more to report on this, but, man, that’s a big game between the Rangers and Senators on Saturday afternoon in Canada’s capital.

As for the game Wednesday, it was frustrating for the Rangers not to get that second point, especially since they were less than 10 minutes away from a regulation win. But the Capitals are first in the East and second overall in the NHL for a reason, and they shut down the Rangers in that third period, buying time for Alex Ovechkin to score the tying goal. The Rangers aren’t the first team he’s burned with a clutch goal this season or over the past two decades!

That bitter enemy Tom Wilson scored the winner at 4:07 of OT just adds to the pain of this loss for the Rangers, who are 7-3-1 in their past 11 games, but struggling to defeat the League’s best teams.

The Rangers were winless this season against the Capitals (0-2-1), though could flip that script should the Metro rivals meet this spring in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Related: Winners, losers from bitter Rangers’ OT loss to Capitals

Three takeaways from Rangers OT loss to Capitals

Here are three takeaways from another a frustrating overtime loss for the Rangers on Wednesday.

1. Let’s get physical

In a tightly-played defensive game that had the feel of a playoff matchup, the physical play was ratcheted up by each team. There were 58 combined hits, two fights, numerous post-whistle skirmishes and plenty of ill will.

The Rangers set the tone in the first period, when they were credited with 16 hits. They finished with 36, and all but six skaters recorded at least one. Rookie Brennan Othmann, who was shaken up briefly by a Matt Roy hit from behind in the second period, led New York with six hits in just 11:07 TOI. Newcomer Calvin de Haan continues to impress after arriving from the Colorado Avalanche; he had five hits and three blocked shots in 14+ minutes of ice time. And Matt Rempe was a bull with four hits and a key blocked shot in the third period.

Sam Carrick and Brandon Duhaime drop the gloves 🥊 pic.twitter.com/oRO5sMOqux

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 6, 2025

Sam Carrick and Juuso Parssinen dropped the gloves for New York, which was up for this big challenge, even it ended up on the wrong side of the final score.

2. What’s up with the number 3?

It appears the number 3 is no friend of the Rangers. On Wednesday, for example, they blew a third (there’s a 3) and lost 3-2 (and another 3). It was their third (yup, 3 again) straight loss this season to the Capitals.

But here’s the real issue with the number 3. The Rangers cannot win three games in a row any more. They failed again Wednesday and haven’t won three straight since Nov. 14-19, three-plus (3 again) months ago. Wednesday was the sixth time they failed to extend a win streak to three games since mid-November.

3. Didn’t finish strong

The Rangers didn’t generate much offense all night, but it dried up completely in the third period, allowing the Capitals to tie it up. The Rangers had 13 shots through two periods, but managed only three in the third. The Capitals deserve credit here for a strong commitment to defending tightly in five-man groups, but the Rangers didn’t win nearly enough puck battles in the O-zone nor get to the net enough to create traffic in front of Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren.

In overtime, the Rangers had one shot, and it was a beaut. Zac Jones was all alone in the low slot with the game on his stick less than a minute into OT. But Lindgren made the game-saving stop. That was that.

The Rangers were nine minutes and change away from securing an inspiring victory over the first-place Capitals. But leading 2-1 midway through the third period, the Rangers allowed Alex Ovechkin to tie the score with a power-play goal. Then with 53 seconds remaining in overtime, Tom Wilson finished off another Capitals comeback victory, beating Igor Shesterkin for his 28th goal of the season.

TOM WILSON AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN… OT GAME WINNER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Lj8mtDxvyk

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 6, 2025

With the loss, the Rangers (31-26-5) again failed to win a third consecutive game after back-to-back shutout victories over the Nashville Predators and New York Islanders on Sunday and Monday. New York last won three games in a row Nov. 14-19.

The overtime loss, coupled with a 4-3 overtime win by the Ottawa Senators over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, dropped the Rangers to ninth place in the conference. They are tied with the Senators in points (67) but have played one more game. The Rangers visit the Senators in their next game, Saturday afternoon at Canadian Tire Centre.

Shesterkin finished with 23 saves for the Rangers, including a beauty with his glove to rob Ovechkin on a wicked snap shot 2:02 into overtime. His counterpart, Charlie Lindgren of the Capitals, made 16 saves, including a one-on-one stop to rob Zac Jones point blank 54 seconds into OT.

Artemi Panarin and Sam Carrick scored for the Rangers, who have points in eight of their past 11 games (7-3-1).

Ovechkin moved within 10 goals of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL record of 894, when he tied the game at 10:28 of the third period. It was also the 1,599th point of his illustrious career.

Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored for Washington, which is now 6-10-5 when trailing after two periods this season. Wilson, who relishes playing the role of heel at Madison Square Garden, added an assist for a two-point night.

The Rangers were swept in the season series against the Capitals (0-2-1).

Related: Rangers should chase down Devils ‘not just wild card,’ Marty Biron tells Forever Blueshirts

Washington Capitals 3 – New York Rangers 2 (OT)

Though the Rangers allowed a goal just 64 seconds into the game, they rebounded quickly and gave as good as they got in an evenly-played spirited game, where emotions ran high with a playoff-type feel.

Dubois opened the scoring, giving the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 1:04 of the first period, when he whipped a pass from Wilson past Shesterkin for his 16th goal of the season. The goal came after a face-off to Shesterkin’s right and and good work by Wilson down low.

Washington nearly coughed up the lead at 8:30 following a turnover in its own end. But Lindgren took Vincent Trocheck’s wide-open look in the midsection and then lunged to his right to make a toe save on Panarin’s rebound attempt.

