Three New York Rangers storylines to watch against the Ottawa Senators

The New York Rangers suffered a crushing loss to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night, giving up a 2-1 period lead and losing 3-2 in overtime to the Eastern Conference's best team. While New York picked up a crucial point to keep pace in the conference standings, that extra missed point might hurt them down the road.

Starting on Saturday afternoon, the Rangers have arguably their biggest two-game stretch of the season, when they go on the road to face the Ottawa Senators -- who they are tied with in points -- then face the Columbus Blue Jackets -- who they trail by one point -- at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

Ottawa (31-25-6) is level with New York with 67 points, but the Senators currently have the tiebreaker with one less game played. Saturday's matchup is a huge opportunity for the Rangers to gain a hand on a playoff contender.

With every game and point meaning so much, here's three things to watch for Saturday.

1. How will the Rangers deal with Brady Tkachuk?

When talking about the Ottawa Senators, the first person anyone has to mention is Brady Tkachuk. Tkachuk is a superstar and has proved it at multiple levels, whether the NHL or 4 Nations Faceoff, where he became a fan-favorite for Team U.S.A.

Since returning from an injury that kept him out for a few games after the break, Tkachuk has scored goals in three straight games, four including before the break. New York needs to limit his offensive output.

Moreover, last time these two teams met, Tkachuk was in the center of a scuffle in the third period of a 5-0 Blueshirt victory. These teams have some history and expect emotions to flare.

2. Can the kids continue to perform?

Lately, it feels like the Rangers have had some fresh energy, and that's because they do. New York's newer youth has provided a lot of speed and intensity, whether Brett Berard, Brennan Othmann, Zac Jones, or someone else.

As the Rangers continue to push for the playoffs, it's important for these players who have not played a long stretch this season -- but are now being given much more of a responsibility -- to perform.

Combine this with the younger, more experienced players such as Will Cuylle, Alexis Lafreniere, K'Andre Miller, Braden Schneider or Matt Rempe, all need to pick up their games.

3. This is a golden opportunity for New York. Can they grab it?

In December, the Rangers looked dead in the water. They were last in the Eastern Conference, were the worst team in the NHL for a four-week stretch and were lifeless.

Since the new year, the Blueshirts have had to climb back into the playoff race inch by inch. While it took them over a month-and-a-half to get back to a postseason spot, they find themselves in contention going into this weekend.

The opponents for this weekend's matchups are huge, the two teams ahead of New York in the wildcard standings. Combine that with the fact that both have slumped lately -- both are 4-5-1 in the last 10 -- and New York can get a significant win if it continues its good play.

Inch by inch and game by game, the Rangers have clawed back. Now they need to prove they belong.