What we learned from the Rangers’ 4-1 Game 1 win over the Capitals: 3 takeaways

NEW YORK — Thanks to a pair of fan favorites — one for his youthful energy and physicality, the other for his on-ice heroics throughout the seasons — the New York Rangers seized control of Game 1 in the second period against Washington and didn’t look back. This happened within a minute of game time.
After a stop-and-start, penalty-filled first period, bruising rookie Matt Rempe — making his playoff debut — brought life into the building early in the second, firing a Jimmy Vesey touch pass into the Capitals net. Artemi Panarin, New York’s leading scorer, followed up the goal…