Rangers at Senators
Finishing fourth in the powerhouse Metropolitan Division may have been a boon for the New York Rangers, who visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. New York ousted Atlantic Division champion Montreal in six games for the right to face Atlantic runner-up Ottawa, which also won its first-round series in six games.
While the Senators played a tightly contested series against Boston that featured six one-goal games, the Rangers made an impression on Ottawa coach Guy Boucher in the way they dispatched the Canadiens, allowing four goals in winning the final three games of the series. "This is a team with high-end depth," Boucher told reporters. "The portrait of the Rangers is there are no real flaws in their game. There are no real weaknesses. ... This is going to be an even bigger test." Similarly, New York coach Alain Vigneault lavished praise on Senators captain Erik Karlsson - "he is in a league of his own" - but there will be an intriguing subplot to the series. Ottawa traded Mika Zibanejad to the Rangers in exchange for fellow center Derick Brassard in the offseason and, coincidentally, both players led their respective teams in scoring in their first-round series wins.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CNBC, CBC, TVAS
ABOUT THE RANGERS: It speaks to the depth of New York that it eliminated Montreal despite getting one assist each from two of its leading goal scorers - Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller, while Zibanejad's four points represented a team high. One positive was the late arrival of leading overall scorer Mats Zuccarello, who scored twice in the Game 6 clinching win over Montreal. Still, the Rangers will pin their hopes on goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who bounced back superbly after surrendering seven goals in back-to-back losses to the Canadiens. "Hank has been through this before," Vigneault told reporters. "I think he's really thriving on the pressure and the opportunity. ... He wants to be a difference-maker and he's looking forward to this series."
ABOUT THE SENATORS: Karlsson made a surprising revelation following the series with Boston that he was playing with two hairline fractures in his left heel, but it certainly did not appear to hinder the star defenseman, who collected six assists against the Bruins and played nearly 42 minutes in Game 5. Forward Bobby Ryan followed up a 13-goal regular season by scoring four times against the Bruins, and with Clarke MacArthur back in the lineup after missing most of the past two seasons due to concussions, Ottawa can counter New York's outstanding balance with four solid lines of its down. Craig Anderson allowed three goals in half of the six games against Boston but won both starts versus New York this season, yielding one goal.
OVERTIME
1. The Rangers posted a league-high 27 road wins this season while Ottawa won all three road games at Boston in the first round.
2. New York was 1-for-15 on the power play against Montreal, finally breaking through on its only chance in Game 6.
3. Senators D Mark Borowiecki, who missed the last four games versus Boston, is expected to sit out the series opener.