"This franchise is in trouble" - NHL fans react as Alex Ovechkin and Washington Capitals get swept by Rangers to get eliminated from 2024 NHL playoffs

The Washington Capitals became the first team to be knocked out of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs after the New York Rangers defeated them 4-2 in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series.

The Blue Shirts completed a clean sweep of the series with a win at Capital One Arena on Sunday night. This also marked the first sweep of this year's playoffs.

The Blue Shirts will be up against either the Carolina Hurricanes or the New York Islanders in Round 2. The Hurricanes have a 3-1 lead over the Islanders.

It was a disappointing postseason for Alex Ovechkin, who failed to accumulate a point in the series. The Washington Capitals will head into the offseason with many questions surrounding the future of their veteran players.

Here's what NHL fans had to say about the Capitals' playoff elimination. One fan on X tweeted:

"This franchise is in trouble!! They used to be one of the most feared teams in the league and now they either don't make the playoffs or get knocked out of the first round!!"

Another wrote:

"The Red Wings would’ve made this a series. Thanks for nothing."

One X user said:

"Unreal. What a pathetic performance. I have no words the only dub has been the OV goal season and Spencer Carberry."

Here are some more reactions on X:

One reckoned the Capitals were the most undeserving team in the playoffs, tweeting:

"Most undeserving team to touch the playoffs."

"Goal differential didn’t matter huh? NHL needs to change tiebreakers because the Wings wouldn’t have been swept," one fan opined

"Penguins would've at least won a game, that's what y'all get," another commented

New York Rangers eliminated Washington Capitals in 4 games

The New York Rangers became the first team in this year's playoffs to qualify for Round 2 after beating the Washington Capitals 4-2 in Game 4.

It was a dominant display from the Blue Shirts against one of their division rivals. 57 seconds into the first period, Kaapo Kakko put the Rangers ahead as he capitalized on Will Cuylle's mistake of losing the puck in the defensive zone and scored from the right hash marks.

Martin Fehervary tied it for the Capitals at 14:54 of the first period after scoring on Aliaksei Protas' assist. Vincent Trochek restored the Rangers' lead as he scored on the powerplay with less than 20 seconds remaining in the first period.

Hendrix Lapierre tied it for the Washington Capitals at 7:48 of the second period. This was the only goal scored in the second. Goals from Artemi Panarin and Jack Roslovic in the third period helped the Rangers book their ticket to the next round.