Two minutes later it was Shesterkin’s time to shine. No one picked up Lars Eller flying down the center, accepting a pass and driving to the net, but the Rangers goalie stretched to his left for the pad save.

Panarin’s deflection of a pretty feed into the middle by Jones tied the game 1-1 at 13:37. It was Panarin’s team-high 26th goal and extended his goal-scoring streak to three games.

Artemi Panarin steers Zac Jones' shot in to tie the game! pic.twitter.com/BxVF9iwA8o

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 6, 2025

Shortly before picking up the secondary assist on Panarin’s goal, Alexis Lafreniere leveled Washington’s Nic Dowd with a reverse check, one of his three hits in the first period and one of 16 credited to the Rangers in the first 20 minutes.

The Rangers added 12 more hits in the second period, one that saw an uptick in physical and chippy play on both sides and featured a pair of fights. Plus the Rangers scored the only goal in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.

Carrick scored the go-ahead goal at 8:05, though it came with a hint of mild controversy. On a Rangers zone entry, Carrick collided with Connor McMichael in the neutral zone, knocking the Washington forward down, creating a 5-on-4 for a bit in the offensive zone. Carrick could’ve been called for interference, but instead scored seconds later.

K’Andre Miller made an excellent keep at the left point on a Capitals clearing attempt. The Rangers defenseman then made a heads-up pass into the slot to Carrick, who skated around Matt Rempe in front before sending a backhand shot just out of the reach of Lindgren. It was Carrick’s sixth goal of the season, which extended his point streak to three games.

K'Andre Miller keeps the puck in the zone and Sam Carrick buries the backhand 💪 pic.twitter.com/GtX5F00SBC

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 6, 2025

That 2-1 lead carried to the second intermission after Shesterkin made one really sharp save against Rasmus Sandin, and Lindgren had a pair of beauties on open looks for Panarin and Trocheck. That latter chance came on a rare power-play scoring chance; the Rangers were 0-for-4 on the power play, including a failed four-minute advantage late in the first period following a double minor high-sticking penalty when Brett Berard was clipped by Ethen Frank.

Carrick and Brandon Duhaime squared off for a fight at 12:54 of the second period, one that was more wrestling match than boxing. Then at 14:58, Juuso Parssinen got into a scrap with Matt Roy, and after missing with a pair of wild swings, the recently-acquired Rangers center was sent to the ice by the Capitals defenseman.

That second fight broke out when Roy roughed Brennan Othmann — who had five hits through two periods in limited ice time — from behind by the boards. Roy received an extra minor penalty, but the Capitals killed that one off, too.

Juuso Parssinen drops the gloves with Matt Roy after Brennan Othmann took a big hit pic.twitter.com/TkhR2vOkFO

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 6, 2025

The Rangers had to like their start to a low-event third period. But with Jones in the penalty box serving a hooking minor, the Capitals tied the game 2-2 when Ovechkin buried a power-play goal from in tight at 10:28. It was his 32nd goal in 46 games played this season, and fourth in three games against the Rangers.

ALEX OVECHKIN DOES IT AGAIN!

HE'S NOW JUST 10 GOALS AWAY FROM BREAKING GRETZKY'S GOAL-SCORING RECORD ‼️ 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ecMdmMvc1Q

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 6, 2025

To make matters worse for the home team, Will Borgen was assessed a hooking penalty as Ovechkin was shooting the puck into the net, and Washington went right back to the power play. Shesterkin had to make a sharp glove save on Ovechkin’s patented one-timer from the left circle at 12:10 but the Rangers killed off the rest of the penalty.

Playing with extra jump after tying the game, the Capitals nearly took the lead at 14:51, but a left-wing shot by Taylor Raddysh off a 2-on-1 rush kissed the near post.

There were five shots combined in overtime, with, first Jones then Ovechkin, getting Grade-A looks. But Washington scored on its third shot of the extra session, after Dylan Strome carried the puck in on a 2-on-1, slowed to let a diving Braden Schneider slide by, before zipping a pass to Wilson, who chipped it past Shesterkin.

This was New York’s fifth loss (22-2-3) when leading after two periods, dropping the Rangers to 2-5 in OT this season.

They’ll have two days to sit on this one — including the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday — before playing that crucial games in Ottawa on Saturday and then an equally as important home game Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who hold the top wild card in the East.

One of the biggest keys will be shutting down Ovechkin, who is blazing his way to surpassing The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, for the all-time NHL goals lead. The Great Eight has 31 goals on the season, bringing his career total to 884, just 10 goals shy of tying Gretzky at 894 and 11 away from breaking the record that has stood for over three decades.

Ovechkin has done this at 39 years old, and in a season when he missed 16 games with a fractured fibula. Somehow, he just keeps finding the net. He’s got five goals in his past five games, and all eyes will be on him tonight against the Rangers.

“That’s not a distraction for us,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said Wednesday. “I don’t know what it is over there, but for us it’s about the game tonight. It’d be great to not have (Ovechkin) push forward in that race. That’s about the only way that we’ll talk about it when it comes up in a power-play meeting or how we defend and things we do.”

Ovechkin has made a living scoring goals on the power play from the left circle, so playing a disciplined game and staying out of the penalty box is one way that the Rangers will be able to limit his scoring chances

Other than that, it will be continuing to play team defense, being physical, and blocking shots. A recipe that has led to success for the Rangers over the past several games.

“Obviously he’s a tremendous goal scorer,” said Laviolette, who coached Ovechkin with the Capitals from 2020-23. “From a hockey standpoint we talk about it, but not necessarily a race standpoint.”

