NEW YORK -- The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals are meeting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th time, but first since 2015.
The Rangers (55-23-4), who won the past three series against the Capitals, each in seven games (2012, 2013, 2015), enter the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners, setting team records for wins and points (114) in a season.
New York has had success in the playoffs the past two times it won the Presidents' Trophy (2014-15, 1993-94), reaching the conference final in 2015 by defeating the Capitals in the second round to get there, and winning the Stanley Cup in 1994.
They also won the Presidents' Trophy in 1991-92, but lost in the second round.
"I think our guys have confidence in the way we play the game and then [Sunday] we have to do the work," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. "We can't rely on confidence. We've got to go out there and make sure we're ready to do the work. That's the most important thing."
The Capitals (40-31-11) earned their way as the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference by winning their last three games of the regular season to finish with 91 points, enough to get them into the postseason despite a minus-37 goal differential.
"We know what they've accomplished this year and all their accolades," Capitals defenseman John Carlson said of the Rangers. "I feel like we've played some of our best games against some of the better teams in the League, and that you can draw some confidence from. But it's not about trying to do something to them. It's more play our style of game that has worked for us and try to execute on our strengths that have created getting us into the playoffs."
The Rangers and Capitals played four times during the regular season with each team holding serve at home. New York won 5-1 at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 27 and 2-1 on Jan. 14; Washington won 4-0 at Capital One Arena on Dec. 9 and 3-2 on Jan. 13.
Here are 3 keys for the series:
1. Will familiarity matter?
Laviolette knows the Capitals well, having coached them the past three seasons, but that isn't necessarily an advantage, he said.
"I think that goes both ways," Laviolette said. "I think they also have an insight to me and the systems."
So it might be a wash, or it might not be. But if the Rangers can benefit from Laviolette's knowledge of the Capitals, or Washington can benefit from its knowledge of Laviolette and how he coaches the game, it could make a difference early in the series.
"With the way they play, we played that way last year and the Caps played that way for a couple years (prior)," Washington center Dylan Strome said. "I think a little familiarity never hurts, but obviously he has that with us as well. We'll see how it plays out."
2. Capitals looking for low-event hockey
The Capitals will want to avoid letting the Rangers get out in transition.
"You need to do a job closing, as difficult as that sometimes is," Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. "They're pretty elusive. They skate well. They cut back. They hold onto pucks. They have poise. And their 'D' are very mobile, which can cause some issues when they activate down. So that will be a big part of our success is how well we're able to neutralize that, defend and be able to close and all the things I just mentioned."
New York will want to attack quickly, particularly out of the defensive zone, so Washington can't get set up in its defensive structure through the neutral zone.
It's not necessarily about risk or flying the zone early to get in transition, it's instead about quick exits and entries with controlled possession.
If the Rangers can do that, they'll have the Capitals on their heels.
3. Lindgren vs. Shesterkin
Washington's Charlie Lindgren and New York's Igor Shesterkin have been two of the best goalies in the NHL for the past two-plus months.
Shesterkin is 17-5-1 with four shutouts, a 2.20 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in 23 games since Feb. 9. Lindgren is 16-9-3 with four shutouts, a 2.65 GAA and .910 save percentage in 28 games since Feb. 10.
Carbery said to beat Shesterkin, the Capitals must shoot the puck more than they did during the regular season, when they were 30th in shots on goal per game with 26.5.
"That's not to say we're going to throw everything to the net, no, but we do need more volume, more people around him," he said.
The Rangers need to try to expose Lindgren's playoff inexperience early. Game 1 will be his first NHL postseason game; it will be Shesterkin's 29th.
Capitals projected lineup
Alex Ovechkin -- Connor McMichael -- T.J. Oshie
Aliaksei Protas -- Dylan Strome -- Tom Wilson
Max Pacioretty -- Hendrix Lapierre -- Sonny Milano
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary -- John Carlson
Trevor van Riemsdyk -- Vincent Iorio
Alexander Aleyeyev -- Dylan McIlrath
Charlie Lindgren
Darcy Kuemper
Scratched: Michael Sgarbossa, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Lucas Johansen
Injured: Rasmus Sandin (upper body), Nick Jensen (upper body)
Rangers projected lineup
Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Jack Roslovic
Artemi Panarin -- Vincent Trocheck -- Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle -- Alex Wennberg -- Kaapo Kakko
Jimmy Vesey -- Barclay Goodrow -- Matt Rempe
Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller -- Braden Schneider
Erik Gustafsson -- Jacob Trouba
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Scratched: Zac Jones, Jonny Brodzinski, Chad Ruhwedel, Filip Chytil, Louis Domingue, Adam Edstrom
Injured: Blake Wheeler (lower body)
Status report
Sandin and Jensen, each a defenseman, took part in the Capitals morning skate in a noncontact jersey Saturday after each skated on his own Thursday and Friday; Carbery said each could play Sunday. … The Rangers recalled Domingue, a goalie, and Edstrom, a forward, from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Saturday. … Wheeler, a forward who hasn't played since Feb. 15, is skating on his own and still out indefinitely, Laviolette said. … Chytil has been a regular participant in practice and has been medically cleared from his upper-body injury, but is not yet ready to return to the lineup; the forward hasn't played since Nov. 2.
NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report
