Presidents' Trophy-winning Rangers outmatch Capitals with depth and balance to move on in playoffs

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dominant in nearly every facet of hockey, the New York Rangers outmatched the Washington Capitals to move on to the second round of the NHL playoffs in sweeping fashion.

They won all four games thanks to talent advantages from the net out, superior special teams and a blend of depth and balance. They're the first team to advance and in the process looked every bit like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

“The sign of a good team is when there is depth and balance," said forward Barclay Goodrow, a back-to-back champion with Tampa Bay in 2020 and '21 who had a goal and two assists in the series.

“Come this time of year, you need everyone on your team,” he added. "Everyone’s leaned on to contribute in whatever way you contribute to your team. ... It’s been great for us, and it’s something that we’re going to need to continue.”

Goodrow was one of 10 New York players to score a goal and 14 to register a point against Washington, while Igor Shesterkin stopped 94 of 101 of the shots he faced in another strong showing two years since wining the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender. The Rangers scored two short-handed goals, killed off 15 of 17 Capitals power plays and did enough at 5 on 5 to get through some games that were tighter than the end result indicated.

“I just think that it says that we’re a good hockey team,” said Vincent Trocheck, the Rangers' leading goal-scorer with three and the best player on the ice all series. “We showed it every game.”

Up next is likely a formidable challenge from the Carolina Hurricanes, who are up 3-1 on the New York Islanders after failing to finish it off in a sweep. The Rangers won two of their three games against Carolina this season, including a 1-0 shutout last month, but also lost 6-1 to the Hurricanes in January.

One benefit they have this time is some extra time off, which players from the deep 2022 run playoff run understand is beneficial after going through seven-game series in each of the first two rounds that time and feeling the toll it took on them in losing to Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference final.

“The seven-game series will pile up on you, so, yeah, obviously that’s a big factor, I think, to keep as fresh as we can,” captain Jacob Trouba said. "I also think that was a good experience for us, a learning experience to be put in that situation, so I think that’s going to bode well for us moving forward.”

As will their depth that has so far kept any player from averaging more than 23 minutes of ice time, a far cry from the Capitals needing top defenseman John Carlson to play nearly half of every game because of injuries on their blue line.

New York has not had to overtax Trocheck, Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, Mika Zibanejad or MVP candidate Artemi Panarin. Coach Peter Laviolette has “a lot of trust in all our players” and is less worried about matchups against particular opponents because of that balance.

“Anyone can play against anyone,” defenseman Braden Schneider said. “We balance out well and everyone knows their role and plays hard doing it, so I think we do a great job of just being hard to play against no matter who’s out there.”

That helps particularly on the road. Though by winning the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top team during the regular season, the Rangers have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Game 1 against the Hurricanes or Islanders will be at Madison Square Garden — but only after they can take a few days to heal up and get ready for the next step on a journey they hope will take them to the franchise's first championship since 1994.

Asked how far he and his team can go, Shesterkin muttered only: “We will see.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

New York Rangers players celebrate after scoring against the Washington Capitals during the first period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Sunday April 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

New York Rangers players shake hands after defeating the Washington Capitals in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

New York Rangers players celebrate after defeating the Washington Capitals during the third period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save during the third period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin celebrates with left wing Chris Kreider after scoring a goal during the third period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the third period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man was sentenced to 80 years in prison Friday for raping a woman a year before he was charged with kidnapping and killing a school teacher who was on an early morning run.

Cleotha Abston, whose history of criminal charges dates back to the 1990s when he was a juvenile, received 40 years in prison for aggravated rape, 20 years for aggravated kidnapping and another 20 years for being a felon in possession of a weapon. The sentences will run consecutively, or one after the other, Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee ruled.

Abston, 40, was convicted April 12 of raping a woman while holding her at gunpoint in September 2021. The victim said she had been raped after meeting Abston on a social dating site and agreeing to meet him at his apartment. A jury found Abston covered the woman's face with a T-shirt, walked her outside the apartment and raped her in the backseat of his girlfriend’s vehicle.

Coffee said Abston treated the victim with “exceptional cruelty.”

Abston waived a sentencing hearing in which witnesses could have testified for or against him. His lawyer, Juni Ganguli, said waiving a sentencing hearing meant they were able to avoid a “circus” in court. Prosecutor Paul Hagerman said Abston received what is “effectively a life sentence.”

Ganguli said he plans to appeal the conviction and he will file a motion for a new trial.

“We had a strong defense,” Ganguli told reporters outside court Friday. “I do not believe for a second that he raped or kidnapped or had a gun, that he put a gun to that woman."

Abston was not charged in the 2021 rape case until after being charged with snatching Eliza Fletcher from a street while she was jogging before dawn near the University of Memphis on Sept. 2, 2022, and forcing her into an SUV. Her body was found days later near a vacant duplex.

Abston was not arrested on the rape charges before Fletcher’s killing because of a long delay in processing the sexual assault kit, authorities have said. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say they will pursue the death penalty if Abston is convicted of first-degree murder in Fletcher's death. No trial date has been set in that case.

The killing of Fletcher, a 34-year-old kindergarten teacher and mother of two, shocked the Memphis community and led to a flood of support for her family. Runners in Memphis and several other cities held an early-morning running events in her honor a week after she was abducted. A second run honoring Fletcher was held last year.

Abston, who also has gone by the name Cleotha Henderson, was arrested after police detected his DNA on sandals found near the location where Fletcher was last seen, an arrest affidavit said. An autopsy report showed Fletcher died of a gunshot wound to the head. She also had injuries to her right leg and jaw fractures.

After Fletcher’s death, the Legislature passed a law requiring the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to issue a quarterly report on sexual assault kit testing times.

The rape victim in the 2021 case sued the city of Memphis on allegations that the Memphis Police Department did not properly investigate her case, but the lawsuit was dismissed by a judge.

Cleotha Abston, left, speaks with his lawyer during his sentencing hearing for an April rape conviction on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. Abston received 80 years in prison for kidnapping and raping a woman in September 2021, a year before he was charged with killing a Memphis school teacher. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)

Cleotha Abston walks from the witness stand to his seat in a courtroom during his sentencing hearing for an April rape conviction on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. Abston received 80 years in prison for kidnapping and raping a woman in September 2021, a year before he was charged with killing a Memphis school teacher. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz)