Records…

Capitals-
Overall: 50-24-8
Last 10: 6-2-2

Rangers-
Overall: 43-30-9
Last 10: 5-4-1

Season Series…
3-1 Capitals

Highlights of Last Meeting…

Previous Playoff Meeting…
1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals (4-1 Rangers)

RLD ‘Playoff Formula’…

Capitals- 54.18
Rangers- 34.88

RLD ‘Playoff Formula’ Predicts…

Capitals in 4 or 5

Tale of the Tape…

Forwards-
Edge: Capitals… Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom – do I need to go any further??

Defensemen-
Edge: Capitals… New York has more depth on the back end, but I just like Washington’s defensive core a bit more.

Goaltending-
Edge: Rangers… Henrik Lundqvist > Jose Theodore.

Special Teams-
Edge: Capitals… Rangers are tops on PK, Caps are 2nd on the PP; but New York’s poor man advantage gives the edge to Washington.

Coaching-

Edge: Rangers… Just a slight edge here; Tortorella has a Cup, Boudreau does not.

Experience-

Edge: Rangers… They have a roster filled with playoff experience. Most of these Caps are in their 2nd playoff season.

Team X-Factors…

Capitals-
Sergei Fedorov… With the Caps lacking a bit on the experience side of things, Fedorov could come through big-time for this bunch. On a line between Semin and Brooks Laich, Fedorov could really do some damage. He has 168 points to his credit in 169 career playoff games. He’s also someone that the team can look to in the locker room before/during big games.

Rangers-
Henrik Lundqvist… The Rangers’ hopes of winning this series obviously rest on the shoulders of ‘King Henrik’. He’s been their catalyst all season long, and the team is still struggling to score goals even with the deadline additions.

Key Injuries…

Capitals-
RW Chris Clark (wrist, doubtful for series)
D Tom Poti, F Donald Brashear (status for series unknown)

Rangers-
None

Keys to the Series…

Capitals-
1. Consistent Theodore… I don’t know if this will even be problem – here’s why: in 4 career 1st round series as a starter, Theodore is 16-8 (he has not lost a 1st round). And, in his last 3 postseason appearances (with MTL & COL) he is 12-6 with a 2.17 GAA. His troubles have historically come in round 2.
2. Ignore the pest… We all know who I’m talking about here! The Caps cannot let him get under their skin. He got all over Brodeur in the playoffs last year, and he’ll be in Theodore’s kitchen from the get-go. The Caps need to ignore him and make him become nonexistent.

Rangers-
1. Follow the leaders… Here, I’m talking about Drury & Gomez. They need to step up, and the rest of the team needs to follow. Some interesting stats: when Gomez scores, the Rangers are 13-2-1… when Drury scores, the Rangers are 13-2-2. See where I’m going?
2. Score first… This team cannot afford to fall behind to the high-powered Caps. New York struggles to score, so they need to try to pounce on Washington early in every game and get the momentum.

Why the Capitals will win…

Their offense will give anyone fits, no matter who’s in net. This is the 2nd rodeo for the likes of Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, Green, etc… so they know what to expect. They’re hungry to go deep this spring, and won’t let Theodore’s inconsistencies get in front of their ultimate goal. A solid, consistent defensive effort out of this bunch could take them a long way.

Why the Rangers will win…

Henrik Lundqvist, period. But for conversation sake, here’s other ways they’d win. The Rangers, who have the #1 PK in the league, could use that as an advantage and shut down Washington’s #2 PP. Also, if they’re able to get secondary scoring from Antropov, Naslund, and Dubinsky, that’d be a big boost to this team. But I don’t see it happening…

PREDICTION… CAPITALS IN 5

[Source: RedLightD.Blogspot.com]

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