Friday night in Washington gives the Rangers a chance to see how real this start is.
New York heads into Capital One Arena with a 4-1-0 record and a four-game winning streak, and the early returns have been strong enough to make this feel like more than a hot week. The Rangers haven’t put together a five-game regular-season winning streak since March 21-30, 2024, but nobody inside the room is treating Friday like anything close to a celebration lap.
Mike Sullivan didn’t hide from the size of the assignment.
“I think it’s a big test. This is a real good team, they’ve been a real good team for a long time,” Sullivan stated Thursday.
“They’re big, they’re strong, they’re hard to play against, they have game-breaking players. I think they’re a real good team … and it’s a solid challenge for us.”
Braden Schneider sounded just as pointed about what the Rangers are walking into.
“They’re a big, fast team. They obviously have a lot of talent, and I think that they’re a team that plays a hard game. So, I think it’s going to be a real test to see what we can do.”
Washington comes in at 2-1-0 after entering the season with bigger expectations, even after both teams missed the playoffs last year. The Capitals finished four points out of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference in 2025-26, while the Rangers were dead last.
The Capitals made major moves to change that outlook. They brought in Alex Tuch in a sign and trade with the Buffalo Sabres, and he’s already paying off with a team-high three goals in three games.
Washington also added Jordan Kyrou in a trade with the St. Louis Blues and Boone Jenner in free agency; each has one assist so far.
And then there’s Alex Ovechkin, the face of the franchise and the Great 8, who announced this will be his final NHL season after 22 years. He remains the league’s all-time goal leader with 929 and is still looking for his first goal of the season.
The Rangers, meanwhile, have quietly built a strong early case with a roster that changed plenty over the summer. Their biggest edge so far has been how they’ve controlled games by period. They haven’t allowed a first-period goal in five games, matching their best such start since the 1939-40 season, and they’re 4-0-0 when they score first.
The third period has been just as decisive. During the four-game winning streak, New York has outscored opponents 7-1 in the final frame and has piled up five empty-net goals. That includes two from Alexis Lafreniere on Tuesday, part of his third career hat trick in a 5-2 win over the Islanders.
Through 15 periods this season, the Rangers have led or been tied in 14 of them. Their only real time spent chasing came in the opener, when the Boston Bruins scored three late goals to break a scoreless tie.
That kind of control is the backbone of this 4-1-0 start. Friday will tell a different story, though, against a Capitals team that both Sullivan and Schneider described as a serious test.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Gabe Perreault - Mika Zibanejad - Alexis Lafreniere
Tye Kartye - J.T. Miller - Pavel Dorofeyev
Will Cuylle - Noah Laba - Eeli Tolvanen
Oliver Bjorkstrand - Cole Beaudoin - Jaroslav Chmelar
Valdislav Gavrikov - Adam Fox
Marcus Pettersson - Sean Durzi
Alberts Smits - Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Dylan Garand
Rangers vs. Capitals: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals
When: Friday, October 9 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena
How to watch: MSG
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Adam Fox is also part of why the blue line feels less overtaxed, with the Rangers able to spread responsibility more evenly across the defense corps. The improved structure has taken some pressure off the top pair and given New York a better defensive rhythm overall, which is exactly what the team was hoping to find when it reshaped the unit this summer. The real question now is whether that early stability can hold once the schedule stiffens and the minutes get heavier. [Read more 🡒]