Related: Rangers vs. Capitals: 3 things to watch for trying to avoid season-series sweep

Rangers aim to avoid season-series sweep against Capitals

The Capitals have gotten the better of the Rangers in both meetings this season. They first faced off back on Oct. 29, and the Capitals came away with a 5-3 win thanks to two goals from Ovechkin. It was another high-scoring affair on Jan. 7 when the Capitals won 7-4. Ovechkin cashed in another goal in that game.

Those games were against a different Rangers team. There’s been quite a few moves since then, and now the Rangers are on a run of four wins in five games. Some real confidence is being built inside the room, especially now that the Rangers sit in a playoff spot for the time being.

“I just think (consistency and confidence) go hand in hand,” J.T. MIller explained. “If you play the right way and play the team game, typically you get the results, you get confidence, and away you go. We’re going to need everything today, obviously we know who we’re playing against. It’s going to be a fun game.”

The Rangers will need to come up with one of their better performances to date if they want to come away with another huge two points and their first three-game win streak in over three months (No. 14-19). They may be coming off back-to-back shutout wins, but the Nashville Predators and the New York Islanders are a far cry from the Capitals, who are second overall in the NHL standings.

“They’re a great team,” defenseman Braden Schneider said. “They’re obviously at the top of the League, so we have to make sure that we’re ready to go. They’re a hard, physical team. They’re deep all around, so we have to make sure that we’re bringing our best and we’re ready to go for it.”

Watch the exclusive RINK RAP podcast interview with Martin Biron on the Forever Blueshirts YouTube page.

Or listen to the audio here

The Capitals (39-14-8) are first in both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference, second overall in the NHL and defeated the Rangers twice already this season. With a win Wednesday, the Capitals would complete a sweep of the season-series against the Rangers, a bit of a twist after the Blueshirts swept them in the first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring.

Much has changed since that playoff series. The Capitals made a series of smart off-season moves and been remarkably consistent this season, among the biggest surprises in the League. They are 10 points clear of the second-place Carolina Hurricanes in the division and 20 up on the Rangers.

On the flip side are the Rangers, the 2024 Presidents’ Trophy winners who resided near the bottom of the conference in December, but retooled making four trades in-season and now sit in the second wild card in the East.

The Rangers (31-26-4) have won four of their past five games and seven of 10. They’re coming off consecutive 4-0 shutout victories against the Nashville Predators and New York Islanders and seek their first three-game winning streak since Nov. 14-19.

Washington is coming off a wild 5-4 shootout win against the Ottawa Senators on Monday, that ended a season-long three-game losing streak.

The Capitals have outscored the Rangers 12-7, winning twice at Capital One Arena earlier this season.

Related: Reformed Rangers ‘buying in’ to changes to make serious playoff push

3 things to watch for when Rangers host Capitals

1. Time to step up against the big boys

In winning four of their past five games, the Rangers feasted against weaker opposition. They defeated the Islanders twice and the Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins once each. Good on the Rangers. Good teams should fatten up on lesser opponents and the Rangers, desperate for every point they can get, did just that the past week.

Considering points squandered against the Buffalo Sabres coming out of the break and earlier in the season against teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Seattle Kraken and Predators, it’s high time the Rangers take care of business against these lower-echelon opponents.

But now that their game is coming together, the Rangers must start adding some wins against the better teams in the League. They do have a pair of victories against the Vegas Golden Knights in the New Year, but really not much else. The Rangers played well but lost 3-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs last Friday and haven’t defeated a top-tier team since knocking off the Dallas Stars 3-1 on Dec. 20.

The Rangers could also play better in the division. They’re 10-9-0 against Metropolitan Division rivals. The Capitals, by contrast, are 13-4-0 within the division.

2. Fill the net

Since Jan. 2, the Rangers are second in the NHL with 85 goals scored. They’ve netted three or more in 17 of 25 games, including four or more in 14 of those games. When the Rangers score four or more goals this season, they’re 20-3-3. Despite losing twice to Washington, New York scored four goals in one game and three in the other.

They’ll need to keep filling the net Wednesday. The Capitals lead the NHL by averaging 3.59 goals per game, including 12 in two games against the Rangers. Washington has already scored three more goals this season (219) than all of the 2023-24 campaign (216) in 21 fewer games so far.

Artemi Panarin is warming up for the Rangers with goals in consecutive games and now has 25 on the season. J.T. Miller has seven goals in 11 games since coming over Jan. 31 in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks. And power forward Will Cuylle has four goals in his past six games and is tied for second on the Rangers with 17 goals.

3. Gr8 chasing down The Great One

Alex Ovechkin arrives on Broadway 11 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL record of 894. The ageless 39-year-old has 31 goals in 45 games, second in the League with an average of 0.69 goals per game. It’s his 19th 30-goal season, most in NHL history, and he’d have a lot more this season if the Capitals captain hadn’t missed 16 games with a fractured fibula.

Ovechkin has one goal in his past three games after recording four in his previous two. He also comes in Wednesday two points away from becoming the 11th NHL player to reach 1,600 points.

In 75 games against the Rangers, Ovechkin’s scored 45 goals, including three this season. He’s scored four goals against the Rangers starting goalie on Wednesday, Igor Shesterkin.

New York Rangers projected lineup

Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere

Cuylle – J.T. Miller- Zibanejad

Othmann – Parssinen – Brodzinski

Berard – Carrick – Rempe

K. Miller – Borgen

Vaakanainen – Schneider

Jones – de Haan

Shesterkin

Quick

Rangers vs. Capitals: When, where, what time, how to watch

Who: New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals

When: Wednesday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: Madison Square Garden

How to watch: TNT

It’s the second loss in the past three games for the Rangers (6-2-1), who were defeated for the first time in five road games this season.

