Prior to this season, Rick Nash’s playoff experience in the National Hockey League totaled four games.
Those all came in the spring of 2009, when Nash and his former team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, were swept in the first round.
Nash, now a member of the New York Rangers, is off to the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs.
On Monday, the Rangers dismantled the Washington Capitals on the road by a score of 5-0.
Nash recorded an assist on Michael Del Zotto’s goal in the early stages of the second period that gave the Rangers a commanding 3-0 cushion.
Nash and the Rangers are moving on to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Bruins. Original Six.
It’s also another chapter in the historic and ongoing rivalry between Boston and New York.
This is unfamiliar territory for the former first overall pick from the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
“I didn’t think it would take 10 years,” Nash told the New York Times. “It’s what I wanted in my career, to have a chance to play in the playoffs and to play in games that mean a lot.”
Now, the key will be to get the 28-year-old Nash going offensively.
He didn’t score a goal the entire series against the Capitals and had just two assists.
Dating back to 2009, Nash only has one goal and five points in 11 career NHL playoff games.