Senators at Rangers
The New York Rangers were a pedestrian team on home ice for much of the regular season but they have reversed their fortunes in the playoffs. New York will look to build upon its most lopsided victory of the postseason and even the Eastern Conference semifinal series when it hosts the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night in Game 4.
The league's best road team during the regular season, the Rangers rebounded from a pair of losses in Ottawa with a 4-1 victory in Game 3 - seizing control by scoring the first four goals. "We were behind on our thinking, behind on our execution, behind on our physicality," Ottawa coach Guy Boucher told reporters of New York's domination. "We got a slap in the face and we've got to get up." The Senators had played eight straight one-goal decisions to open the postseason and erased a two-goal deficit on three occasions before prevailing in double overtime in Game 2, making Tuesday's matchup a must-win for New York. “It says that we can erase an emotional loss,” Rangers forward Rick Nash told reporters. “We’re still down, so the next game is that much of a bigger deal.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS
ABOUT THE SENATORS: Ottawa has some injury concerns as forwards Bobby Ryan and Zack Smith each were knocked out of Game 3, although Boucher said Ryan is likely to play Thursday while Smith's status will be determined at the morning skate. If Smith is unable to go, he will be replaced by forward Tom Pyatt, who has been sidelined since he was hurt in Game 4 of the first-round series against Boston and was called "one of our most trusted guys" by Boucher. Netminder Craig Anderson has permitted nine goals in the past two games and committed another puck-handling gaffe that led to a gimme tally in Game 3.
ABOUT THE RANGERS: Mats Zuccarello, the leading scorer during the regular season, had a goal and an assist Tuesday to give him five points in his last four games. Mika Zibanejad, acquired from Ottawa in the offseason in exchange for Derick Brassard, also is raising his level of play with six points over the past five games to take over the team lead with seven in the postseason. “The first few games in the Montreal series, I wasn’t too happy with it, but I knew what I had to do,” Zibanejad told reporters. "When I try to play on my instincts more than trying to think out there, it works better for me."
OVERTIME
1. New York's power play is 2-for-26 in the postseason.
2. Ottawa C Jean-Gabriel Pageau has scored five of his team's seven goals over the past two contests.
3. Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist has allowed one goal in each of the last three games at Madison Square Garden.