Rangers conclude the season against the Ottawa Senators with everything on the line
By Conor Power
A one-off game will decide the fate of the New York Rangers season. Everything this franchise has worked so hard for comes down to one game, one puck drop, and one opponent. The New York Rangers will host the Ottawa Senators in a game in which the two franchises play with the fate of the Eastern Conference on the line. Win, and the entire league must come to New York to try and win the cup. Lose, and pass that chance on to Carolina.
The pressure is on as the Rangers play their season's final game. It's the final home game, so it will be fan appreciation night as the Rangers look to put a bowtie on the Presidents Trophy, the Eastern Conference, and the Metropolitan Division. It's a dangerous game, with Carolina still holding the tiebreaker over the Rangers. Any win tonight, whether in overtime, a shootout, or regulation, will get the Rangers their title.
Igor Shesterkin will be starting the final game of the regular season. His sparkling performance against the New York Islanders helped the Blueshirts overcome their cross-city rivals in the shootout last time out. He'll need to be doing this again if the Rangers need the Russian netminder at his sparkling best again if they are going to win the Presidents Trophy and all the other accolades that are on offer tonight.
Projected Lineups
Ottawa Senators
Brady Tkachuk - Shane Pinto - Drake Batherson
Mathieu Joseph - Ridley Grieg - Claude Giroux
Boris Katchouk - Jiri Smejkal - Parker Kelly
Bokondji Imama - Zack Ostapchuk - Zack MacEwen
Jake Sanderson - Artem Zub
Jakob Chychrun - Jacber Bernard-Docker
Thomas Chabot - Erik Brannstrom
Joonas Korpisalo
Anton Forsberg
New York Rangers
Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Chris Kreider - Mika Zibanejad - Jack Roslovic
Will Cuylle - Alex Wennberg - Kaapo Kakko
Jimmy Vesey - Barclay Goodrow - Matt Rempe
Ryan Lindgren - Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller - Braden Schneider
Erik Gustafsson - Jacob Trouba
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Puck Drop
It's a 7:30 Eastern puck drop from the Garden that will test the fitting Rangers end to this season. Will the Blueshirts bend under the pressure, or will the organization clinch the Presidents Trophy? Will the lights on Broadway be too bright, or will the Rangers produce a star performance? We'll get the answers to everything tonight when the Rangers conclude the season.