Rangers at Senators
The New York Rangers are beginning to find the form that helped them get off to a strong start this season and look to continue their rise when they visit the struggling Ottawa Senators on Sunday afternoon. The Rangers have won two in a row and earned points in six of their last eight contests (5-2-1) while Ottawa has surrendered 28 goals in its past six contests.
New York's Henrik Lundqvist has recorded three consecutive victories and allowed two or fewer goals in six of his last seven contests. The Senators have plenty of offensive weapons despite battling through injuries but must improve in their own zone while clamping down on special teams (seven power-play goals allowed in last six games). “It’s gut-check time for us here,” Ottawa defenseman Mark Borowiecki told reporters. “This is kind of when you find out what a team’s made of. This is that stretch where teams are going to start pulling away.” Top scorers Erik Karlsson and Bobby Ryan carry four-game point streaks into the contest for the Senators.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), TSN5, RDS2 (Ottawa)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (26-16-5): Former first-round pick J.T. Miller has stepped up offensively this season with a career-high 12 goals, including four in his last four games. “He’s going through the process, like any younger player,” coach Alain Vigneault told reporters of 22-year-old forward. “He’s starting to understand what he needs to do to become a better player.” Mats Zuccarello leads the team with 34 points, but Rick Nash is just one behind (33) after posting four in the past four contests.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (22-20-6): Karlsson, who leads all defensemen in the league with 51 points, has recorded a goal and five assists in his last four contests while Ryan has netted three tallies in the same span. The Senators need more from Mark Stone, who is pointless with a minus-8 rating in his last six games. Defenseman Marc Methot and Kyle Turris both are questionable with lower-body injuries while Milan Michalek suffered a fractured finger in the 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday and is out indefinitely.
OVERTIME
1. New York C Derek Stepan is scheduled to play in his 400th NHL game Sunday and is two goals shy of 100.
2. Ottawa C Mika Zibanejad has recorded two goals and three assists during his four-game point streak.
3. The Rangers are 1-for-28 with the man advantage in their last 11 games and have allowed 10 power-play goals in the same span.