Rangers Vs. Capitals Game 7 Preview: It All Comes Down To One Game
The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals will battle it out tonight in a do or die Game 7 at the Verizon Center, in Washington, D.C.
Well here we are. One game that could either extend the New York Rangers post-season, or send them home for the summer. The Rangers know far too well how important these games are, as they went through two of these nerve wracking Game 7's in back-to-back rounds last year. While the wins this series haven't been that convincing, the important point is that the Rangers are finding ways to win.
Henrik Lundqvist channeled his inner god mode in Game 6 where he came away with his first shutout of this post-season. If the Rangers plan on winning tonight's game, they need Henrik to be Henrik once again. Alex Ovechkin has also been held off of the score sheet for four consecutive games, and that shouldn't change tonight.
VS. 
New York Rangers (#6 Seed) vs Washington Capitals (#3 Seed)
Series Score: 3-3 TIE
Verizon Center - Washington, DC- 8:00 PM
Television: MSG, NBCSN, TSN, RDS2 | Radio: ESPN NY 98.7
Opponent's Blog: Japers' Rink | Tickets: New York Rangers Playoff Tickets
Some Quick Thoughts:
- Marc Staal skated for just the second time since Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. He hasn't been up to the level that he wants to be still, and he will likely be sitting out tonight's game as well. Luckly, the Rangers have been playing rather well on the back end to help ease the pain of Staal missing. Either way, a lineup without Marc Staal will never feel quite right.
- Chris Kreider played a little over four minutes in yesterday's game, for whatever reason. With Ryane Clowe out of the lineup for an extended period of time, there's no reason why he shouldn't be playing more minutes. Although it probably won't happen, it would be nice to see him out there a little more often tonight. For a team struggling to get goals, it can only help them in the long run, not hurt./
Projected Lineup:
Carl Hagelin - Derek Stepan - Ryan Callahan
Mats Zuccarello - Derick Brassard - Rick Nash
Taylor Pyatt - Brian Boyle - Derek Dorsett
Chris Kreider - Brad Richards - Arron Asham
Ryan McDonagh - Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto - Anton Stralman
John Moore - Steve Eminger
Henrik Lundqvist
Martin Biron
Scratches: Marc Staal (upper-body), Darroll Powe (upper-body), Ryane Clowe (upper-body), Matt Gilroy (healthy), Roman Hamrlik (healthy).