Washington outshot New York 46-19. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Capitals outchanced the Rangers at 5v5 by the count of 34-14.

The numbers don’t lie. The Rangers were thoroughly outplayed for most of this game by the Capitals (6-2-0), who received two goals from Alex Ovechkin and a three-point night from Aliaksei Protas, who had one goal and two assists.

Connor McMichael also scored and finished with a game-high 10 shots on goal. Logan Thompson made 16 saves, including six in the third period when the Capitals preserved a one-goal lead until Nic Dowd’s empty-net goal.

Will Cuylle, Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil scored for the Rangers.

Related: Matt Rempe bloodied in fight against Rangers former top pick

Washington Capitals 5 – New York Rangers 3

The fireworks in this one began at 2:37 of the first period, when Matt Rempe and former Rangers defenseman Dylan McIlrath dropped the gloves to fight at center ice. It was serious tilt between two of the League’s heavyweights, with McIlrath gaining the upper hand by cutting Rempe under the left eye and then forcing him down to the ice as the crowd roared at Capital One Arena.

Less than a minute later they had even more reason to get loud when Ovechkin stepped into a pass from Strome and hammered a shot between Shesterkin’s pads and into the net at 3:23.

However, 58 seconds after the game-opening score, Cuylle put a damper on the home crowd’s party. Skating down the middle, Cuylle took a pretty feed from Kaapo Kakko off the rush and wired his third goal of the season past Thompson to tie the game 1-1. The goal came on New York’s first shot after Washington raced to a 5-0 shots lead.

Kaapo gets it going +  a ~fine~ finish from Cools. pic.twitter.com/YEmD2THUc8

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 29, 2024

Ovechkin scored his second of the game and fourth of the season less than a minute later to restore Washington’s one-goal lead at 5:10, capping a wild sequence of three goals in 1:47. On this one, Ovechkin got behind Rangers defenseman Adam Fox to get a stick on a pass from Protas.

The Capitals added to their lead when McMichael scored his fourth of the season at 8:58 to make it 3-1. Somehow Shesterkin didn’t allow another goal in the period despite being under siege. Washington outshot New York 19-5 in what was likely the worst all-around period the Rangers have played this season.

The Rangers began the second period on the power play and quickly took advantage. Kreider was credited with his sixth goal when a Mika Zibanejad slap pass went into the net off Kreider’s skate just 30 seconds into the period.

Skating 4-on-4, Protas canceled that goal out when he came out of the corner to deflect a Rasmus Sandin pass past Shesterkin at 4:30 to make it 4-2 Capitals.

The Rangers had a quick answer, though. Chytil split the defense right down the middle to redirect a perfect pass from Victor Mancini past Thompson just 15 seconds after the Protas goal. That was Chytil’s fourth goal of the season.

Filip Chytil with the dish, weave through the defense, and tip 🤌 pic.twitter.com/vZru2FGBae

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 30, 2024

Shesterkin kept the Rangers in the game with an incredible scorpion pad save on a McMichael breakaway at 5:30. Then two minutes later he stopped Protas on a wild breakaway when the Capitals forward grabbed a stick from the bench on the fly after previously breaking another stick earlier in the shift.

The Caps' equipment manager almost got an apple on the scoresheet after having Aliaksei Protas' stick ready to hand off in stride on the breakaway 😳 pic.twitter.com/PvuBEYBHEY

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 30, 2024

At the other end of the ice, Zibanejad hammered a pair of shots on net from the left circle on a Rangers power play, but Thompson denied each. Later in the period, the Rangers took off on a 3-on-2 rush, but Rempe, the trailer, had his shot blocked up into the netting.

The second period ended with the Capitals leading 4-3 on the scoreboard and up 33-13 in shots on goal.

Shesterkin came to the rescue again early in the third period, making a sensational diving save to rob Pierre-Luc Dubois cutting through the crease. The Rangers nearly tied the game but Reilly Smith’s open look was saved by Thompson’s blocker and the puck then caromed off the post.

Thompson made his best save of the night, robbing an open Chytil from right wing following a gorgeous cross-crease feed by Kakko with under nine minutes to play in regulation.

Though the Capitals were unable to pad their lead with Shesterkin stopping all 12 shots he faced in the third period, they scored with him on the bench for an extra attacker. Dowd iced the game with the empty-net goal at 19:20.

This was the Rangers’ final game in the month of October. Their next game is Friday — Nov. 1 — when they host the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden.

On his first shift of the game, Rempe dropped the gloves for the first time this season, squaring off with former Rangers defenseman Dylan McIlrath. Like the heavyweights they are, Rempe and McIlrath fought at center ice, a rousing bout that left Rempe bloodied and had McIlrath roaring out loud like a lion when he headed to the penalty box.

There were several huge punches thrown, including a right hand by McIlrath after Rempe lost his helmet, and a left that drove Rempe’s visor into his cheekbone, causing a gash that required stitches. Rempe eventually got McIlrath’s bucket off as well.

A spirited tilt between 6'9" Matt Rempe and 6'5" Dylan McIlrath to kick off the game#NYR | #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/BAp6fq3wgh

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) October 29, 2024

It wasn’t the first time these two fought. They had a rousing bout in the American Hockey League in November 2022 when Rempe was with the Hartford Wolf Pack and Mcilrath played for the Hershey Bears.

Speaking of the Wolf Pack, Rempe returned to the Rangers on Monday after being assigned to Hartford and playing two AHL games this past weekend. He played heavy minutes, including on the power play and penalty kill. This after averaging 5:39 TOI in two games with the Rangers prior to Tuesday.

