Ottawa Senators

Game Day: Senators @ Rangers - no surprises now
May 9, 2017, 11:04 AM ET [25 Comments]
Jared Crozier
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It is now game 6 between the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers, and both coaches have put all of their cards on the table, and there will be no surprises.

Now, it comes down to who executes their game plan better, and which goalie can step up for one game and shut down the opposition shooters.

Craig Anderson has been up and down in the series, and has been bailed out by his team's offensive outburst and late game heroics, but has yet to put out a performance that would qualify as "beast mode" the he so often has been able to do in the past. He hasn't stolen a game yet, and there is no time like the present, on the road in hostile territory, to put forth one of those games that lets his teammates know that maybe "get one or two for me and it is going to be enough tonight".

On the flipside, Henrik Lundqvist is probably in the same boat, as he hasn't stolen a game yet either. The two wins for the Rangers on home ice was a result of the play of the team in front of him physically and execution-wise dominating the Senators, and Lundqvist being good and not having to be great. Ottawa has got to him for 6 and 5 goals in the last two games played in Ottawa, but he allowed just 1 goal in each home game. Ottawa has to find a way to get to him in his home environment.

Ottawa has the advantage of having another chance in their back pocket if this one doesn't work out, an "ace in the hole" that I am sure they would rather not have to play. Getting back to Ottawa to rest before finding out whether their weekend destination is Pittsburgh or Washington would be far superior to having to drag New York back home with them to play a winner take all Game 7 on Thursday night (even if the extra home date might help Eugene's bottom line) with no guarantees on advancing.

Like it or not, and opinions have been pretty divided over the last couple of days, Chris Neil will likely suit up for his second straight game. I am kind of indifferent on the decision, while one part of me would rather see a more skilled player in that spot (or even a 7th defenseman to allow more situational deployment), if Neil's teammates actually think behind closed doors the way they have spoken publicly about his presence on the bench then it is a positive even if he only plays a couple of shifts. At this point any boost, whether physically or mentally, is welcome and if they feel better with Neil in the lineup then he should be there.

The Rangers have gotten out to quick starts in the last three games especially and have held the lead for a vast majority of the time in this series. The Senators need to do a better job of surviving the storm that New York brings in to start the game, and have a counter to it. Maybe you start a 5-some of Smith, Neil, Burrows, Methot and Phaneuf just to set a physical tone of their own, or at least balance the physical edge of the Rangers, before coming back with a skilled group to try and put them on their heels for once.

The Rangers have had to play desperate hockey on home ice and that has worked for them, and they know full well if they don't win this one their season is over. Boucher has to find a way to instill that same type of urgency in his team, something he really wasn't able to do, or the Rangers didn't let him do, in the two previous outings at MSG.

The Senators are 3-2 on the road in these playoffs, but their last two outings left a lot to be desired and they need to have a much better, more complete and competitive performance tonight to avoid game 7 back in Ottawa.

The good thing is, it can't get much worse.