New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators Series Predictions
As the New York Rangers head into their second round matchup, here’s Blue Line Station’s series predictions.
The New York Rangers clinched a second round appearance with an exciting six game series win over the Montreal Canadiens. Now New York will match up against the Ottawa Senators, led by the most dynamic defenseman in the entire NHL, Erik Karlsson.
Of course the Senators also boast Derick Brassard, known best for being a huge playoff performer even when his regular seasons fail to meet expectations. Oh, and Brassard also happens to be a former Ranger.
The winner will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, so the series should be hard fought to say the least. Without further adieu, here’s Blue Line Station’s predictions for Rangers vs. Senators.
Brandon Cohen- Rangers in Six
The Ottawa Senators are a worse team than the Montreal Canadiens, so it makes sense for the Rangers to beat them too. However, don’t let the difference in talent fool you too much. The Senators boast the best defenseman in the world in Erik Karlsson, and more depth than the Canadiens did.
Still, the Senators’ depth does not come close to matching that of the Rangers. New York’s entire post-season hopes shifted for the better when they inserted Pavel Buchnevich into the lineup. Now, Ottawa must skate with four skill lines wearing Rangers blue. The Senators don’t have the depth on offense or defense to do that.
Ottawa will give the Rangers a run for their money, but New York will win an eerily similar series to their first round tilt. Rangers in six.
Bold predictions: Derick Brassard scores a hat trick in a game, Ryan McDonagh scores more points than Erik Karlsson in the series.
Logan Clements- Rangers in Five
I believe the Rangers’ depth will simply overwhelm the Senators. Brady Skjei and Brendan Smith are far better defensemen than anyone on the Senators’ second and third pairing. Oscar Lindberg and Jesper Fast have been playing extremely well and can skate circles around guys like Chris Kelly and Tom Pyatt.
Add on to all of this that Mika Zibanejad (four points in his last four games) is ready for his “redemption tour” in Ottawa after being traded in the offseason.
The Rangers should be wary of Big Game Brassard and Erik Karlsson if they want to succeed, but with Henrik Lundqvist playing his best hockey of the season, I don’t see the Sens winning more than a game or two. Rangers in five.
Dan Carrozzi- Rangers in Seven
I predict that the New York Rangers will win in seven games over the Ottawa Senators.
To the surprise of many, including myself, the Rangers were able to close out the Montreal Canadiens in six games. In the second round, the Rangers return to their habit of playing in seven game series.
Much like in 2012, the last time the two teams met in the playoffs, the series will be closer than many expect, with at least two games going to overtime.
The Rangers, perhaps guilty of looking ahead to an Eastern Conference Final matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins or Washington Capitals, and having the tendency to be inconsistent, will allow the series to go the distance.
Bolstered by his red-hot start in the first round, coupled with his penchant for coming through in the playoffs that Rangers fans know all too well, Derick Brassard will have a very productive series against the Rangers. Fortunately, the Rangers’ scoring depth, and the stellar play of Henrik Lundqvist will lead them to victory.
Also they did in 2012, the Rangers will prevail in Game 7. However this time it will be in Ottawa instead of at Madison Square Garden as they did five years ago.
Garrett Gartino- Rangers in Five
The New York Rangers first round victory over the Montreal Canadiens came as a pleasant surprise to me. Luckily , the team’s path towards a second round victory seems just as pleasant.
It’s hard to consider a scenario where this Henrik Lundqvist led Rangers team loses in a seven-game series to the Ottawa Senators. His outstanding play through the first six games of the playoffs gives New York the clear upper hand at goaltending.
Ottawa is led by ex-Ranger Derick Brassard and perennial Norris candidate Erik Karlsson. I do not see the Senators matching the Rangers’ skill and scoring depth that was otherwise quiet in the first round.
Look for players like Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, and Kevin Hayes to find their game with opportunities opening up against this Senators defense.
Rangers in five.
Tim Haggerty- Rangers in Five
I am going to be a little bold with my predictions. I like the Rangers to defeat the Senators in five games.
The Rangers are playing much better at home. They won’t lose either of the games in the Garden. The ideology that the Rangers can’t win at home will be buried and their confidence will be soaring.
Erik Karlsson will re-aggravate his foot injury and struggle to slow down the Rangers offense. Bobby Ryan will go back to being Bobby Ryan and won’t score a goal in the series. However, the familiarity factor for Derrick Brassard and Victor Stalberg could make this line the Senators’ most lethal.
Henrik Lundqvist will be the x-factor for the Rangers once again. He will continue to dominate and give the Rangers more than enough support to win the series.
Tyler Kluepfel- Rangers in Six
The Rangers were able to get by the Montreal Canadiens by goaltending and skill, and they’ll need to do it again versus the Ottawa Senators. The good news for the Rangers is that Henrik Lundqvist looks locked in. It would only be fitting that after an up and down season, Lundqvist has saved his best for last.