“Got to go play 17/18/19 minutes the last two games, played center, played all situations. It was good for me,” Rempe told reporters Monday. “Hadn’t played a lot of minutes in a long while so it was good for me to get all those game situations, feel the puck, play not just the physical side and play in a top-six role.”

Related: Dylan McIlrath goes from Rangers bust to Capitals regular: ‘it’s been quite the journey’

Matt Rempe gets into heavyweight fight for Rangers against Capitals’ Dylan McIlrath

The fight was Rempe’s first since April 3 last season against Kurtis MacDermid of the New Jersey Devils. That one was hard to forget since it was of a line brawl to begin that night’s game between the Rangers and their Hudson River rivals, something that had been brewing for weeks.

McIlrath now has had two fights this season; the other was another heavyweight throwdown with Nicolas Deslauriers of the Philadelphia Flyers last week. McIlrath played his seventh game for the Capitals on Tuesday since replacing the injured Matt Roy in the lineup. The 32-year-old defenseman has not played this many games in the NHL since he appeared in 16 games with the Detroit Red Wings in 2019-20.

Selected by the Rangers with the No. 10 pick in the 2010 draft, McIlrath played his 82nd NHL game Tuesday.

It’ll be a rematch of the first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series between these Metropolitan Division rivals, after the Rangers swept the Capitals in four games last spring. The Rangers outscored the Capitals 15-7 in the sweep after the teams split the regular-season series 2-2-0.

Outscoring the opposition by a significant amount is a theme for the Rangers this season, too. They have a plus-18 goal differential, tied for second-best in the NHL behind the Vegas Golden Knights (plus-19).

However, their most recent game was a tight one. The Rangers edged the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 behind Jonathan Quick’s brilliant play on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

Quick will watch Igor Shesterkin get the call against the Capitals. Shesterkin knows a thing or two about brilliant play. He’s 4-1-1 out of the gate, with a 2.16 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in six starts.

Speaking of goal differentials, the Capitals (5-2-0) sit at a plus-five. That’s significant because last season they incredibly sneaked into the playoffs with a whopping minus-37 goal differential. The main difference is that Washington is scoring more, with 12 skaters finding the back of the net already this season.

Tom Wilson leads the way with five goals and Dylan Strome has nine points (three goals, six assists) in seven games.

That’s not quite Artemi Panarin territory, but it’s an improvement for the Capitals. Panarin (six goals, nine assists), by the way, is tied for sixth in the NHL scoring race with 15 points and can extend his point-scoring streak from the start of the season to nine games on Tuesday.

Related: Matt Rempe back with Rangers, OK with AHL assignment, ‘want to grow my game’

3 things to watch for when Rangers visit Capitals

1. Road warriors

The Rangers are 4-0-0 on the road to begin the season, tying a franchise record. They would establish a team record for longest road winning streak to begin a season with a victory Tuesday. They’d also become the 24th NHL team all-time to start the season with five straight road wins.

New York’s outscored their four hosts so far 22-5, including a 6-0 shutout against the Penguins in Pittsburgh on opening night and most recently a 7-2 win last Tuesday at Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens. The Rangers have not allowed more than two goals in any road game. Since 2021-22, the Rangers have the second best goals-against average (2.63) on the road in the NHL.

Last season, the Rangers were third in the NHL with 25 road wins. However, they lost twice to the Capitals at Capital One Arena. They did defeat the Capitals twice on the road in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to complete a four-game sweep. Washington is 3-1-0 at home this season, including wins against the Golden Knights and Dallas Stars.

2. New defense pairs, again

After using the same three defense pairs in the first four games of the season, the Rangers will go with their fourth different set in the past five games Tuesday.

Victor Mancini is expected back in the lineup after he was a healthy scratch Saturday. He’ll play on the right side with Braden Schneider on the left. Zac Jones, who played Saturday, will be scratched for the fourth time in five games. Ryan Lindgren skates with Jacob Trouba, and the K’Andre Miller – Adam Fox pair remains intact for the ninth consecutive game.

3. Chasing the Great One

Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin has two goals this season and is 40 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL record for most goals (894). The 39-year-old finished with 31 goals last season after a dismal start, though he looked like a shell of himself in the playoffs against the Rangers. He had scored 40+ goals in eight of the previous nine seasons, not including the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season when he had 24 goals in 45 games.

He’s not as dynamic as he once was, but Ovechkin is still the biggest threat in Washington’s lineup. Ovechkin has scored 42 goals in 73 games against the Rangers, though only two in 10 games against Shesterkin.

New York Rangers projected lineup

Kreider – Zibanejad – Smith

Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere

Cuylle – Chytil – Kakko

Edstrom – Carrick – Rempe

Miller – Fox

Lindgren – Trouba

Schneider – Mancini

Shesterkin

Quick

Check back for updates after Rangers coach Peter Laviolette meets with the media Tuesday morning.

Rangers vs. Capitals: When, where, what time, how to watch

Who: New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals

When: Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: Capital One Arena

How to Watch: ESPN

Click here for New York Rangers complete 2024-25 schedule and game results

But if you expect any negative vibes from the 6-foot-9 forward about being assigned to Hartford of the American Hockey League for two games this past weekend, then you’ll be disappointed. In fact, Rempe was extremely upbeat about the opportunity to play big minutes in all game situations for the Wolf Pack, even if it was down in the minors.

“I’m so young still. I want to go play games. I want to grow my game,” Rempe told reporters after practice. “I got to get a lot better in all areas. I think that’s great for me to go play. That was the first time I played PK and power play in a pro hockey game ever … So that was great.”

The 22-year-old appeared in two of New York’s first seven games, averaging 5:39 TOI. So, knowing that Rempe wouldn’t be in the lineup against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, the Rangers sent him to Hartford for games Friday and Sunday.

