Special teams will be stronger than ever in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In some cases, power plays and penalty kills can be the difference between winning and losing a game.
Besides 21-year-old phenom Matt Lempe, who has become the latest rock star to captivate the Garden, there’s a notable claim that the Rangers’ penalty kill made the difference in their 4-1 playoff win over the Capitals in the opening round of the playoffs. Some people may do so. on sunday.
Washington isn’t a great scoring team, but they will need to capitalize on the power play to have a chance against the Rangers.
He wasn’t able to do that on Sunday, going 0-for-4.
The Capitals immediately had their first man advantage when Lempe was ejected for a charge just 2:07 into the game.
The Rangers’ power play held the Capitals to just one run.
The Rangers also took a holding penalty on Will Quill late in the first period.
The Rangers led 3-1 in the second period and shut down the Capitals’ third power play after Alexis Lafreniere was ejected for slashing.
The Caps didn’t make a single shot on the power play.
All this despite having Alex Ovechkin, 38, the most dangerous shot in NHL history, at the top of the man advantage department.
Ovechkin failed to take a shot on goal the entire game.
The Rangers had their fourth power play in the third period when Vincent Trocheck was called for stumbling. Once again, the Capitals were held to no shots.
“That team has talented players. That power play has been effective in the NHL for 10, 12 years,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “They were a really good group. But I think our penalty kill was also on point — not just in the playoffs today, but going forward. [of the regular season]. I think we did a great job. ”
When asked if his coaching acumen, having coached many of the Capitals’ players in Washington over the past three seasons, has helped, Laviolette said: But that’s not how we do business. We’ll take a look at what you’ll be up against based on videos, education, and shows.
“I know where Ovi stands. I know they’re going to move around a little bit, but it’s more about what they’re going to do out there.”
The Rangers’ penalty kill helped them defeat the Capitals in this game.
“I think the penalty was huge,” Rangers center Barclay Goodrow said. “I thought we did a good job of limiting their shots. We had some big blocks. So, overall, it was a good night in the shootout.”
Rangers winger Jimmy Vesey said the penalty kill “has been huge for the team all year long,” adding, “The power play as well. We have confidence in both of them. They’re going to be a big force in the playoff series.” I think they can generate momentum. We have confidence in both special teams.”
