Caps Come Home to Host Rangers

Feb. 24 vs. New York Rangers at Capital One Arena
Time: 12:30 p.m.
TV: NBC
Radio: Capitals Radio 24/7, FAN 106.7
New York Rangers 27-26-8
Washington Capitals 34-21-7

Their season-long six-game road trip finally behind them, the Caps will take to the home ice sheet less than 24 hours after returning from a 12-day journey, their longest in more than 15 years. The Caps open a short two-game homestand on Sunday afternoon when they host the New York Rangers' second and final visit to the District this season.
Sunday's game also finishes off a set of back-to-back games, as the Caps ended their lengthy trip with a 5-2 loss to the Sabres in Buffalo on Saturday afternoon. The setback to the Sabres left the Caps with 3-3-0 record for the trip, which is probably exactly what they deserved. They played extremely well in all three wins and were seriously lacking in all three losses.
As has been the case for a couple of months now, consistency remains lacking.

"Everyone has a responsibility and a role on our team," said Caps coach Todd Reirden after Saturday's loss, "from our very top guy to anyone who plays on our fourth line. We didn't have enough players that played to the best of their ability tonight and things didn't go our way. It coincides with how our entire trip went where we had some really team efforts.
"If you break down the San Jose game or the L.A. game or just looking at different things we did well as the trip went on in Toronto, we had contributions from everybody - not necessarily goals or assists - but we had fourth line shifts where they are spending time in the offensive zone. We had big penalty kills, we had big power-play goals, we had contributions from everybody up and down the lineup. We didn't have that [Saturday] and we are not going to have the success we need to if we don't."
Veteran left wing and former Ranger Carl Hagelin played in his first game as a member of the Capitals in Saturday's loss to the Sabres, skating 12:33 while recording one shot on net and one hit, and taking a minor penalty.
"It was exciting," says Hagelin of his Caps debut. "Obviously you want to get the win there in your first game, but it didn't happen today. But the good thing is we play again (Sunday], so I'm excited about that."
Hagelin logged 2:23 worth of shorthanded time in his first game with the Capitals, a shade above his average of 1:45 per game this season. Washington went shorthanded for the first time late in the first period of Saturday's game, and Hagelin was out on the ice to start that kill.

"I think that's the best thing that can happen, is you get thrown right into the heat," says Hagelin. "Obviously they have a good PK here, so it's pretty easy to fit in."
The Rangers will also be finishing up a set of back-to-back games on Sunday in D.C. New York hosted Metropolitan Division rival New Jersey on Saturday, downing the Devils by a 5-2 count. New York jumped on Jersey for three goals in the first, outshooting the Devils 15-4 in the first frame. The Rangers have alternated wins with losses over their last nine games, and on the season they are a game above what passes for .500 in the modern NHL.
The Blueshirts are six points clear of the Devils, who occupy the bottom rung of the Metro Division standings ladder. New York is almost certain to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second straight season in 2018-19, the first time they've endured successive postseason misses in the salary cap era.
Prior to the lockout that killed the 2004-05 season and resulted in the beginning of the salary cap era in 2005-06, the Rangers went through a baffling stretch of seven straight seasons without making the playoffs, a span during which they routinely had one of the league's highest payrolls.
New York can be expected to make some trades ahead of Monday's NHL trade deadline, and the Rangers held three of their pending UFA trade chips out of the game on Saturday to prevent them from getting nicked up ahead of the deadline. Center Kevin Hayes, defenseman Adam McQuaid and popular and productive winger Mats Zuccarello sat out Saturday's game, and all may have played their last game with the Rangers.
Hayes is third on the team in scoring and Zuccarello ranks fourth. The latter has played all 509 of his NHL games in a Rangers sweater, and is averaging 20:01 per game in ice time this season. Zuccarello's ice time average this season is a career high, and he is one of only six right wings in the league who is averaging better than 20 minutes per game this season.