Though he didn’t record a point and was minus-3, Rempe benefitted greatly from the opportunity to simply play, and play a lot.

“Got to go play 17/18/19 minutes the last two games, played center, played all situations. It was good for me,” Rempe explained. “Hadn’t played a lot of minutes in a long while so it was good for me to get all those game situations, feel the puck, play not just the physical side and play in a top-six role.”

Related: Brennan Othmann out 4-6 weeks with upper-body injury for Wolf Pack

Rangers ‘saw an opportunity’ for Matt Rempe to get extra work in this past weekend

The Rangers fourth line has been at its best in their 6-1-1 start to the season with Adam Edstrom and Jonny Brodzinski flanking center Sam Carrick. That hasn’t left much of an opportunity for Rempe, who worked hard this summer on improving each aspect of his game, including time spent with teammate Chris Kreider.

With forward Jimmy Vesey practicing again and eligible to come off LTIR on Sunday against the Islanders, Rempe could be facing an extended stretch in the AHL. But, as Rempe pointed out, he’s young still and time in the minors can be a positive for him.

“Him going down and playing two games and playing 16-18 minutes in all situations, that’s great of him and his development,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said Monday. “He’s a young player that’s continuing to work at his game, work at his craft. We saw an opportunity, got an opportunity to go down and get him some minutes and we did that.”

Rempe took first reps as the right wing on the fourth line at practice, with Brodzinski skating as the extra forward. That’d make sense since the Rangers visit the Capitals next, and Washington deploys a heavy lineup that features the likes of Tom Wilson and former Blueshirt Dylan McIlrath.

That could’ve been part of the thought process all along. Let Rempe play big minutes over the weekend in the minors so that he’s ready for his next crack in the Rangers lineup Tuesday.

Then it’s the Ottawa Senators coming to MSG on Friday, and the Islanders following them in Sunday. But Laviolette won’t make any guarantees about future lineups or where Rempe fits or doesn’t moving forward.

“We’re going to put the roster in that we feel gives us the best chance of being successful.”

Now, that doesn’t mean all business is complete. The Rangers, for instance, still need to work out a new contract with RFA defenseman Ryan Lindgren before his salary arbitration hearing. Other teams, like the Boston Bruins with goalie Jeremy Swayman, are in the same boat. And never sleep on a late-summer trade either — just look back one year ago when the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson in a major deal with the San Jose Sharks on Aug. 6.

But, yes, by and large the biggest moves have been made. So, it’s a good time to re-set and see where the Rangers stand in the Metropolitan Division two months before training camp starts and nearly three months before the start of the 2024-25 NHL season.

Related: Why Chad Ruhwedel signing was smart move by Rangers

Where Rangers stand in Metropolitan Division during 2024 offseason

Let’s break down what each of the eight teams in the Metropolitan Division did this offseason and see where the Rangers stand as a result.

New York Rangers

Let’s start with the Blueshirts, who did not make a big splash this offseason despite trying to open up salary-cap space to do so. The failed Jacob Trouba trade kind of squashed any chance to sign a major free agent, and may have repercussions in the dressing room moving forward.

The Rangers traded for veteran forward Reilly Smith, who’ll likely get a whack at filling the void at right wing alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. He’s 33, won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, and has only one year remaining on his contract, of which the Penguins are picking up 25 percent of his salary. So, all in all, that sounds like an upgrade to Jack Roslovic, who, in turn, signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes after an unsuccessful run with the Blueshirts.

The Rangers also added Sam Carrick to replace Barclay Goodrow as fourth-line center after the two-time Cup champ was claimed off waivers by the Sharks. Carrick’s a cheaper option, not as accomplished, but brings some grit to the Rangers.

Kaapo Kakko was re-signed to an affordable one-year, $2.4 million contract. And he remains even after trade rumors were swirling before the NHL Draft, with New York hoping he can figure it out production-wise, just as Alexis Lafreniere did last season.

The Rangers let Erik Gustafsson leave in free agency, where he signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings. That means Zac Jones, 23, will get his chance as a regular on the third pairing. Chad Ruhwedel was brought back at the NHL minimum to be the seventh defenseman.

So, not much change here. Which means that the Rangers bring back most of the squad that won the Presidents’ Trophy, established franchise records for wins (55) and points (114) and was within two victories of reaching the Stanley Cup Final.

They’re still the team to beat in the division, and could be even better if Filip Chytil stays healthy and takes off offensively, and Kakko and Jones find their next levels.

Related: What we learned about Rangers in 1st week of NHL free agency

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs six years in a row, had three straight 100-point seasons and finished three points behind the Rangers last season after winning the division the two years prior.

But the Hurricanes had a rough offseason. Though they did lock up coach Rod Brind’Amour and top defenseman Jaccob Slavin with new contracts, the Hurricanes lost two key forwards (Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen) and two top-four defensemen (Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei) among others in free agency. Always one of the deepest teams in the League, Carolina is much thinner now and not as much of a threat to New York.

And on Monday came news out of Russia that center Evgeny Kuznetsov will terminate the final year of his contract with Carolina so that he can play in the KHL.

They still have the makings of a playoff team, though. Signing defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker to a top-four that already included Slavin and Dmitry Orlov is not bad — just not as good as having Pesce and Skjei. Re-signing underrated defenseman Jalen Chatfield and grinding forward Jordan Martinook were smart moves.

Though Sebastain Aho and Andrei Svechnikov are under contract for years to come, they aren’t surrounded by quality depth in the top-six forward group. Roslovic was signed, and the Rangers can tell you that’s probably not the answer, and free-agent adds Tyson Jost and William Carrier will fit in fine in the middle six.

