Washington Won't Stop Coming, and the Rangers' Rookie Sensation Just Made Things Worse

The Washington Capitals are climbing fast, and nobody in the Eastern Conference playoff race should sleep on what's happening right now. After trailing the Boston Bruins by six points back on March 7, the Capitals have gone 8-3-2 over their last 13 games and are now just one point behind the Ottawa Senators for the final wild-card spot with five games left to play. They're visiting the New York Rangers on Sunday night, and momentum is completely on Washington's side.

The Capitals Are Playing Their Best Hockey When It Matters Most

Washington sits at 39-29-9 with 87 points, and they just demolished the Buffalo Sabres 6-2 on Saturday. Three goals in the opening period set the tone early. Jakob Chychrun, Aliaksei Protas, and Connor McMichael each buried one and added an assist, proving this team knows how to finish when the puck is there.

"We can only control what we do out there for 60 minutes and we're just trying to do everything we can to stay alive and get ourselves in," Capitals forward Ryan Leonard said. That's the mindset of a team that knows the margin for error is razor thin, but they're not panicking. They're executing.

The Rangers Are Hot But Still Sleepy on the Back End

Here's the thing: New York lost two of three against Washington earlier this season. They're playing better lately, sure. After a brutal six-game losing streak (0-5-1), they've gone 4-1-0 in their first five games of a seven-game homestand. Saturday they torched Detroit 4-1, and rookie Gabe Perreault had himself a night. His first career hat trick, plus Jaroslav Chmelar also scored.

Perreault is just 10 goals in 44 games this season after appearing in only five games last year. He's the fourth Rangers rookie in 30 years to record a hat trick, joining Chris Kreiker (2013), Derek Stepan (2010), and Jan Hlavac (2000).

"At the start, I was kind of fighting it the first couple of shifts," Perreault said. "But once we started generating chances and I got that first one and that second, you're obviously thinking about the third one. Lucky enough, I was able to get out there and get the third one."

The Rangers played five rookies Saturday, and since March 2, New York's first-year players have combined for 17 goals and 38 points. That's electric. But against a Capitals team with everything to lose and everything to play for? That youthful energy might not be enough on Sunday.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.