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Rangers look to take 3-0 series lead tonight in Washington |
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The Rangers-Capitals series shifts to Washington where New York looks to take a 3-0 series lead. New York won Game 1 at even-strength and Game 2 via special teams. Washington upped their compete level Tuesday and controlled action for chunks of the contest . Game 4 is Sunday night in DC.
Rangers probable lineup for Game 3 vs. Capitals:
Kreider-Zibanejad-Roslovic
Panarin-Trocheck-Lafrenière
Cuylle-Wennberg-Kakko
Vesey-Goodrow-Rempe
Lindgren-Fox
Miller-Schneider
Gustafsson-Trouba
Shesterkin
Quick
Scratches: Brodzinski, Jones, Ruhwedel, Edstrom and Domingue
LTIR: Chytil, Wheeler
Alexander Wennberg did not practice yesterday due to a maintenance day. Stepping in as the third line center was Filip Chytil, who traveled with the team to Washington. My expectation is that we see Wennberg tonight and Chytil is scratched again. It’s possible that Chytil could slot in for Matt Rempe, who had a rough game Tuesday, which is the move I would make. If that happens, Wennberg or Cuylle would shift to wing with Will Cuylle slotting down to the fourth line next to Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.
My keys to the games:
Withstand the Caps initial foray - Tuesday, Washington came out strong, reversing what we saw from them Sunday. That initial hot stretch enabled the Capitals to jump out to a 1-0 lead in the game. If we thought that was a strong burst, Washington should be ennobled by playing in front of their home fans along with the result of their increased intensity Tuesday.
Physical play - the Capitals certainly upped their physical quotient Tuesday. With a desire to muck up the game a bit, a rise in the physical play certainly lends to that happening. Washington is trying to get New York off their game and one way of doing so is by being physical. Tom Wilson has no issues mixing up while Dylan McIlrath will play physically. With the officials calling it tightly, New York has to be smart and avoid falling prey to retaliating.
Match ups - coach Spencer Carbury now gets the final change. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette did a masterful job of matching up the offensive lines and defensive pairs against the Caps in games 1-2. Laviolette will need to be at his best to get the right match ups while on the road. Getting the right personnel on, but more than important, avoiding having the wrong players on will be key.
Change history - New York doesn’t like doing anything easy in the playoffs. In 2022, they rallied from 3-1 down against Pittsburgh and went to seven games to beat Carolina. Up 2-0 in games and in game 3 against Tampa, they let the Lightning off the hook, ultimately falling in seven contests. Last year, up 2-0 versus the Devils, they spit the bit in Game 3 and lost the series. If you go back to 2012, they also couldn’t capitalize on what was viewed as an easy match up, which cost them in the Eastern Conference Finals.
With Carolina up 3-0 in the series against the Islanders, New York needs to keep pace and not allow the Canes a ton of rest. Taking care of business tonight, and then hopefully Sunday, would allow the Rangers to be fresh for the best round. Plus, winning tonight adds even more doubt in the Capitals minds, with that psychological edge another motivator to close out the series quickly.
Maintain the current style of play - New York hasn’t fallen prey to believing their own press clippings. They have come to work in each game, not selling out for the fancy goal. Those have come, but as a product of hard work in the defensive zone and then capitalizing on their talent and creativity, rather than forcing the issue. The Blueshirts need to maintain this style again today. Don’t play for the highlight reel, make the smart play and then capitalize.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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