Rangers stay fresh with sweep, await next opponent in Eastern 2nd Round

WASHINGTON -- The effect of a first-round sweep and the potential for a week off before starting the Eastern Conference Second Round could go one of two ways for the New York Rangers.

"You can start to look at both opponents until you find out which one you're actually going to play, so there's some value there," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. "I do think rest is important. And then series that are not concluded yet that can possibly continue to go on, there might be value there.

“But there's probably a lot of proof behind the fact that a team that's gone seven and has to walk right out of a Game 7 overtime win and walk into the next series, they're right on point with their game too. It can go both ways. We'll take the time, we'll do our best to be ready, and when we find out who that is, we'll move on."

They could find out as soon as Tuesday.

The Carolina Hurricanes have a 3-1 lead on the New York Islanders. A win at home in Game 5 on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; MAX, MSGSN, TBS, BSSO, SN360, TVAS) will set up a Hurricanes-Rangers second-round matchup, a rematch of their second-round series two years ago.

New York won that series in seven games, advancing after falling behind 2-0 and then 3-2. That came after the Rangers went seven games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, advancing after falling behind 3-1 in the best-of-7 series.

They didn't have anything come easy that year, and they learned the hard way the toll that long, grinding and emotional first two rounds can have on the body and mind.

The Rangers gradually ran out of gas after riding the emotion of a Game 7 win against the Hurricanes into wins in Games 1 and 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Lightning won Game 3, dominated Game 4, took some of the Rangers' will away in Game 5 and grinded out a 2-1 win in Game 6. When it ended, the Rangers admitted they were on empty, nothing left to give, totally spent from playing 20 hard games in 40 days.

Maybe if they didn't have to go seven games with the Penguins and Hurricanes that year, the Rangers would have found a way against the Lightning and reached the Stanley Cup Final.

"Obviously, that's a big factor -- to keep as fresh as we can," Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said.

And that's the value of sweeping the Washington Capitals in the first round and, even more important, coming out of it healthy too.

New York played the same 18 skaters in every game, using the same forward lines, same defense pairs, same power-play units and penalty-kill tandems. Igor Shesterkin played all 240 minutes and looked sharp, allowing seven goals on 101 shots (.931 save percentage).

It'd be unfair to the Capitals to say the Rangers had it easy in the first round, but at no point were they physically fractured or mentally stressed. They trailed for only 3:21 in the series.

"At times we're going to see teams have their push and we've got to manage it, and I thought we did a pretty good job during the series," center Mika Zibanejad said. "And having that said you want to push back yourself, and I thought we did a good job of that."

The benefit of that push comes now.

The Rangers can stop pushing for a few days. If they have any bumps or bruises coming out of the series, they have time to heal. It wasn't an emotional first-round series, but if they need some time to mentally recharge, they have it.

"Of course it's important," Shesterkin said. "We have extra few days for rest, and it's always good. That's more time for practice and build our confidence."

The Rangers had the same mentality before the playoffs began. They played their last regular-season game April 15, didn't find out their opponent until the next night, and didn't play Game 1 against the Capitals until April 21.

"It was really good for our group," Laviolette said. "We're able to get some rest right off the bat because the schedule was every other day for a month. And it gave plenty of time to prepare, and then it gave time to actually work on things on the ice."

All of it helped them stay sharp for Game 1 against Washington.

They'll try to follow the same script again to be sharp for Game 1 of the second round, whenever that will be and whoever that will be against.

They'll do it with a healthy lineup and soaring confidence. That has to be better than how it was two years ago, grinding through from one physical and emotional rollercoaster to the next, eventually running out of gas before they were ready for the ride to end.

"You can probably understand the toll it takes," forward Barclay Goodrow said. "Play less games, that's usually better."