How the Rangers Can Win the Series

Their are several keys to winning this series against the Capitals. It starts in goal with Henrik Lundqvist. If he can elevate his game, he is one of the best goalies in the league. Washington is still a young team will get frustrated and tighten their grip on their sticks if they struggle to score goals. Remember, all the pressure is on Washington to win this series. Their is not a doubt in my mind that Hank will have to steal at least 2 games to win this series.

The penalty kill will have to be near perfect against Washington's power play that is ranked 2nd in the league. Shutting the power play down can turn the tide in the series and force Washington to panic.

Managing the shift after a goal is vital against the Caps as they can score goals in bunches. The Rangers can not give the Caps any momentum after they score. Win the faceoff, get the puck deep, and cycle the puck.

If somehow this dreadful power play can wake up, the Rangers will be fine. The Capitals' penalty killing until is ranked 1 7th in the league with a 80.6 efficiency. Timely power play goals can turn the series around and give confidence to Ranger forwards that desperately need it. This can also take some pressure away from the 5 on 5 game.

Stall and Girardi must make life miserable on Ovechkin. If they can hit him with every opportunity and not give him any open ice, this series may not last long. Ovechkin is the engine of this offensive, therefore the engine must be shut down!

Avery must be effective in this series and score a couple of big goals as he did against Brodeur last series. He MUST get in the heads of the forwards as Claude Lemieux and Esa Tikkanen have down for so many years.

Torterella will have to find a way to wake Nik Zherdev up. Once he gets on a hot streak, he is very hard to stop. The Rangers need him to contribute offensively especially on the power play.

The young forwards Dubinsky, Korpikoski, and Callahan must be factors. In the first round series last year against New Jersey, both Dubinsky and Callahan scored timely goals and caused havoc for New Jersey's defense.

Lastly, Gomez and Drury must be at the top of their game. The playoffs are what fans remember and these two must live up to their contracts. You wanted 7 million a year now show me what its worth!

First Round Schedule

GAME 1: @Washington, Wed. 4/15, 7 p.m.
GAME 2: @Washington, Sat. 4/18, 1 p.m.
GAME 3: @N.Y. Rangers, Mon. 4/20, 7 p.m.
GAME 4: @N.Y. Rangers, Wed. 4/22, 7 p.m.
*GAME 5: @Washington, Fri. 4/24, 7 p.m.
*GAME 6: @N.Y. Rangers, Sun. 4/26, 2 p.m.
*GAME 7: @Washington, Tue. 4/28, TBD
* if necessary; all times Eastern