Records:
New York Rangers: 51-24-7 (109 points) Home: 27-12-2 Road: 24-12-5
Ottawa Senators: 41-31-10 (92 points) Home: 20-17-4 Road: 21-14-6
Head to head:
Oct 29th - Senators 5 / Rangers 4 OT
Nov 9th - Rangers 3 / Senators 2
Jan 12th - Senators 3 / Rangers 0
Mar 8th - Senators 4 / Rangers 1
Sens took season series 3-1
Fights:
Nov 9th:
Sean Avery vs. Zenon Konopka
Nov 9th:
Andre Deveaux vs. Jared Cowen
Jan 12th:
Brandon Prust vs. Zenon Konopka
Mar 8th:
Brandon Prust vs. Zack Smith
Lineups:
Goaltending: win New York
Scoring: Edge Ottawa
Defense: win New York
Coaching: win New York
Grit: Edge New York
Schedule:
Thu, Apr 12 in New York 7PM ET
Sat, Apr 14 in New York 7PM ET
Mon, Apr 16 in Ottawa 7:30PM ET
Wed, Apr 18 in Ottawa 7:30PM ET
*Sat, Apr 21 in New York 7PM ET
*Mon, Apr 23 in Ottawa TBA
*Thu, Apr 26 in New York TBA
Prediction:
While the Sens had success against the Rangers during the regular season, the contract in team styles definitely favors the Rangers in the playoffs. Henrik Lundqvist and the waves of defense the Rangers employ will play perfectly into stopping the Senators offense, while the some times sparatic offense of the Rangers plays perfectly with a defense in Ottawa that is anything but consistent. The one major thing to watch is how Norris candidate Erik Karlsson affects the series. He can change games, and for Sens fans - hopefully a series, with his dynamic offensive abilities. I don't see him getting a showcase opportunity against the Rangers though. I'll take the Rangers exploiting the Senators inconsistent defense in 6 games.