The Rangers’ next trip to Washington comes with a little more finality attached to it now.
New York heads to face the Capitals this Friday, and Alex Ovechkin will still be out there. But on Monday, the Washington star announced that this season will be his last, a decision that changes the look of the division and puts a hard stop on one of the NHL’s defining rivalries. For the Rangers, that means four more regular-season meetings with Ovechkin at most, not counting any playoff matchup.
That’s a notable shift for a player who has been a constant problem for New York for years. Ovechkin piled up 74 points - 46 goals and 28 assists - in 80 games against the Rangers during his Capitals career. The most damage he’s done against any one team came against Carolina, where he posted 111 points, including 53 goals and 58 assists, in 97 games.
The Rangers have seen plenty of him in the postseason, too. Their first playoff clash with Washington came in 2009, when Ovechkin produced three goals and four assists to help the Capitals win a second-round series in seven games. The teams met again in the first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Washington won that series in five, with Ovechkin adding three goals and three assists.
New York then turned the tables in back-to-back seasons, beating Washington in seven games both times while holding Ovechkin to six points - four goals and two assists - across those 14 contests. One of the signature moments came in 2015, when Derek Stepan scored the Game 7 winner in the second round to send the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals. Ovechkin finished that series with three goals and an assist.
The most recent postseason meeting was the cleanest one for New York. In 2024, the Rangers swept the Capitals in four games, and Ovechkin was kept off the scoresheet entirely.
Washington’s offseason moves now look even more like a team preparing for what comes next. The Capitals overhauled their forward group, bringing in Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner, while also extending Ryan Leonard.
Tuch arrived in a sign-and-trade from the Buffalo Sabres and got an eight-year, $84 million contract. Kyrou came over from the St.
Louis Blues in a deal that sent Connor McMichael, prospect Milton Gastrin and the 16th overall pick the other way, and Jenner signed for four years and $23 million. Kyrou is under contract through the 2030-31 season.
With Ovechkin now set to retire after this season, the Capitals’ reshaped forward group takes on even more importance. And for the Rangers, the end of this chapter means one thing: a minimum of four more chances to deal with a player who has been one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history, and then he’s gone.
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Rangers Finally Have A Start Fans Can Feel Better About
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The Islanders also got a notable return in goal, with Semyon Varlamov back in NHL action after knee surgeries, but the Rangers were able to keep pressure on and finish the job. For a team trying to build something steadier early, this was the kind of result that can matter beyond the standings, especially with the offense spreading the workload and the group looking more settled than it has at other points this season. [Read more 🡒]