NY Rangers (32-36-9) vs Washington Capitals (39-29-9)
•5 April 2026 19:00 EDT
• MSG, NYC
• TV: ESPN, SN •
The Rangers, fresh off thumping the maybe playoff bound Detroit Red Wings, are set for a tilt at MSG tonight with the barely hanging on to a playoff hope Washington Capitals. A week ago, the Caps were pretty much left for dead but winning four of their last five and a few misteps above have given them life again. It is the NYR job to snuff it out again! Oh wait… that draft order thing 🤔
Shesterkin (24-17-6, 2.53 GAA, 0.912 SV%) tonight against Lindgren (9-7-3, 3.29 GAA, 0.886 SV%) for WAS as Thompson had a busy game against Buffalo yesterday. The Ranger skating lineup is expected the same.
The refs tonight are Graedy Hamilton (54 GP) and Brian Pochmara (1264 GP). The home team wins 77% and 69% of the time they are on the ice, respectively.
On this date in history: This was a crazy final day of the 1970 NHL season for the NYR.
The last two playoff berths in the East Division were contested by three teams entering the final weekend of the season. The Detroit Red Wings were in third place with 93 points, followed by the Montreal Canadiens with 92 and the New York Rangers with 90. The Red Wings captured the third seed with a 6–2 win over the Rangers on Saturday night. The Canadiens needed just one victory to clinch the fourth and final berth. A New York win and a Montreal loss in their final games would give each team identical 38–22–16 records. At that time, the next tiebreaker was goals scored, in which the Canadiens held a 242–237 advantage. The Rangers had to outscore the Canadiens by at least five goals in order to qualify for the postseason. Scoring for the Blueshirts started early and often, leading 4-1 after the first period and 7-3 after two periods. Up 9-3 late in the third period, the Rangers pulled goaltender Eddie Giacomin in an attempt to pile on more goals and to pad the overall goal scoring lead, but instead surrendered two goals to Detroit. After the final buzzer, the Rangers peppered Red Wings goaltender Crozier with a franchise-record 65 shots on goal en route to a 9–5 triumph and a four-goal lead over Montreal.
Later that evening, the Canadiens either had to win, or score at least five goals in defeat, but were up against a Black Hawks team needing a victory to clinch top seed in the divisional playoffs. With Montreal trailing 5–2 and desperate for three more goals with 9:16 remaining in the third period, coach Claude Ruel pulled netminder Rogie Vachon for an extra attacker. Instead, the Canadiens surrendered five empty-net goals in a 10–2 defeat and missed the postseason for the only time within a 46-season span from 1949 to 1994. Montreal’s Yvan Cournoyer commented on the Red Wings’ effort in the afternoon, bitterly stating, “Those guys have no pride.”
Speculative NYR lineup:
Forwards
1st line ⊳ Perreault ⋄ Zibanejad ⋄ Lafreniere
2nd line ⊳ Kartye ⋄ Miller ⋄ Sheary
3rd line ⊳ Cuylle ⋄ Trocheck ⋄ Brodzinski
4th line ⊳ Sykora ⋄ Laba ⋄ Chmelař
Defensemen
1st pair ⊳ Gavrikov ⋄ Fox
2nd pair ⊳ Fortescue ⋄ Schneider
3rd pair ⊳ Robertson ⋄ Borgen
Goalies
Starter ⊳ Shesterkin
Backup ⊳ Quick
Healthy scratch: F Edström D Iorio F Raddysh G Garand
Injured: D Vaakanainen
In the Cooler: none
Long-term IR: F Rempe (thumb)
111 responses to “It’s Go Time!”
First!
Well that was fast
Miracle on the Rangers’ ice…
Of course!
I have SN feed which unfortunately is an espn overlay. What is point of announcers if rink noise so loud?
Coolio – oy
Minx your hero scored again!
Sheary is continuing his late season Wayne Gretzky imitation. If they sign this guy for next year I’m going to wretch.
He’s our best player.
Rich
4×4 boo it!
Book it
McDummer and Ferraros = mute
I don’t think I have ever been more confident in a Ranger victory.
Sheary 5 goals in the last 11 games following 1 in the first 46…
Sheary gets more annoying every game. He’s scoring in meaningless games. If he had done that early in the season it might have made a difference. Now all he is going is hurting their draft position.
He’s streaky like that
So you can’t hear the either. I thought it was my hearing aids.
Everybody is scoring in meaningless games.
ORF not you. They should just mute announcer they are idiots
Olga so that’s the secret of the dating game? 🤣
Ovi looking like grandpa on the bench
Slow fox
1-1 I’d rather the Caps make the playoffs than Filthy or the Fishies.
Bad luck and Fox caught a little too deep. Lack of foot speed for both D didn’t help.
Olga can I pick e) none of the above?
Caps are mores desperate than some of the teams the Rangers have beaten recently.
I’m surprised Ovi wasn’t a Retirement Ranger already. We got almost all the career scorers after their prime.
Beezle, It’s a low bar to beat the flyers and the fishes.
Lacoast didn’t really think that pass would get through did he ?
