New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals Live Stream: Watch Online NHL Playoffs Stanley Cup 2013 First Round at 7:30 PM ET

The New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals both got off to slow starts at the beginning of the lockout-shortened season, but after turning things around over the second half of the year, the two teams will face off on Thursday in Game 1 of their first round eastern Conference playoff series at the Verizon Center in DC.

The Rangers have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL entering the playoffs after winning 10 of their final 14 games and while they were in the eighth seed for most of the second half, they stormed ahead to clinch the sixth seed ahead of the New York Islanders and the Ottawa Senators. The move allowed the team to miss the Penguins in the first round, but it set up the third straight matchup with the Caps and the fourth in five years.

The two teams know each other well after last year's seven-game series and this time around Alex Ovechkin will be ready to score. The Caps only won two games over their first 11 to start the season, but they ended up winning the Southeast division, while the Rangers used a surprising offensive output at the end to move up to sixth place. The team was helped by losses by Ottawa at the end and now the Montreal Canadiens play against the Senators in an all-Canadian matchup.

Washington has improved steadily all season on the power play after giving up 15 goals in the first 11 games and following their awful start, the team won three in a row and then went 27-18-3 to finish the season tops in the division. The Rangers will look different than they did last year when the two teams played, as Rick Nash is on the team after a trade from the Blue Jackets, while Marian Gaborik is not anymore after the team traded him at the deadline to Columbus.

The Rangers also acquired Ryane Clowe at the deadline, although he may not play due to an injury he sustained right at the end of the year. The Rangers would love to have Clowe's production in the postseason, as he scored two goals in his first game with the Rangers in a 6-1 win over the Penguins and with the team also missing Marc Staal, they will need every fresh body to contribute.

The Rangers clinched a playoff spot with two games to go and then snuck into the sixth seed with some strong play at the end. Nash will be a key factor in the series, as he is the most skilled scorer on the Rangers and he has the chance to go toe to toe with Ovechkin on the ice when it comes to offensive firepower.

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