The New York Rangers capped off a historic regular season by winning the President’s Trophy that is awarded to the team that notches the most points. Next, they’d like to fashion a historic postseason by claiming the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1994.  

The quest begins on Sunday at Madison Square Garden, where the Rangers face the Washington Capitals in the first game of their first-round matchup. The Rangers earned home ice throughout the playoffs with their 55-23-4 record during the regular season. They roared to the finish, with a 26-8-1 record in their final 35 games. They hope that momentum carries into the playoffs.  

“It was a good regular season,” coach Peter Laviolette said earlier this week. “You have to do well in this part of the process in order to get a chance to play for the Cup. We were able to do that. I think the guys are excited to move forward and get going in the playoffs.”

By all accounts it was a magnificent regular season for the Rangers, who earned first place in the Metropolitan Division, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and their first President’s Trophy since 2014-15 and fourth overall. Their 55 wins and 114 points are franchise records, while their 30 wins at home ties the franchise mark set during the 1970-71 season.

“We’ve proven to ourselves over and over again the kind of character we have and the resilience that when we want to play good hockey, we’re capable of playing good hockey,” the team’s captain, Jacob Trouba, said, adding, “We’ve put ourselves in the best position we can. It’s time to build from here.”

Ousted in the first round last year by the New Jersey Devils, the Rangers are heavy favorites in their first playoff meeting against the Capitals in nine years. The best-of-seven series pits Mr. Laviolette against the club he coached the previous three seasons. The Caps were 115-78-27 under him and reached the playoffs twice during his tenure in Washington. 

His contract, though, was not extended after Washington failed to make the playoffs last season. Hired by the Rangers to replace Gerard Gallant, Mr. Laviolette has created an environment where his players thrive on competition in practice and games.

 Mr. Laviolette explains: “I think it’s a good thing when your team can establish itself with a DNA of a work ethic-first attitude and wanting to compete. I think that can win games and I think that showed up.”

Mr. Trouba agrees: “As athletes, it’s fun to compete, especially with your buddies and your teammates and it carries over into the game,” he said. “You just want to compete and win something and when you win something it’s special and that’s why we’re all here.”

Washington (40-31-11) earned the second wild card in the East. Veteran Alex Ovechkin, 38, turned in one of the least productive seasons of his 19-year career, but he remains dangerous. He scored a team-leading 31 goals this year and is competing in his 15th playoffs. Mr. Ovechkin and teammates T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, and Tom Wilson were all part of the 2018 Stanley Cup-winning team.

While Mr. Laviolette’s familiarity with the Capitals should help the Rangers prepare, the coach said his team will rely on what helped them become the league’s best during the regular season.

“In the last 35 games, there’s [eight] losses, so we did a good job of staying focused and staying consistent and playing hard inside those games and trying to do the right thing,” the coach noted. “We stayed solid with our game. That’s good because we’re heading into why you did all that work, and it’s the first round of the playoffs.”

The winger Artemi Panarin has waited all year to avenge his lackluster showing in last year’s playoff loss against the Devils, where he had only two assists in the seven-game series. A man on a mission, he totaled 120 points this season, with 49 goals and 71 assists. That was the second most points in Rangers history. He set a franchise record with at least one point in 67 games and he had 34 multi-point games, third most in franchise history.

The Rangers, though, aren’t a one-man show. “It’s been a pretty resilient group,” defenseman Adam Fox said. “It’s been a full team effort. When we needed goal-tending we got it. When we needed depth scoring we got it. It’s been everybody chipping in. We did a good job finishing the season strong and hopefully carry that into the playoffs.”

In other Gotham hockey action, the New York Islanders face the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round, beginning Sunday at PNC Arena at Raleigh. The Islanders (38-27-16) finished third in the Metro Division, while the Hurricanes were second at 52-22-7.