Then there’s how they handle Martin Necas, the RFA forward who has requested a trade. It could be a bumpy ride for the Hurricane sin 2024-25.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets finished last in the division in two of the past three seasons and failed to make the playoffs four years running. They remain a team in transition and one likely fighting just to get out of the basement in the Metro next season.

New general manager Don Waddell still needs to hire a coach and must address Patrik Laine’s trade request at some point, though Laine remains in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. So, those are two big issues to be addressed.

Columbus did make a significant add in free agency, signing center Sean Monahan to a four-year contract. And they still have plenty of salary-cap space moving forward.

If Jonny Gaudreau can get his game going, Adam Fantilli can stay healthy and take a big step in his development and they can get a decent return for Laine, the Blues Jackets should be more competitive next season. But they’re no threat to the Rangers nor the other teams at the top of the division.

New Jersey Devils

No team has improved itself more in the Metro than the Devils.

They solidified their weakest spot by trading for veteran goalie Jacob Markstrom. They fortified their defense corps by signing Pesce and Brenden Dillon, and acquiring the underrated Johnathan Kovacevic. They added middle-six forwards Tomas Tatar, Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter. And they have a new coach, Sheldon Keefe.

That’s nice haul for one offseason. Especially since the core of this team is already so good. Remember before injuries and brutal goaltending blew up their 2023-24 season, the Devils finished second in the division the year before and knocked the Rangers out in the first-round of the playoffs.

The Devils still have Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, a healthy Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec in their core. Now they built up the lineup around them.

Look for the Devils to be the top competition for the Rangers in the Metro next season.

New York Islanders

Lou Lamoriello and Co. are sticking with what got the Islanders to consecutive conference finals earlier in the decade. So, they’ll be running it back with a familiar lineup, though with the addition of speedy former Rangers wing Anthony Duclair added to the mix.

Duclair should provide needed offensive production and do so at an affordable $3.5 million AAV. And there’s still Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Brock Nelson and Anders Lee in that top six. And Noah Dobson is an emerging star on the back end.

Their biggest add arrived last January, that being coach Patrick Roy. It shouldn’t be underestimated what he brings to this team.

If they can remain healthy, something that was an issue last season on their D corps especially, and Ilya Sorokin can regain his Vezina Trophy-finalist form, the Islanders will hang around to fight for a wild-card berth from the Eastern Conference and possibly third place in the division.

Philadelphia Flyers

John Tortorella deserved more Jack Adams votes as NHL coach of the year than he ended up receiving for the job he did with the Flyers last season. Somehow, that team was in a playoff spot right up until the final weeks of the regular season before finishing four points out of a wild-card berth.

A solid and improving roster mix of younger players and solid veterans returns almost intact this season, minus forward Cam Atkinson who had his contract bought out. But the Flyers will have tantalizing 19-year-old rookie Matvei Michkov, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, after the forward gained his release from the KHL. That’s a real nice surprising add for the Flyers this season.

Another reason to be excited is the first full season of 27-year-old goalie Ivan Fedotov, who will share time with another solid youngster Sam Ersson. And talented defenseman Jamie Drysdale is healthy again.

Expectations will be higher next season, but the Flyers should be even better, a team on the rise after four straight seasons out of the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Limited by the salary cap, the Pittsburgh Penguins worked on the edges of their roster, trying to build around the veteran core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeny Malkin, Bryan Rust, Kris Letang and Karlsson.

They curiously acquired former Rangers center Kevin Hayes, and also did a good job adding solid bottom-six forward Blake Lizotte. They signed former Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelczyk, who is very good when healthy. They also added forward Anthony Beauvillier to the middle six and defenseman Sebastian Aho to battle for the 6th/7th role.

Oh, and they did trade Smith to the Rangers for a pair of draft picks.

Nothing sexy happening here. And the biggest news in the Steel City will be Crosby’s contract extension when it’s finalized. Is it all enough to end a two-year playoff drought? Or this the beginning stages of an extended stay out of the postseason?

Washington Capitals

After sneaking into the playoffs as the second wild card and then getting swept by the Rangers in the first round, the Capitals got busy this summer.

They made a major trade of bad contracts when they acquired center Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Los Angeles Kings for goalie Darcy Kuemper. Dubois has bounced from team to team for a reason, but the talent is there and he’s still only 25 years old. Plus the Capitals desperately needed help down the middle. So, Dubois gets another chance.

Washington also traded for wing Andrew Mangiapane to provide scoring depth and signed hard-working Brandon Duhaime for a middle-six role.

The Capitals reshaped their back end by trading for defenseman Jakob Chychrun and signing solid stay-at-home defenseman Matt Roy in free agency. They also acquired goalie Logan Thompson in a trade with the Golden Knights to form a quality tandem with Charlie Lindgren.

Add to the mix that young forward Hendrix Lapierre heads a group of prospects that helped Hershey win its second straight Calder Cup championship in the American Hockey League, and there’s enough there to figure Washington will be right in the playoff mix again this season.

And that’s without mentioning Alex Ovechkin even once. Until now.

The Rangers signed restricted free agent forward Kaapo Kakko to a one-year, $2.4 million contract and then placed veteran forward Barclay Goodrow on waivers, where he was claimed by the San Jose Sharks. That freed up $3.6 million in salary cap space the next three years.

Of course, bigger news could be on the way since the Rangers are reportedly looking to trade captain Jacob Trouba. The hope there is that all, or at least part, of his annual $8 million cap hit would disappear, though New York would have to go find another top-six defenseman to replace him. All of this could lead to further issues if he’s not traded, so stay tuned.

