It is nearly a full year since the Washington Capitals suffered a stunning loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2010 NHL Playoffs. Now, they will get a chance for redemption. The Capitals will square off in Game 1 of a first round 2011 NHL Playoff series against the No. 8 seed New York Rangers at 7:30 at the Verizon Center. The game will be televised locally by Comcast SportsNet and nationally by Versus.
The Rangers have had lots of success against the Capitals this season, and in fact, it was their 7-0 win back in December that convinced the Capitals to change their style of play. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist is the Rangers' ultimate trump card, and they will put the Capitals' new style to the test.
Michal Neuvirth will get the start in goal for the Capitals, though he could be replaced by Semyon Varlamov at any point. Mike Green is expected to be in the lineup, and Jay Beagle, Tyler Sloan, Sean Collins, D.J. King, Tom Poti and Eric Fehr are expected to be the healthy scratches. Sean Avery and Steve Eminger will sit for the Rangers.