The New York Rangers have had a dream start after being shut out on opening night, with four consecutive wins. They have outscored their opponents 16-5 over that span, including wins over the Utah Mammoth and Tampa Bay Lightning -- both projected to be playoff contenders by season's end. Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals have won two of their first three games and look every bit as dangerous as people expected after a great offseason to build a potential winner around Alexander Ovechkin's last season.
It’s hard to bet against the Rangers with the way they are playing, led by Igor Shesterkin and his 1.76 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. Their best players have also been contributing, with Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox and Alexis Lafreniere tied for the team lead with five points. They have been a much more balanced team than people expected.
The Rangers may be deep, but few teams can match the Capitals' full lineup over an 84-game season and two months of playoffs. The perspective on the Rangers is starting to change, and they'll likely be better than projected, but Washington could give them a dose of reality in their first matchup with one of the Metropolitan Division’s top dogs. Take the Capitals to win at home on Friday night.
Rangers vs Capitals prediction: Washington ML (-135) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.