Contracts still need to be negotiated and signed with RFA defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Braden Schneider.

The other teams within the division have been just as busy.

Related: Top right-wing options likely will be available for Rangers when free agency begins

Rangers, division rivals taking care of business before NHL free agency begins

Perhaps the biggest offseason move within the Metropolitan Division, so far, is an underrated one. The Philadelphia Flyers and stud forward Matvei Michkov, the No. 7 overall pick from the 2023 NHL Draft, are working on a contract after he terminated his KHL deal.

I'm told that it looks like Matvei Michkov is leaving SKA and will be joining the Philadelphia Flyers.

— Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) June 23, 2024

Michkov is a highly-touted prospect, who fell to the Flyers at No. 7 due to questions about how long he would stay in Russia after being drafted. Now that pick is looking like an absolute steal and the 19-year-old will have a chance to make the Flyers roster out of training camp.

“This is a huge win for the Flyers and their fanbase. It’s going to be very interesting to see what it does for their projection,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said on a recent episode of 32 Thoughts.

Philadelphia was a pleasant surprise this season, holding down the third seed in the Metro for most of the season. A late collapse, including losing nine of 11 to close out the season, saw the Flyers finish four points out of the second wild card from the Eastern Conference.

It’s not an exact mirror of a situation, but the Rangers expedited their rebuild after landing star winger Artemi Panarin in free agency. Now the Flyers rebuild is receiving a major shot in the arm.

“I don’t think it’s fair to compare him to Panarin, cause Panarin had been in the League for longer,” Friedman added. “But remember, the Rangers talked about a complete teardown, and then Panarin showed up on their lap and the rebuild was over. I don’t think that’s 100 percent a fair comparison, but injecting that talent into your lineup sooner than you expected — it’s going to change the trajectory of the franchise.”

The don’t have a ton of cap space — in fact, their $4.32 million is third lowest in the NHL, and that’s after buying out Cam Atkinson, which is another significant piece of business taken care of. Let’s see how creative they can get in free agency.

The New Jersey Devils have been extremely busy this offseason, starting with hiring Sheldon Keefe as coach. Right after that, they made headlines by trading for goalie Jacob Markstrom, addressing one of their biggest issues from this past season, when they shockingly missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Jacob Markstrom, acquired by NJ, is a veteran starting goaltender who has been very good in two of the past three seasons. #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/pX2PkgEbAo

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 19, 2024

With Markstrom the new No. 1, and veteran Jake Allen acquired late last season to be the No. 2, the Devils shipped goalie Akira Schmid to the Vegas Golden Knights along with former first-round pick Alexander Holtz for rugged forward Paul Cotter and a third-round pick in 2025.

The Devils also traded top-four defenseman John Marino to Utah for a second-round pick Saturday, No. 49 overall. That was a key move because it opened up a lineup spot and some cash for the Devils main offseason target, UFA defenseman Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes.

A team on the rise two seasons ago, the Devils are aiming to bounce back in a major way in 2024-25, and are making major strides toward that goal already.

Carolina’s been active in their own right, signing defenseman Jalen Chatfield to a three-year deal before he could become a free agent. And after failing to get pending UFA forward Jake Guentzel to bite on an eight-year, $64 million contract offer, the Hurricanes traded his negotiating rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday for a third-round draft pick.

With Guentzel gone and Pesce, Brady Skjei, Teuvo Teravainen, Jordan Martinook, Tony DeAngelo and Stefan Noesen among those set hit free agency July 1, the Hurricanes could be the team that changes the most in the Metro before next season. Plus, they’re looking to move disgruntled RFA forward Martin Necas in a trade.

The Washington Capitals, who snuck into the postseason with 91 points this past season before being swept by the Rangers in the first round, have been retooling their roster too. Stunningly, they took on the final seven seasons of Pierre-Luc Dubois’ contract worth $8.5 million per in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings. It’s a risky move, but if they can get the big-bodied center right, he can be an important boost offensively for a team that needs it.

To that end, the Capitals also acquired forward Andrew Mangiapane in a trade with the Calgary Flames. He scored 35 goals in 2021-22 but has just 31 goals the past two seasons since.

Washington also acquired goalie Logan Thompson on Saturday from the Vegas Golden Knights. He’ll pair with breakout star Charlie Lindgren to give the Capitals a solid — and extremely cap-friendly ($1.866 million combined) — goalie tandem next season since they already sent veteran goalie Darcy Kuemper to the Kings in the Dubois trade.

Former Golden Knight Logan Thompson honoring his commitment to sign autographs at the #NHLDraft, as fans express their heartfelt good-byes.#VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/2HefKW4Yus

— WillieGRamireZ (@WillieGRamirez) June 29, 2024

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the fray Saturday, trading for former Rangers forward Kevin Hayes in a deal with the St. Louis Blues. Last week, they also re-signed No. 2 goalie Alex Nedeljkovic before he could his free agency July 1.

It’s been a quiet offseason so far for the New York Islanders, who are up against the cap and need to make a trade to free up some money. So far, their biggest offseason news was Ryan Pulock’s insane wedding and reception Saturday. Well, that, or the well-received selection of forward Cole Eiserman with the No. 20 overall pick in first round of the NHL draft on Friday.

As for the Columbus Blue Jackets, they’ve kicked the tires on trading forward Patrik Laine, but can’t consummate any deal until he’s officially out of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. There was word Sunday that Columbus is going to buy out the final season of defenseman Adam Boqvist’s contract.

So, the Rangers and their Metropolitan Division rivals are taking care of business. But it’s really going to get serious Monday. Stay tuned.