Islanders fire Roy with 4 games left? Duh. I guess now they are competing with our beloved misfit organization for the clown of the year award.🤡
Please put pp2 out
believe Leon’s is promised Ovi he’d retire a capital on his own terms
*Leonsis
Ofc pp2
Its skate to be good
No pp2?
Woot woot
Pp2 was out for a little bit
blink and I missed it
Captain happy
Two skates 🤣
How are teams that desperately need the points letting the Rangers beat them?
Woot^3
So you’re saying there’s a chance?
Coo-Lee
Coolio knows the task
Rangers have as much chance making the playoffs as a sheep does in killing the butcher.
Ugh! They are enjoying being spoilers way too much.
Rangers are the best team not in the playoffs.
With Conor Sheary leading the way.
Coolio with a snipe
Woot ^4
Mikachu robbed by post
These guys are scoring like they think they can still make the playoffs 🤦🏻♂️
Jack in the box goal for Cuylle. Was the first the Caps good period?
Who would we rather have right now Panarin or Sheary?
Anyone missing bread? Seems Rangers better with gluten free diet
Caps are dead!
So much fun watching the Rangers suddenly transform into world beaters winning meaningless games while at the same time destroying their chances at getting a top five pick. Aren’t they wonderful?
Beantown buddy McDummer talking up Sheary’s 14 goal season w Craps
Pretty goal
LMAO!
Great passing
Woot^5
Lava with the no doubter pass
What are doing here this is nonsense!
Sykora is a hockey player. Definitely has a nose for the net. Considering some of the talent that is on the horizon….mostly what not appeared in Hartford yet….the future has a chance to be bright.
At this rate, the team that won the Stanley Cup in last two seasons are going to have a better draft pick than us. 😵
These rooks are fun too whatch!!!!!!!!
We don’t need no stinken draft picks.
This is fun to watch!!!!
Much better team without Panarin and his no back checking blind giveaways
Coolio being a ruffian again
Winning fights tooo!!!!!
This is so awesome
Fighting likes its 4am and the bar just closed
I like 24….I think we all do. Got him for nothing.
Wilson licking his chops, Will Charzar answer the bell?
Caps must be soooo frustrated. In a way I am too….where was this all year?
You get a car, you get a car,
Most of it was in the AHL all year, Rich
Fortesque big improvement over Vaukanain
Biggest difference – they forecheck and win loose puck battles.
slewfoot no work learning kids name
I think part of what we are seeing is the yoots are loose. Nothing to lose. The wings and craps are tight and need to win. They obviously can’t handle the pressure. As I have been saying all along Krusty was a major part of the problem.
This is style Sullivan and Drury wanted all season …would love to see Brady Tkachuk in top 6
I don’t believe I’m saying this, but is it possible that Drury has a plan? They look completely different than the team before the Olympic break.
What a great day — began with rousing all my Icelanders friends with the Roy news — now they’re out of a playoff spot, and here a 6-1 drubbing of the Craps.
2 fights – 2 wins. 2 PP goals. 6 goal on scoreboard. Again! I never be so excited last 2 seasons. Pure fun. So unexpected after shiity season.
Laba has had a shifting cast for wings all season and has made all of them work. I don’t care what number you put in front of it, the Chmelar, Laba, Sykora line has been good.
THIS TEAM as we see it now, is definitely worth to root for!
Peter Trocheck!
Seventh heaven.
I cant even root for the tank anymore. Playing their best hockey down the stretch.
7 to 1 ….hope Wilson doesn’t kill Meeka
They could make this go full circle from the Tom Wilson game that led to the purge if someone put a beating on Wilson tonight.
I’m still watching – waiting to see if anything happens with Tom Wilson.
Eight’s Great.
Coolie hattie.
Hat trick!!!!
Crush the enemy take no prisoners!
Stick Salute, Mama!
Question: Do we think this is the result of Panarin no longer in a Rangers sweater, or, the infusion of youth?
Answer: Yes.
Going to be a crazy week for the Eastern wild card
Should have traded Bread in October…
Craig….I think both
Hattie for Cuylle! I’m not getting fooled though. I’m withholding judgement until the games matter again in the fall.
ORF – according to Evolving-Hockey, Laba has played with at least 9 line combinations. Cuylle has played with at least 13.
Well… at this rate, they’d be lucky to pick mid 2nd round.
I’d remind we did recently drop six in a row, nice as the last couple have been
CraigWeather
The answer is they are playing with ZERO pressure.
These results mean absolutely nothing as far as the next season goes.
Getting goaltending along with a functional power play since the Olympic break
Shesty and Fox rejuvenated
Schneider playing well
Lines gelling
Yay…
ORF 21:56
I’m with you!
season ticket push for 26-27
why was Hartford so bad if these guys can play a little? something is not adding up
Fox is a HUGE difference maker on the Oside of the ice
Let’s see what they do over the Summer and how they look next fall. We are all on a sugar high at the moment. If they don’t get one of the top two picks a right D may be the best player available when they draft. I would say pick the best player, but that may not sit well with Fox. It will also be a tell of how they view Fox’s future.
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