Ottawa won’t be a pushover, but sticking to what worked in the final three games against Montreal can be the difference once again. A player that will benefit from this will be Pavel Buchnevich. Buchnevich looked fantastic in each game he featured in, and looks to be on the verge to break out.
Another thing to be on the lookout for is how the Rangers use their speed against Ottawa’s defensive pairing of Dion Phaneuf and Cody Ceci. Phaneuf is simply not as mobile as he once was and Ceci, a one time top prospect, has had his struggles.
So for the Rangers to move on, there will be three key factors:
Lundqvist keeping form.
The Rangers exploiting the Senators’ defense beyond Erik Karlsson
Key players finding their scoring touch again.
And with the recent epiphany from the coaching staff, there’s reason to believe this team can do it.
Karly Redpath- Rangers in Six
While the Rangers struggled against the Ottawa Senators during the regular season, they can take the conference semifinals if they stick to their game and play responsibly.
The Rangers need to continue to use their speed on the offense and play the dump-and-chase style game and push opponents onto their heels, which was a large part of their success throughout the season.
The Senators had a high-scoring first series against the Boston Bruins. Former Ranger, Derek Brassard, has proven yet again that he is one of the best players to have on your roster during the playoffs and leads his team with eight points (two goals, six assists). He is followed closely by Bobby Ryan (four goals, three assists, seven points) and Erik Karlsson (six assists).
The Rangers need to maintain the physicality seen in all three zones to push Ottawa off the puck and have to play responsible defense to contain the offense that was able to overpower Boston.
On paper, the biggest challenge for the Rangers in the Atlantic was Montreal. If they continue the strong play seen in the first round, there is no question they can get past Ottawa.
The Rangers take this series in six.
George Ruggiero- Rangers in Five
The Rangers follow up a tough, physical series against the Canadiens with an equally, if not more, difficult meeting with the Ottawa Senators. The Senators play a hard-nosed, trap style of hockey and are riding high after defeating their division rival Boston Bruins.
I think the Rangers take the series in five games. The trap style that the Senators play has been effective against the speed of teams like the Rangers. However, as shown in the series against the Canadiens, the Rangers have learned to play with more of an edge while maintaining their blistering pace through the neutral zone.
The Rangers have the advantage in most areas. The Rangers’ forward corps have been flying as of late, and Henrik Lundqvist is in his usual playoff form. The Senators’ defensive group, however, is strong, particularly Erik Karlsson who has been playing like a man possessed.
Alexandra Russo- Rangers in Six
The New York Rangers have a lot of intermixing with the Ottawa Senators in terms of former teammates and draft picks. This makes for an interesting matchup that could appear as though it was a rivalry even though these teams don’t have any direct hatred towards each other.
That said, this will be another hard-fought series that will most likely be based more on skill and speed than physicality. (Although, the Rangers have beyond doubt proven that they can be physical, as they registered the most hits of any team in the 2017 Playoffs during the first round.)
It will be another low-scoring series, as well because these teams are very patient with the puck. Now that the Rangers are playing well at home again, there’s little reason to doubt their ability to take down the Ottawa Senators, especially on the heels of beating the Montreal Canadiens.
My prediction is that this series is won by the New York Rangers in six games.
Justin Starr- Rangers in Six
We’re onto the Atlantic Division final! After looking at both teams and how they matchup, I really believe the Rangers should move onto the Eastern Conference final. However, it’s the New York Rangers we are talking about. We never know which team will show up from game to game.
I’m fairly confident with this matchup, more confident than I was last series against Montreal. The Rangers need to work on breaking the 1-3-1 trap and they need to pepper Craig Anderson with shots. Anderson has been lights out at Madison Square Garden so they will need to test him early and often.
If the Rangers can move through the zone swiftly, attack Anderson with shots and make him uncomfortable and contain Erik Karlsson, I see the New York Rangers moving onto the Eastern Conference final after ousting the Ottawa Senators in 6 games.
Lou Venditti- Rangers in Five
The New York Rangers will beat the Ottawa Senators in 5 games. The Rangers are coming off a hot series against Montreal, where Henrik Lundqvist flourished, and AV eventually learned how to deploy his players correctly.
The Senators had a similarly long series against Boston, with four of six games going into overtime, along with a hurt star defenseman in Erik Karlsson.
With Karlsson still fighting through a hairline fracture, and Lundqvist in prime post season form, the door is wide open for the Rangers.
Next: Rangers Must Get Henrik Lundqvist a Cup
They have the speed up front to exploit any neutral zone traps the Sens set up, and AV has been deploying the defense to maximize the offense. The Rangers are faster, stronger, and an all around better team than the Senators.