Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers: Game Preview, Predictions, Odds and Betting Tips for 2024 NHL playoffs Game 1 | April 21st, 2024

The 55-23-4 New York Rangers are set to face the 40-31-11 Washington Capitals on Sunday in the first game of a seven-match Eastern Conference playoffs series. The game will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York and will start at 3 p.m. ET. Tune in to ESPN, SN, TVAS, MNMT, or MSG to watch the game live.

The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals are set to clash in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 10th time, marking their first meeting since 2015.

The Capitals wrapped up their season on a high note, with a three-game winning streak, with their final victory being a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. They also managed to cover as +120 road underdogs.

On the other, the Rangers concluded their season with consecutive victories, including a 4-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Monday, while covering as -205 home favorites.

Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers: Game preview

The New York Rangers, with an average of 3.39 goals per game, rank seventh in the league and concede 2.80 goals per game, also ranking seventh. Their power play has a success rate of 26.9%, placing them 3rd in the league.

Artemi Panarin is the team's top scorer with 49 goals and 71 assists for a total of 120 points. He is closely followed by Chris Kreider with 75 points (39 goals, 36 assists) and Mika Zibanejad with 72 points (26 goals, 46 assists).

Vincent Trocheck has scored 25 goals and provided 52 assists. Adam Fox has been impressive with 56 assists, contributing to his total of 73 points. Igor Shesterkin, the team's goalie, has a 36-17-2 record, a 2.58 goals-against average, and a .913 save percentage.

Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals, who score an average of 2.63 goals per game (ranking 18th) and allow an average of 3.07 goals per game (ranking 16th), have a power-play efficiency of 20.6%.

Alexander Ovechkin leads the team with 31 goals and 34 assists, totaling 65 points. Dylan Strome contributes 67 points from 27 goals and 40 assists, and Tom Wilson adds 18 goals and 17 assists. John Carlson has provided 42 assists. In goal, Charlie Lindgren, has a 25-16-7 record, a 2.67 GAA, and a .911 save percentage.

Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers: Injury report

The Capitals and Rangers both have players injured. For the Capitals, Nicklas Backstrom is benched due to a hip injury, and Rasmus Sandin is doubtful to play due to an upper-body problem. Nick Jensen's participation is also uncertain for undisclosed reasons, and Ethan Bear is not available due to personal matters.

As for the Rangers, Blake Wheeler is out for the season with a lower-body injury, and Filip Chytil is also sidelined for the season due to an upper-body injury.

Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers: Head-to-head and significant numbers

The Rangers and Capitals have faced off a total of 244 times, with the Rangers holding a 109-106-18-11 record overall.

The Capitals' faceoff win rate stands at 46.7%, placing them 28th, while the Rangers outperform with a 52.3% win rate, ranking 7th.

On penalty kills, the Capitals have a success rate of 79.0%, ranking them 19th, while the Rangers excel with an 84.5% success rate, ranking 3rd.

Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers: Odds and prediction

The New York Rangers have won 45 of 65 games as the odds favorites this season and have gone 9-10 with odds lower than -242, which gives them a 70.8% chance of winning this game.

Meanwhile, the Capitals have found success in 26 of 63 games as the underdogs and hold a 2-6 record when playing with odds shorter than +196. That means they have a 33.8% chance of winning this contest.

Prediction: Capitals 4 - 3 Rangers.

Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers: Betting tips

Tip 1: Capitals to win.

Tip 2: Total goals over 5.5: Yes.

Tip 3: Alexander Ovechkin to score anytime: Yes.

Tip 4: Chris Kreider to score first: Yes.

Tip 5: Rangers to beat the spread: Yes.