Rangers-Capitals rivalry

Rangers-Capitals rivalry

Teams	New York Rangers Washington Capitals
First meeting	October 9, 1974 (Madison Square Garden)
Latest meeting	March 5, 2020 (Madison Square Garden
Next meeting	TBD
Statistics
Meetings total	280
All-time series	136-118-18-8 (WSH)
Regular season series	108-91-18-8 (WSH)
Postseason results	28-27 (WSH)
Current win streak	W2 (NYR)
Post-season history
1986 Patrick Division Final	4-2 (NYR)
1990 Patrick Division Final	4-1 (WSH)
1991 Patrick Division Semifinal	4-2 (WSH)
1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals	4-1 (NYR)
2009 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals	4-3 (WSH)
2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals	4-1 (WSH)
2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals	4-3 (NYR)
2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals	4-3 (NYR)
2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals	4-3 (NYR)

The Rangers–Capitals rivalry is a rivalry that takes place in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference between New York Rangers and Washington Capitals. Both teams have had a rivalry since the early 1980s when the Capitals joined the Patrick Division. The rivalry got heated in the 1990s, but has been most fired up as of 2015 with five series within seven years since 2009.

1980s

With the League realigning to configure the new teams from the WHA, the Capitals were subsequently placed into the Patrick Division, the same division as the Rangers. However, the Capitals still struggled to make the playoffs finishing last in the division each year until 1983, where they finally made the playoffs for the first time in their history. The Rangers meanwhile were making the playoffs, but fell each year to the New York Islanders (except 1980). The Capitals, as well, lost to Islanders each year until 1986.

During the 1986 playoffs, the two teams met for the first time in the playoffs. During the Patrick Division Final of these two rivals, the teams split the first four games before the Rangers took games five and six to win the series. The Ranger's season came to an end when they were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens in the Wales Conference Final.

1990s

The teams met in the Patrick Division Final in 1990 with Rangers winning the division title and beating their crosstown rival, the Islanders, in five games in the semifinal. The Capitals were coming off a 4–2 series win over the New Jersey Devils in the semifinal. Game one was taken by the Rangers by a score of 7–3 with a hat trick by Bernie Nicholls. The Capitals took game two by a score of 6–3, however they lost their star forward Dino Ciccarelli to a knee injury in the process. The Capitals then dominated the rest of the series winning game three 7–1 and game four 4–3 in overtime. John Drucewould then score the series-winning goal in overtime in game five in New York to send the Capitals to the Conference Final against the Boston Bruins. However, the President's Trophy-winning Bruins would sweep the Capitals in four straight.

The next year, the two met in the division semifinals. The Rangers took Games 1 and 3 2–1 and 6–0 respectively. The Capitals took the next three games to defeat Rangers in six games, but the Capitals lost against the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins. In 1992, both teams made the playoffs with the top two regular season records, but both lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins who won another Stanley Cup that year.

In 1994, the two would meet for the last time until 2009. The Rangers won the President's Trophy that year and swept the Islanders in the first round while the Capitals defeated the Penguins in six games. The Rangers took the first three games easily before the Capitals stayed alive by winning game four. The Rangers then took game five and became the eventual Stanley Cup champions, their first since 1940.

2000s

With the 1998 realignment moving the Capitals into the Southeast Division, and both teams struggling to make the playoffs until 2007, the rivalry died down. However, the emergence of Alex Ovechkin for the Capitals has allowed his team to reenter the playoffs after a three-year drought.

In 2009, the two teams met for the first time in the playoffs since 1994. The Rangers took a 3–1 series lead in the conference quarterfinals after seeing the Capitals struggle in the first four games. However, the Capitals then dominated the rest of the series outscoring the Rangers 11–4 and winning the series in 7. The Capitals would face the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins again, losing this time in seven games.

2010s

In 2010, the Rangers did not make the playoffs but the Capitals, even though they won the President's Trophy, in the conference quarterfinals gave up a 3–1 series lead to Montreal Canadiens.

In 2011, the teams met in the conference quarterfinals, with the Rangers as the eighth seed and the Capitals first overall in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals would win the series in five games but would be swept in the next round by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In 2012, the teams met in the conference semifinals, with the Rangers being the first in the east and the Capitals as seventh. The Rangers had come off a hard-fought series against the Ottawa Senators while the Capitals had defeated the Stanley Cup-defending Bruins in seven games. All 7 games was won by the defeated team of the previous game. The Rangers would be defeated by their cross-river rivals, the New Jersey Devils.

In 2013, the Rangers and Capitals met in the conference quarterfinals. The home team took the first five games, thus allowing the Capitals to take a 3–2 series lead. However, the Rangers' goaltender Henrik Lundqvist shutout the Capitals in games six and seven to win the series.

In 2014, the conferences and divisions were realigned placing the Capitals back into the same division as the Rangers.

In 2015, the Rangers and Capitals met in Round 2 of the playoffs after the Capitals missed the previous year. The Capitals stormed to a 3–1 series lead with help from their goaltender Braden Holtby limiting the goals allowed to only four. The Rangers would then mount a comeback winning in game 5 on an overtime goal by Ryan McDonagh. After the loss in game six, Capitals' captain Alex Ovechkin made a guarantee that his team would come back and win game seven similar to Mark Messier's guarantee about games 6 and 7 with the Rangers against the Devils after trailing the series 3–2. In game seven, Ovechkin's guarantee seemed to be working as he scored the first goal of the game, however, Kevin Hayes would tie it in the second period. In overtime, Ovechkin's guarantee proved to be false as the Rangers' Derek Stepan scored to send his team to the conference final for the second year in a row while the Capitals gave up their fifth all-time 3–1 series lead, the most in the NHL.

On March 5, 2020, 6 days before the NHL was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the game was won by the Rangers 6-5 in OT. Carl Hagelin scored to make it 1-0, then Mika Zibanejad scored for to tie it up. Then Zibanejad scored again for his second. Then it went back and forth; Ilya Kovalchuk, Tony DeAngelo, Garnet Hathaway then Zibanejad got his hat trick. Then him and Ovechkin went back and forth, until Zibanejad got his 4th. Then Ovechkin with his 2nd. In OT, 33 seconds in, Zibanejad got his 5th goal in the game. He was the 3rd player in Rangers history to score 5 goals in 1 game.