The Rangers are a better team than the Washington Capitals.
Saying that this early may not be fair to either team, but it's true.
In their regular season finale on April 11 at the Verizon Center, the Rangers had nothing to play for, already having locked up the Presidents' Trophy and home-ice advantage through the playoffs. Their goal simply was to play better than they had in their preceding 3-0 home shutout loss to the Ottawa Senators.
The Capitals, though, had something on the line: Home-ice in the first round against the Islanders, which they could earn by beating the Blueshirts.