Rangers Ready To Deliver Ottawa A Reality Check

Time to start it up again, Rangers fans. With 4 days to recuperate after a surprisingly physical first round, the Blueshirts finally kick off their next series in Ottawa. Before the playoffs started, the Habs were one of the hottest teams in the entire league & significant favorites over NY. Fast forward a couple weeks and the Rangers pulled off the upset. Now, they’re the heaviest favorites in the second round – and if you know anything about this squad, they tend to disappoint with expectations. Not this time though. The Senators are simply not that good.

Here’s the thing about this Sens “trap” that’s getting hyped up. The way the Blueshirts play is best suited to beat it. If Ottawa backs off & allows Rangers defenders time to exit the zone that really takes pressure off Staal & Girardi who struggle with the puck. It also takes time for Ottawa to position themselves in the neutral zone – and speed, which New York has plenty of, is key to catching a retreating defense in a prone spot. The Rangers are an excellent counter-strike team and, even if the “trap” is effective, they’re a patient enough offense to pounce on just one mistake. Look at their regular season fancy stats though. This “trap” left the Sens with the 4th-worst Corsi against per 60. It hinders their attack & made them nothing more than an average defensive team. It’s easy to slow down a slow team like Boston. Guy Boucher’s squad is in for a wake-up call vs NY.

Boucher plays his top 4 defenders a ton, but it’s still worth pointing out that his third pairing will consist of a young duo that skated a combined 39 regular season games. Chris Wideman looks to be scratched & monster Mark Borowiecki isn’t ready to return from a leg injury after all. Having the last change at home will help, but the Rangers depth will certainly provide chances to take advantage.

Karlsson is undoubtedly the best skater on the ice. Brassard will be a menace against his former squad. Stone, Hoffman & Ryan are all offensive talents. Henrik Lundqvist is absolutely locked in though & the Sens don’t have enough overall firepower to change that, especially at even strength. There will be some tight games. I’m not absolutely dismissing Ottawa. It’s just the truth that, as long as the Rangers don’t catastrophically implode, the Senators can’t hang in a 7-game series. Period. You’ll see exactly what I mean tonight.

VIVA LA BLUESHIRTS!!!