Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette couldn’t help but chuckle when asked about facing the Capitals, the team he coached just last season, in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“I’ve coached a lot of teams,” he said. “If this is a story, I’ll have a story every round.”
Indeed, Laviolette and the Rangers could theoretically reach the goal of winning a Stanley Cup by competing with the Washington, Carolina/Islanders, Boston, and Nashville teams he previously coached in some capacity. It may have to go through four teams.
Just last year, Laviolette was behind the Capitals bench when Washington missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
The Capitals’ roster has had some changes this season, including trading Evgeny Kuznetsov to Carolina before the March trade deadline, but the roster remains largely the same.
Asked if he thought he had special insight into Washington, Laviolette said, “I think it goes both ways.” “I think they have insight into me and my system as well. But that was true in the four games we played in the regular season.”
In addition to emphasizing his defensive ability, Laviolette also noted the obvious: Alex Ovechkin is an incredible goalscorer.
The Rangers bench manager noted that the Russian star forward was also a competitive and physical player, but said his goal-scoring ability was “at a level that not many people can reach.”
“I had to go through a lot over the course of 82 games,” Laviolette said. “They overcame some hardships to do it as well. You have to give them a lot of respect for the run they had to put in that position. They have good players and We have a good organization, good staff, and good players. I know a lot about that. [of] I think it’s the familiarity that we both share. No matter which team comes in, they will be capable. ”
Filip Szitil continues to participate in training without restrictions.
Despite lacking a consistent line rush, the Czech center was included in a rotation that included Chris Kreider and right wing substitutes in Mika Zibanejad.
Laviolette announced that he would not reveal any personnel or lineup changes going forward, adding that he would not comment on Sitiil’s status for Game 1.
Mika Zibanejad celebrated his 31st birthday on Thursday.
